Baby Boomers are healthy than their parents

Boomers, the generation that was born between 1946 – 1964 are now in the period of their life where they have or will be soon thinking about retiring. What’s next for them in the future depends a lot on how well they took care of their health and how well they prepared financially. Two big MAJOR deciding factors on how their so called “Golden Years” will workout for them.

Baby Boomers’ parents, at least in my world, worked until 5:00, came home and had their cocktail hour, are dinner usually consisting of meat and potatoes and a fattening dessert, watched a little TV and then went to bed, and woke up the next morning and did it all again.

They retired later in life, health permitting, most likely around 66 or 67. Some never stopped working until they ended up in a coffin.  They knew very little about nutrition; only what their doctors may have suggested as he looked across his desk at the patient through a cloud of smoke from the cigarette he was smoking.

Baby Boomers are much more educated about the dos and don’ts of good health vs. bad health. We, I am a Boomer and dang proud of it, have the benefit if the Internet to research everything and every way of staying healthy. We now know that what we did in our 20s and 30s has a incredible impact on what are health will be like when we are in our 50s, 60s and beyond.  If we did a lot of partying or illegal drugs…whoaaaa…we will be suffering for it in the later years. Eat a lot of junk food like there is no tomorrow and you’ll be suffering the ill effects in your later years. It all comes back to haunt you. There is no free pass.

 

Now, Baby Boomers are very cognizant of what they put in their mouths as they don’t want to suffer the consequences.  They treat their bodies with a lot more intelligence and care than their parents ever did. Baby Boomers are also very concerned with keeping their bodies fit. Now that many are retired, they fit in physical activities everyday. Pickleball has become one of the number one Baby Boomer sports. I like to call pickleball tennis for old people, but darn it if the younger generation hasn’t caught the pickleball fever. The only benefit a Baby Boomer has over a youngster is the youngster is still working, so has less time to play.

Remember when your grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary?  They were usually partially handicapped by some kind of degenerative disease, and most didn’t live very long past their 50th anniversary. Now, I’m an surrounded by people who have celebrated their 50th anniversary and are thriving  in their health and physical activities. They absolutely inspire me as I am considered one of the younger ones on the courts.

Seniors now have the Internet to research health matters with, much to the dismay of their doctors. They are more confident in talking to their doctors and taking what the doctor says as a suggestion, having the knowledge and intelligence to seek second and third opinions. Seniors are taking a proactive action in their own health. Yea for seniors!

It is a great time to be a senior citizen. Baby Boomer are living the golden years to the fullest.