Boomers CAN be Ageless

Ever read that 'boomers can be ageless' and wonder what that looks like and how it can be achieved? More than ever before, we see ‘Memory care centers’ popping up everywhere. Boomers are highly aware that they do not want to be a part of the Alzheimers / dementia epidemic. They are consciously aware of wanting to take steps as they grow older, to keep their brains young and stay in their own homes. Many don’t want to do what by gone generations might have once thought was logical when you reached your 'golden years': to wind down somewhere in the world, perhaps in the company of fellow retirees. Many aspirant ageless boomers, see this 'being in the waiting room' a problem that could shorten, rather than improve their lifespan. They don’t want to surround themselves with older people whose conversations are filled with their aches and pains, and whose main activity is watching TV and vegetating.

So what can boomers do to stay ageless?

The so-called ‘lifestyle diseases’ (like heart attacks, cancer and diabetes), and death at the hands of the medical system have been identified as the top causes of death in the United States. A simple foil, therefore, to most of the causes of death in the US will be lifestyle changes, especially those that keep you out of the medical system.

Making healthy lifestyle choices without being obsessive and stressed about them,
whilst knowing your body and
taking preventative health measures,

can drastically help reduce health hazards which reduce longevity and then also contribute to how boomers can be ageless.

6 ways boomers can be ageless

1. Don't wind down!

As the oldest of the baby boomers reach the 70 years mark, the desire to ensure health longevity and live life to it’s fullest has grown even stronger. It used to be that American ‘way’ was that that as you passed middle age, the time had arrived to begin to wind down. It was a time to travel the world, play some golf, and just kick back and relax. But no more!

The ‘boomers can be ageless generation’ has arrived. Beliefs about what you can do as you get older, have changed. Just the other day I saw Boomers ‘the Immers’ on the rock-climbing wall. In their late 60’s they’re not ready to shift into ‘the winding down room.’ And pickle ball - a boomer favorite sport- is one of the fastest growing sports.

2. Use your acquired wisdom and knowledge

In past generations, a senior still in active service was often considered an anomaly. But baby boomers have successfully extended the average American lifespan by gradually changing this 'way of being'.

The longest running longevity study run by Harvard university found that people who live long aren’t slackers, they are people who work hard and stay productive. Instead of ‘retiring’ consider moving to do something else you love. Merely retreating into a “comfort zone” for the final years of your life only increases your psychological awareness of your aging and gives you more time to focus in on your symptoms. Experience acquired over the years can be put into productive use even as you age and baby boomers need to do just that but maybe in a different way: teach a college class, mentor the youth but put your valuable wisdom acquired over many years to use. Don’t let all the knowledge and wisdom you have acquired go to waste. Not only will others benefit, but you’ll give the youth a reason to appreciate and continue to value you. And ultimately there is nothing like feeling valued and appreciated to make your biology hum a happy tune and to help you feel ageless.

3. Meditate and Activate your Longevity Gene

Meditation not only changes your brainwaves so that over time you go from stressed brainwaves (high beta) to calm and relaxed brainwaves (theta and delta), but it also changes the structure and functioning of your brain. But it's not just you brain that gets a health boost, so does your heart. Meditation changes your heart rate variability and how coherently your heart beats. Meditation also changes which genes are accessed and activated. In short, what lies at the quantum intersection of our lived lives, our emotions and our biochemistry, is a remarkable body code that leads to health or dis-ease and will determine the length and quality of your life.

4. Are supplements a longevity measure for ageless boomers?

The use of supplements has remained a grey area for so long. To use or not to use? The supplement industry has seen a boom like never before as boomers aim to keep and look healthy and improve their longevity. Unfortunately, the supplement industry has been plagued with issues of poor regulation and controversial results. Are you merely producing expensive urine or is it really helping? In the 90+ study Dr. Claudia Kawas found that taking supplements did not enhance longevity. And in this study in the International Journal of Preventative Medicine the author concluded: "The results of large-scale randomized trials show that, for the majority of the population, there is no overall benefit from taking MVM (Vitamin and Mineral) supplements. Indeed, some studies have shown increased risk of cancers in relation to using certain vitamins." Nothing beats getting good nutrients directly from mother nature. However, if you BELIEVE supplements will help your longevity - the placebo affect of your belief may well play a role.

But do take control of your healthcare plan as boomer Helen Elders has. Do find yourself practices of wellness - like regular visits to a chiropractor, acupuncturist, or whatever other practitioners you feel will help you keep well and live longer. Know your body and take control of your own health.

5. Stay involved in social clubs and activities

It turns out that how many hours you spend outside your home could be one of your most important assets and that being socially isolated could be or one of the quickest way to age: The Louisiana Health Aging Study of 2011 Study of Aging found that the number of clubs and hours spent outside the homes were more important health determinants than other positive health behaviors like diet or exercise even.

6. Keep learning

Stay curious and never stop learning. This is a key for boomers who want to be ageless. It's something that characterizes the lives of centenarians.

A healthy lifestyle means fewer health complications as you progress into your senior years. Fewer health complications mean that you spend less time and money in and on health care, which means you have more to spend on other important things.

The generation of the boomers has certainly been an era defining one. That group of Americans born between 1946 and 1964 (as a rebound after WW2) have made a lot of changes to “the way things are” in a number of different fields. In the same way, they have done a lot to help us reconsider ways to grow old and to age. As one boomer recently told me: “I can’t help growing older each year, but I can change how I age.” It’s true, the 70 of yesteryear is nothing like how being 70 years old looks today.

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