Baby Boomers and Aging

How many times have you heard the phrase old age doesn’t come alone! It’s so true and many over 50s can attest to this. Hair starts to thin or disappear altogether, wearing glasses or contact lenses are a given, and a lot of people find that they are having to turn the volume up a bit more on the TV. A very smart elderly lady that I know is losing her site; she now uses a white cane when she goes outdoors. When I met her in the elevator a few weeks ago she said to me “they call it the golden years but I don’t know what’s golden about old age. The only thing that’s gold is what you have in your teeth and that’s only if you’ve been fortunate enough to have some”. It’s a fact as we age everything changes. We start to slow down and for most of us this starts even in our late forties and early fifties. By the time you reach your sixties you notice that there’s a big difference in your ability to do certain things. With some people the changes are very subtle so they barely notice them in the beginning. And others will see very sudden changes. A friend of mine said I just realized I can’t hop anymore. I thought it was an odd thing to say. Who hops on one foot, except children of course but if you had to, could you? When we are kids skipping rope and hopping is a fun thing I even remember skipping for exercise when I was in my thirties or even forties but now it’s a very different matter. But it’s not all bad! A lot depends on our attitude and what we do with our lives. We’ve all seen or heard about some seniors that are still doing amazing things well into their old age. There are those that are still skiing, ski diving etc in their 80s. There are some that swim, play the piano or taking painting classes, or learning to use the computer into their 90s. Then there are those less fortunate that have a number of health issues well before they reach the age of 70, they become very limited in what they are able to do. We have all seen someone we love gradually losing their independence and often their health with the growing years. Old age is something we cannot avoid. However we can try to keep it at bay for as long as possible by doing things that help keep us as healthy as possible both physically and mentally. There are many anti aging promises on the market but when it comes down to it we have to take responsibility for our self. We can’t rely on the promises of others. There are certain things that we do know for sure and that is eating healthy foods, taking things in moderation that means food drinks, and sometimes other people. Try to avoid stress as much as possible; being around water is relaxing for most people even if you take some time reading or just sitting by a garden water fountain. Regular exercise, companionship, and having interesting things to keep our mind active will also be beneficial to healthy aging. Hobbies can help accomplish a number of these needs. A hobby that you enjoy such as tennis, golf, woodwork, sewing, cooking or beginning guitar lessons, all these things can totally take your minds off things that are bothering you. They can bring us in contact with other people some exercises help keep us fit by providing some of the required exercise we need. A great hobby for this is dancing.