As Baby Boomers, those individuals born between 1946 – 1964, continue the aging process some certainties are beginning to emerge about this group of Americans. 60% of those between age 50 -64 suffer from at least one chronic disease. This means that the health of the Baby Boomer generation will challenge the limits of social programs such as Medicare and Medicaid to provide medical care and meet other health related costs.
As a Baby Boomer (the youngest who are age 50 in 2014 and the oldest who are 68) it is important to take charge of your health and health decisions. The choices you make in terms of diet, exercise, alcohol consumption and stress management will have a huge impact on your finances and quality of life into the future. The health care industry, insurance rates and taxation policy in the U.S. and other places of the world are predicated on the growing needs of Baby Boomers and the decisions you make today to improve your health will influence these areas.
• How Drinking More Water Helps The bawell water ionizers help create drinkable, alkaline ionized water that is beneficial to you as you age. Drinking alkaline ionized water helps revitalize the body and provide you with the level of hydration important to feel healthier and energized. If you are not already drinking a required amount of water (at least 8 to 10 cups of water in 8 ounce portions) you are missing out on the health benefits that come from low cost, highly beneficial water.
• Engaging in Healthy Lifestyle Activities It is important to maintain a high level of fitness and physical activity, even as we age. Although it may be easy to look back on our glory days on the gridiron or pitcher’s mound from the 1970s and 1980s, the nostalgia must give way to a renewed commitment to increase your level of physical activity and mobility. This is especially true for older Baby Boomers as it is for anyone of any generation. Becoming sedentary leads to obesity, limits on mobility and threats to our heart.
Begin an exercise program that provides you with healthy benefits and are based on your current level of physical activity. It is not necessary to go all out or push yourself beyond your physical limits. Start slowly, taking care to warm the muscles and cool down after your exercises in order to properly absorb the benefits of exercise without coming away from the experience more reluctant to exercise the next time.
• Drinking and Health Effects Binge drinking and substance abuse is prevalent and a troubling indicator for future health care requirements as Baby Boomers age. A 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicated that the use of illicit drugs increased over a period of a decade for those individuals who are age 50 – 64. This, coupled with a binge drinking rate of 8.2% among adults 65 and older and a heavy drinking rate of 2% and it is easy to see that changes have to be made among Baby Boomers in their attitude toward drinking.
It is easy to find information concerning the effects of prolonged drinking and the associated health issues that come with years of alcohol consumption. Making a commitment toward responsible drinking and cutting back can help prolong your life.
• Managing Stress Effectively Stress management is important. Working in some high pressure employment opportunity or carrying the weight of the world on your shoulder can only lead to heart disease and stroke. Take more time in terms of vacations and periods away from the office or job and learn to relax more. Pushing back from a stressful job, even if momentarily, can prove crucial in maintaining your sanity and your health.
