If not, then here’s a question for you.
Healthy aging; what does it mean to you?
Regardless of your age it is something you really need to start thinking about and planning for.
I thought this article I came across in the Montreal Gazette recently was interesting and worth a quick read; Fitness: Baby Boomers – set your sights on successful aging.
Author Jill Barker goes on to say, “Its clear far too many baby boomers (and many younger people as well) aren’t getting the message that exercise is the fountain of youth……..both physical and mental.”
I believe Active Ageing needs to begin when you are much younger, not when you are ready to retire Also, we all need to make some fundamental shifts in our thinking about the aging process both as individuals and as a society at large.
Unfortunately, this quote from Chungliang Al Huang gives us a clue as to how a lot of people think about, and abuse their bodies; “Many people treat their bodies as if they were rented from Hertz……something they are using to get around in but nothing they genuinely care about understanding.”
Associate Professor Bamini Gopinath and colleagues defined successful ageing as “reaching old age disease-free and fully functional; without disability, depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment, respiratory symptoms, and chronic diseases”. Hard to disagree with that one, isn’t it?
I think it’s a great way for an aging population to look at the issue of the aging process and it certainly makes you think about the future of your health (although the actual doing is different) but look at these horrifying statistics; 60% of all deaths are attributable to some form of degenerative lifestyle disease and 90% of all people over 60 are on some form of medication – again lifestyle diseases are the main cause of the need for people to be medicated.
A large portion of the blame for these rising figures comes on the back of people adopting a more sedentary lifestyle and consuming diets containing high levels of sugar and salt laden processed foods.
Hence the growth in obesity rates worldwide.
The worst part of all this is, it is quite simple to halt and reverse these figures.
Here is a great video for you to watch……I guarantee it will have a lasting impact when you consider how this younger person has such a good grip on the needs of us, the aging generation.
People just have to be willing to change their lifestyles if they want to reach retirement age disease-free and fully functional. Governments or any other authorities can’t make people lead a healthy and active lifestyle. It is all up to the individual. So where did this lack of responsibility and respect for our own bodies come from over the past forty to fifty years?
Believe me……..when you get to 70, good health really is true wealth.
One thing that really annoys me is the number of people around my age who say to me, “Gee, I wish I was as fit and healthy as you”. Of course there are always going to be people with genuine debilitating health problems that are not caused by their own doing but for many it is what I refer to it as the baby boomers curse – resting and rusting.
We are an aging population but unfortunately a growing percentage of us aren’t members of the active aging tribe. So come and join the movement and don’t be afraid to ask me about active ageing.
It will change your life forever. Just watch the video above if you need to be convinced any further…….it is well worth a few minutes of your precious time.
So join the Active Ageing Movement NOW……..it will totally change your life.
Like and share…….you might just help someone to change their life for the better. Thanks.
Cheers – John – your Active Aging Coach and Activist.
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