Wake Up Call for Boomers

We Baby Boomers are at a delicate age that can be a significant turning point for the rest of our lives.  We're still young enough to have the opportunity to be healthy as we grow old, but we're old enough to be at risk of aging poorly.  Someone once told me, "We spend the first half of our lives trying to kill ourselves and the second half trying to live forever!"

Benign neglect, poor lifestyle choices or an unfortunate act of fate can all cause physical limitations that restrict our quality of life and make us old before our time.  Chronic conditions like arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, high blood pressure and other kinds of heart disease begin to manifest at our age.  Orthopedic problems like rotator cuff tears, knee injuries and low back pain become more widespread.

In my youth, I never thought very far into the future.  But with time, I've developed a new attitude.  Now I think about what we need to do at age 50 to be great at 70; what to do at 60 to be fully functional at 80; what a 70 year-old can do to be vibrant at 90.

As my friend Christine shared with me recently: "I spent the day with my mother on Sunday and I saw first hand the effect that walking has had on her mobility.  A year ago my son-in-law had to carry her up the exterior steps of their brownstone.  Sunday she was able to go up on her own, one step at a time and carefully, but fully independent!  Really miraculous.  I had hesitated to bring her to NYC because of those steps and now feel comfortable to bring her any time."

It's never too late to take a pro-active approach to aging!