BOOMER UPDATE

News and Resources for Boomers

Posts Tagged Fitness

Obese Seniors Face High Risk of Diabetes

Jun 24

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By Susan Brady

Belly fat, the bulge that peeks over the top of the pants, manifests itself into heavy midsection rolls or becomes lovingly referred to as a “beer belly,” becomes more difficult to battle as you age. It is estimated that 50 percent of adult Americans carry unhealthy supplies of fat around their middle. Some are more predisposed to weight gain in the abdomen, which makes it twice as difficult to keep it at bay. But that extra weight attaché front and center can have dire consequences.

Middle-aged belly fat has been linked to dementia, increased stroke risk, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and now there is strong evidence to support that seniors with excess abdominal fat have a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes as well, by about 50 percent over their thinner counterparts.
healthnews.com

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Boomer disability may spell trouble

Jun 18

Posted by Boomer in Fitness, Health | No Comments

By Warren Wolfe, Star Tribune

More baby boomers are having trouble with common physical tasks such as climbing stairs, stooping, walking a quarter mile or reaching overhead, a new study says.

That could mean trouble for taxpayers and families in coming years, as increasingly frail boomers swell the ranks of the aged, with fewer young people to provide care or pay the bills.

More than 40 percent of people ages 50-64 say they have health problems that make routine household chores difficult, up 4 percent in the last decade. Rates for those who have trouble stooping rose 9 percent. Difficulty walking up 10 steps rose 14 percent. Many use canes, wheelchairs or other equipment to help them cope.
startribune.com

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A growing number of baby boomers see sports as a way to feel young again

May 24

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BY ANA VECIANA-SUAREZ

The sky is the color of freshly brewed coffee when Liliana Retelny slips her 27-foot shell into the still waters of Miami Beach’s Indian Creek and begins her daily three-hour routine. She rows. She rows as the rising sun stains the clouds, as students practice with their crew teams, as the sounds of a waking city begin to fill the air.

Retelny, 47, is practicing to compete against rowers two decades her junior. The Aventura psychotherapist already has won two silver medals in the Central American Games, placed 20th in World Cup competition and second in her division in Israel’s Maccabiah Games. All this in a sport she took up only four years ago, when her daughter was rowing for her high school team.

“I love it,” said Retelny, who competes under her maiden name, Boruchowicz. “For me this is not work. It is not a matter of discipline. When I’m on the water, I’m the happiest. I feel alive and young.”
miamiherald.com

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Boomers Beset with Disabilities

Apr 8

Posted by Boomer in Fitness, Health | No Comments

By LiveScience Staff

The number of middle-aged Americans with certain mobility-related disabilities, such as trouble climbing stairs, is on the rise, according to a new study.

This upward trend for baby boomers contrasts with a decline in disabilities found for people 65 and over.

The study is based on data from the National Health Interview Survey, conducted annually from 1997 to 2007 and including up to 15,000 individuals each year. The results show that more than 40 percent of people aged 50 to 64 reported having problems with at least one of nine physical functions, and many reported difficulty with more than one.

While the total number of adults reporting physical problems in this age group did not change significantly over the study period, there was a significant uptick in people reporting difficulties with specific mobility related functions, including walking a quarter-mile and climbing 10 steps.
livescience.com

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Double the Odds of Seeing 85

Mar 9

Posted by Boomer in Exercise, Health | No Comments

When It Comes to Longevity, Regular Exercise May Be the Most Potent Weapon Against Disease

By RON WINSLOW

The leading edge of the baby boom generation turns 65 next year, which means a new milestone looms on the horizon: age 85.

So what do boomers need to do not just to survive to 85, but to live healthy lives into old age and not break the bank at the federal Medicare program?

The most important strategy, according to the latest research to look at the question, is to be physically active in middle age. “If you are fit in mid-life, you double your chance of surviving to 85,” says Jarett Berry, a cardiologist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Put another way: If you’re not fit in your 50s, your projected life span “is eight years shorter than if you are fit,” Dr. Berry says.
wsj.com

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Bulge of baby boomers

Jan 13

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By JEANNE MILLSAP For Sun-Times Media

Baby boomers have often been thought of as the active generation. They are the “think-outside-of-the-box” men and women who make it a habit to stay in shape, but not necessarily by the old tried-and-true methods.

They run, bike, play racquetball and tennis, do yoga, Pilates, climbing, and swimming. They are also heading into their senior years with more physical disabilities than those of previous generations.

A new study in the American Journal of Public Health found that boomers ages 60-69 have more day-to-day disabilities than their elders. They have more difficulty walking up 10 steps without resting, they have more problems doing daily chores, and they even have more trouble with such simple physical tasks as getting dressed in the morning.

The generation entering their 70s is having no more disabilities than the generation before them, but boomers aren’t quite as up to par.
suburbanchicagonews.com

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New finding may help baby boomers get buff

Jan 5

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If you’re an aging baby boomer hoping for a buffer physique, there’s hope. A team of American scientists from Texas and Michigan have made a significant discovery about the cause of age-related muscle atrophy that could lead to new drugs to halt this natural process. This research, available online the FASEB Journal, shows that free radicals, such as reactive oxygen species, damage mitochondria in muscle cells, leading to cell death and muscle atrophy. Now that scientists understand the cause of age-related muscle loss, they can begin to develop new drugs to halt the process. “Age-related muscle atrophy in skeletal muscle is inevitable. However, we know it can be slowed down or delayed,” said Holly Van Remmen, Ph.D., co-author of the study, from the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. “Our goal is to increase our understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying sarcopenia to gain insight that will help us to discover therapeutic interventions to slow or limit this process.”
esciencenews.com

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Fitness centres target the ‘grey’ market

Dec 29

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As people get older, many require individualized workout programs and special equipment

By Jenny Lee, Vancouver Sun; Canwest News Service

Fitness centres are missing the boat when they fail to reach out to baby boomers, says an advocate for active aging.

Many mainstream centres have been reluctant to “grey” their enrolment even as membership declined in recent years, but that is beginning to change, said Colin Milner, CEO of the Vancouver-based International Council on Active Aging.

Over the next 10 years, the 18-to 49-year-old market will grow by 0.6 per cent while the 50-plus market will grow 25 per cent, Milner said.

Yet most clubs still cater to the younger market. Many older adults want — or need — personalized fitness programs that take into account health issues such as bum knees and rotator cuffs. And many aren’t sure exactly what to do when it comes to exercise, Milner said. Some lack the energy; others find traditional gyms unpleasant or intimidating.
calgaryherald.com

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As baby boomers flock to get fit, gyms prepare for aging exercisers

Oct 31

Posted by Boomer in Exercise | No Comments

boomers
Jenny Lee, Canwest News Service

Many mainstream fitness centres have been reluctant to
“grey” their enrolment even as membership continued to decline over the past four years, but that is now finally beginning to change, Colin Milner, CEO of Vancouver-based International Council on Active Aging said in an interview.

Over the next 10 years, the 18- to 49-year-old market will grow by 0.6% and the 50-plus market will grow 25%, Milner said, yet most clubs still cater to the younger market. Many older adults want – or need – personalized fitness programs that take into account health issues such as bum knees and rotator cuffs. Yet, most older adults are not sure exactly what to do when it comes to exercise, Milner said. Some lack the energy to exercise, others find traditional gyms unpleasant or intimidating.

Older adults also spend more of their income on health than any other need or activity.
nationalpost.com

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