Baby Boomers, people now in their 50s and 60s, are less mobile than people who were in their 50s and 60s a decade ago. That’s the bad news from Health Affairs, whose April issue publishes a study by the RAND Corporation based on mobility-related disability trends evident in the
1997-2007 National Health Interview Survey. The survey found that the proportion of people ages 50–64 who reported needing help
with personal care activities increased significantly from
1997 to 2007.The Los Angeles Times reports that the functions that most people have trouble with include stooping, bending and kneeling; standing for two hours;
walking a quarter mile; and climbing 10 steps without resting. More than
40 percent of people surveyed said they had
trouble with at least one of nine physical functions.
Health, fitness and lifestyle tips for people over 50 who still like to play hard
Saturday, May 31, 2025
That’s startling news and at the same time sad. But as I Boomer I see it all the time with so many of my friends and associates..
Baby-boomers are the first generation that had TV; more cars, less walking; fast food vice good home cooking; more weight, less fitness. Sounds like it isn’t really news, just a fact of the times we were brought up in…..
Surprized, not really. Most of us played sports in high school, very hard on the bodies since we were faster, stronger and more multiple sport players. Women sports became very popular in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. After high school many continued on with sports in college, or played sports in their local communities. Softball, basketball, football and tennis. Then our generation turned very materialistic, high paying jobs, big houses, fancy cars. And we found out that one or more of the spouse’s worked a part job to afford these extra’s. We were so busy with our lives that we ignored all the pains and aches because we thought it was normal. We abused our bodies day in and day out for thirty or forty years, mobility problems oh yes we baby boomer’s have them. Pescipton drugs are a way of life for those in their 50’s and 60’s.But we loved every minute of it.
Too much T.V. and the food industry are the problem
with us boomers and the worst part is that we where
born in it and lived it all our lifes.
I’m 82. I admit to not excerising much. I could if I began slowly.
When I was growing up, we had no electronic toys to occupy our time. We didn’t have playgrounds as exist today. We played games & ball in the streets. (Few autos then), and a dozen or more of us just ran races through the streets. Played hard at school recess.
Reading this, I feel blessed.
I wonder, too, how much desk jobs contribute. We’ve lost most of the “hard labor” jobs in US.
I too have seen so many, younger than I, with mobility problems. This is a sad state.
you got that right alan. i think it was that way for most of us.we thought the pain was just part of getting older.
I am 76 years old and have had meminum restaurant food intake. No hi frutose corn syrup, no groth hormones, minimum preservatives, minimum animal fat and lots of fiber, the kind that is in yams, abocados, whole grains and no BPAs from plastic bottles. I don’t take any kind of medication. I do olive oil, and vinegar on salads and only eat salads that have not been treated with preservatives. Mostly cooking at home with natural foods that have not been proccessed. I have read a book 57 years ago, written by a lady, saying that the most important health practice is to do something that causes deep breathing. This doesn’t mean breathing deep continually till you get dizzy.Most people are shallow breathers. Many hold their breath when they lift something. Our bad habbits are killing most of us early. I think we are all pretty much molded from what we eat, drink, breathe, smell and think. Expose your self to good things and good thinks have a better chance of happen.