The bad news is that despite the gains we’ve made in publicizing healthy living, a new report says that baby boomers are becoming more overweight and more sedentary. And the result, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, is that many adults have hearts that are not strong at all.
In fact, as a cardiologist told the newspaper The Globe and Mail in Toronto, baby boomers could be the first generation to actually take a step backward and experience a decline in quality of life. The report details that more than 50% of all baby boomers are inactive. Roughly one-third are classified as being obese. And 20% still smoke cigarettes. These are three major risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke (not to mention other non-heart related medical conditions).
Baby boomers are individuals who are part of the generation that was born post-WWII, from 1946 to 1964. They are all approaching — as you can tell with some quick math — their 60s. That is the age where you really have to start taking care of your body and your heart. Daily exercise and a diet that is high in vegetables and fruit and low in saturated fat and cholesterol is key to staying healthy. Not to mention moderate drinking, not smoking, and maintaining other healthy practices as well.
The experts are surprised that the boomers’ overall health is the way it is — considering they’ve been bombarded with messages about heart disease for decades. Still, it’s evident that a high percentage of people are apathetic about it all. Do yourself a favor and pay attention to the warnings. Without a strong heart, you are threatening the quality and length of your life. One cardiologist told The Globe and Mail that “the future heart health of today’s boomer is looking bleak.”
Already we’re seeing waiting times for all sorts of heart surgeries, such as bypass, angioplasty, cardiac catheterization, and pacemaker insertion. And the report brings back shocking statistics that 57% of boomers don’t think their weight has any effect on their heart!
Heart disease is the number one killer on the planet. But make no mistake, you can lower your risk of ever catching it by giving your heart a workout with some aerobic exercise, eating nutritious meals, reducing stress in your life, and getting regular blood pressure and cholesterol tests.
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Tags: Cholesterol, exercise, health breakthroughs
