Boomers: Start today preparing for tomorrow

If you were born between 1946 and 1964, you are known as a baby boomer. It would be wonderful if we who are approaching late middle age, heading towards our golden years, could just stop the clock. Since that’s impossible, we can and absolutely should make it our business and priority to improve our health and well-being.

To say it yet again; time is fleeting. It just doesn’t last as long as we would like it to. Although it may seem like just yesterday that you were raising your children, those years have passed and now they are raising their own children.

As the clock continues to tick, if you haven’t already, it is now time, in fact past time, that you start thinking of your (personal) future. Plan how you will make a difference, maybe THE difference, in the quality of the rest of your life, starting today.

Did you wait too long?
Although you may well be kicking yourself for not saving enough money, or for not dropping those extra 20 or even 50 pounds when you were younger, there is no need to fret. You can still make those changes, starting today. So, no, you did not wait too long.

There are many changes that you can make now (today), that will greatly impact your life, later. In fact, if you simply take the steps to make a few, you’ll be able to far exceed your goals towards earning a savings account that can help underwrite retirement, and/or fend off a worrisome health concern. Every day that you implement positive change, is one more day that you have the ability to gain benefits. The sooner you start the more benefits you can obtain.

Why Make Changes?
One of the largest and probably the most difficult things to change is your mind. Why can’t I just live the way that I want to today, you ask? Why can’t I just eat the foods that taste good and live the life that I am living? What’s going to happen if I do this for one more day, month or year?

You may not realize it, but each of these (wrong) choices can and will lead you to a premature death. Living one more day eating foods that are unhealthy will lead to the increased risk of heart disease. Living one more day with not getting enough sleep, not relieving stress, and not getting the exercise you need, leads to disease and a compromised immune system; one that can’t keep up with your body’s needs.

Specific changes to make:

1. Your Diet
Giving your body the nutrients it needs is vitally important to living as long as possible. Not only do you need to put good things in, but you need to get the bad things out. Giving your body the tools it needs to make this happen is important to living longer.

2. Your Brain
Stimulation to the brain needs to be on going. With the population’s number of Alzheimer’s cases expected to drastically increase with the Baby Boomer generation, it is virtually important that you provide the tools necessary to curb this if possible.

3. Your Financial Health
It’s expected that in the next five years, more than 50 percent of those that enter retirement will not be able to support themselves but will rely on family, Social Security as well as charity. Is your financial future ready for retirement?

4. Your Physical Fitness
It is critical that your body be physically fit. That means that the 2/3rds of the population in the United States that is overweight or obese needs to take heed. Heading into your later years with this type of physical problem will definitely shorten your life span.

5. Your Lifestyle
Social interaction with as little stress, as possible, are key factors for a healthy and happy lifestyle. If you don’t incorporate important interactions, mental alertness is lost and the quality of life is neither what it can or should be.

Changes in these five areas will help us all prepare for and bring significant benefits to our later years.

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