Mature Resources - Baby Boomer Resources

As baby boomers age

By Jennifer Adolfs

Why Use Pilates?

Pilates is a perfect form of exercise for older adults because it is low impact compared to other forms of exercise, which means it is not as severe on the joints as most workouts. It focuses on breathing and quality-controlled movements, not repetitions.

Conventional workouts focus on how many repetitions you can do and how much weight you can lift, which tends to build short, bulky muscles, which are more prone to injury - especially in older adults.

Pilates works the "Core", elongates and strengthens the muscles at the same time, which, in turn, improves joint mobility and elasticity. In effect it is a kinder and gentler way to exercise for the older adult who doesn't need to be beaten down. How Pilates Works?

"Pilates develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind and elevates the spirit." - Joseph Pilates.

The Ultimate Anti-Aging Do-It-Yourself Project for Boomers

By Barbara Morris, R.Ph.d

I found the following message on a discussion board:

"Those of us between 45 and 65 are not considered seniors - and yet many of us are not comfortable in gyms . . . We are truly a neglected group. Our local park districts have several senior exercise programs, even senior sports leagues. But we are too young to join them. At the same time, most of us simply can't compete with the 20 and 30-somethings that populate most exercise classes.

Boomers: The Choice is Yours -- Growth or Retirement By Barbara Morris, R.Ph.

There are now more than 34 million retired Americans, and with the oldest of today's 76 million boomers beginning to retire, that figure that will swell to 69.4 million in 2030.

In his book, Age Power, Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., says, "Retirement is a relatively new and experimental life state that was initially envisioned to last three to five years, not 20 or 30." He cautions that the current retirement model is not realistic for the future.

The future is now and Dr. Dychtwald is right: the current retirement model is not realistic. A joint study by Washington and Cornell Universities conclude that 64 percent of retirees depend on Social Security for half or more of their income; 29 percent rely on it for 90 percent of their income; 18 percent rely on it for all their income. Researchers also say that by age 75, nearly a quarter of those elders will have experienced poverty, and the percentage rises as one ages. Are ideas about retirement changing? Yes and no. For many, full-time retirement as a life goal is slowly losing its appeal. Nevertheless, tradition, custom, business, and political interests continue to shape attitudes about lifestyles after age sixty-five.

Tips For Passing Along Family Values By Glenda R Logan-Glover

According to a groundbreaking study by the Allianz American Legacies Study, a true legacy is a combination of both emotional and financial components. Seventy-seven percent of Baby Boomers say it is important to receive values and life lessons from their parents and as a group prefer to preserve their parent's memories rather than receive a financial inheritance.

Legacy building is becoming increasingly popular as people show more interest in transferring values and non-financial assets from generation to generation. Preserving life's stories is especially important in light of recent events that point out the reality of life's fragility. According to the study, although both Baby Boomers and seniors say they are comfortable in discussing legacy and inheritance, they do not typically discuss preserving all aspects of their legacy including values and life lessons. In light of that legacy gap, more efforts are being made in making sure that important personal information is saved for the future. Ethical Wills are becoming increasingly popular as a way to write down hopes, dreams and wishes for the next generation. Intergenerational participants in the Allianz Study shared freely when the topic moved beyond the financial aspect of death to the best way to leave a legacy. In order to make sure that information is captured, many Baby Boomers may have to personally capture their parent's story. Follow these tips to insure that you can extract and preserve information that will document your parent's story and family heritage:

Boomer Women and the Changing Face of Retirement By Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D.

As a Baby Boomer, are you in agreement with the results of an American Association of Retired Persons' position paper - that the definition of work in retirement will be uniquely yours? Fully 80% of those who responded to the survey expect to continue some type of work after they reach retirement age.