Gen Zs reckon you officially enter old age at 57 – meaning Gordon Ramsay, Salma Hayek and Mike Tyson are geriatric in the eyes of the young. A study of 2,000 adults revealed those under 27 think old age hits in your late 50s, with retirement primarily involving sitting in an armchair (20%) and ‘pottering’ (16%).
However, Boomers who were quizzed reckon 60 is the new 40, with two thirds feeling more youthful than they are. Aged between 60 and 78, one in five Boomers feel up to 20 years younger than their true age, with a fifth (18%) saying they’re having the time of their lives.
Boomers are the most active generation, typically spending four more hours outdoors outside of work hours compared to young adults and Millennial workers.
And they’re most likely to enjoy travelling and exploring new places, and are more likely to spend time exercising (56%) compared to 18-27-year-olds who were least likely (39%).
It also emerged 68% of Boomers considered themselves an active individual, but 37% were restricted from doing as much as they’d like to due to health problems and chronic joint pains.
“Older people are getting the most out of retirement and have reached an age where they’re comfortable in their own skin and appreciate their bodies and their health. Of all the generations, it was those aged 79 and older who most loved to have fun with friends.
“They aren’t willing to accept that joint pain is something you have to put up with just because you’re ‘old’- they are going to see it as a bump in the road to be overcome so they can enjoy many more happy and active years.”
When considering the meaning of ‘ageing’, a quarter of Boomers associated it with not being as healthy as you are when you’re younger. While 22% of Millennials thought of it as losing your looks and your appearance changing.
Globetrotter Michael Palin, turning 81 this week, is one of the most inspiring celebrities to the Boomer and Silent generation. Boomers said it was when they hit the age of 38 that they learned to appreciate their body, with 80% feeling grateful for their physical wellbeing.
A spokesperson from Wellsoon at Practice Plus Group added: “We’ve always known that people coming to us for hip and knee replacements and hernia repair aren’t doing so to get back to their armchairs. They want to go dancing, cycling, hiking, they want to swim on holiday and run around in the park with their grandchildren.”
Linda MacDonald, 74, from Chard, Somerset, recently completed her 117th 5km Park Run despite having a total knee replacement last year. She said: “I was so worried I’d never run again after surgery. Before my operation I thought my running days might be over,” says Linda, a retired teacher from Chard School.
“With the agreement of her hospital team, she made a gradual return, taking part in weekly fitness and weight training classes to strengthen her muscles and taking to an electric bike to build up her fitness.
From short runs in her local area, last Christmas Linda went back to her beloved Parkrun in Taunton with her daughter and son-in-law. “I feel I have been given a gift and a new start. I look to the future and have always said I want to be running when I am 80. Running a regular 5K is part of my lifestyle, and I love the atmosphere of the Parkrun and racing against myself.
“My time is probably 10 minutes slower than before my surgery, but I’ll get there. I have a new lease of life and can continue to do all the things I enjoy and have recently returned to playing golf!”