Are you healthy/fitter than your parents/grandparents were?
Discussion
Well, I'm alive - which is a step ahead I guess! My Dad was pretty fit until he died of cancer, his Dad had Polio and unpleasantness from that, his Mum got to a good ol' age. Mothers side - her Dad was an alcholic and Mum a chain smoker. So on the basis of that, yes my generation in my family is healthier than those that have gone before as none of that is present in my siblings (so far!)
(I'm 50 FWIW.)I am just the right side of 50 and looking back at old photos, pretty much everybody I know is fatter than their parents were at the same age. Sadly that is continuing into the next generation as back in the '80s there were very few fat kids at school and now they're everywhere.
However on pretty much every other measure, we're healthier. Fitness is debatable - as above we are all much fatter now and even then there's a real divide between people who 'do' personal fitness, and those who don't. Certainly in my parents generation nobody ever went to the gym, and anybody who ran or cycled for fitness was a bit odd. My dad spent his life wandering round farms inspecting equipment, was never overweight, and doubtless his daily step count was huge. But I highly doubt that he'd ever have done well in a 5k. Whereas I've probably got two stone on him and a decent gut going on, but I can knock out 25 minute 5ks all day long.
There is so much more awareness these days of what good health looks like and how important it is. To an extent, if you were going to die soon after your 50th birthday, maybe 60th if you did well, then a good diet and looking after your health was much less of an issue than if you expect to keep going until you are 90. Plus obviously modern healthcare, vaccinations and even good old health-and-safety does a very good job of keeping us in tip-top shape without us actually having to put in any effort.
However on pretty much every other measure, we're healthier. Fitness is debatable - as above we are all much fatter now and even then there's a real divide between people who 'do' personal fitness, and those who don't. Certainly in my parents generation nobody ever went to the gym, and anybody who ran or cycled for fitness was a bit odd. My dad spent his life wandering round farms inspecting equipment, was never overweight, and doubtless his daily step count was huge. But I highly doubt that he'd ever have done well in a 5k. Whereas I've probably got two stone on him and a decent gut going on, but I can knock out 25 minute 5ks all day long.
There is so much more awareness these days of what good health looks like and how important it is. To an extent, if you were going to die soon after your 50th birthday, maybe 60th if you did well, then a good diet and looking after your health was much less of an issue than if you expect to keep going until you are 90. Plus obviously modern healthcare, vaccinations and even good old health-and-safety does a very good job of keeping us in tip-top shape without us actually having to put in any effort.
My Dad would drive to visit neighbours 50 meters down the road.
By the time he was 60 he already had 2 heart bypass operations, had achieved the physique of a beach ball, and had been retired for several years due to "ill health".
He's turned into an actuarial nightmare...He turned 85 recently. By doing f
k all for the last 30 years except eat vast numbers of fish and game he's managed to stay alive.
His one concession to health has been giving up smoking: from 15-55 he got through at least 4 packets a day.
I cycle or play tennis every day and have never met my GP or been in hospital. I'm concerned I might live to 120...
By the time he was 60 he already had 2 heart bypass operations, had achieved the physique of a beach ball, and had been retired for several years due to "ill health".
He's turned into an actuarial nightmare...He turned 85 recently. By doing f
k all for the last 30 years except eat vast numbers of fish and game he's managed to stay alive.His one concession to health has been giving up smoking: from 15-55 he got through at least 4 packets a day.
I cycle or play tennis every day and have never met my GP or been in hospital. I'm concerned I might live to 120...
deckster said:
Fitness is debatable - as above we are all much fatter now and even then there's a real divide between people who 'do' personal fitness, and those who don't. Certainly in my parents generation nobody ever went to the gym, and anybody who ran or cycled for fitness was a bit odd. My dad spent his life wandering round farms inspecting equipment, was never overweight, and doubtless his daily step count was huge. But I highly doubt that he'd ever have done well in a 5k. Whereas I've probably got two stone on him and a decent gut going on, but I can knock out 25 minute 5ks all day long.
We are not all fatter, but the trend is certainly there. It's a good point about the type of fitness. My Dad was quite fit in his youth, but by the time he was in his 40s he didn't do much "exercise" although he has always remained fairly active and lean, albeit with a bit of a belly on him now at 70. He can still do a day of DIY or landscaping. I'm fitter than he was at my age. My mum can still do a day of heavy gardening and carrying things about and walks very quickly.
One of my grandads was in the Royal Engineers in WW2, and a bakery worker who cycled to work until he retired, and went for long walks all over the place. he was quite lean throughout his life. He was a light drinker. Other than smoking, I suspect that he was quite fit. My other grandad played a lot of football in his youth, but worked in an office and was less active in middle-older age, although would still go for walks, was teetotal and a very light smoker.
I'm 10 years older than my dad was when he died of a heart attack; so I must be doing something right. However, I suspect that preventitive medicine is the reason. He had no diagnosed heart problem - I have but it was realised in a 60-year-old's health check & I have been treated/medicated ever since.
Glosphil said:
I'm 10 years older than my dad was when he died of a heart attack; so I must be doing something right. However, I suspect that preventitive medicine is the reason. He had no diagnosed heart problem - I have but it was realised in a 60-year-old's health check & I have been treated/medicated ever since.
Diagnostics are, indeed, now far better than they were.Many people are now surviving far longer than they would have done a few decades ago.
mcelliott said:
My mum is 86 and strong as an ox, sea swims every day throughout the year, quite an inspiration actually, are we any healthier today, no I don't think so, our lifespan may have increased due to medical advances but our years of being healthy hasn't.
Good on your mum.I agree about the years of being healthy. Being chronically unhealthy for decades, as many people appear to be, starting from their mid-40s, sounds awful.
Depends when we're talking about in their lives. In their youth my family were builders and military, even being a homemaker can be a very physical job, especially "back then". When they retired, or they landed more more modern sedantary jobs, they all got fat, lazy, and frankly a bit stupider, and I think that change is reflected in society and it's the crux of the problem.
My parents and grandparents, came from an era where simply working would keep you stimulated and healthy, nowadays that isn't the case. We're often silo'd into spirit crushing mindless tasks, and we have to sit on our arses all day whilst we do them. That's before we get to the fact that we have so little free time these days we end up eating st to top it off, then we get our only relaxation from sitting on our arse even more. It's the perfect storm for an unhealthy lifestyle.
It's beside the point, but for me there's a real societal perspective shift required. Being healthy and fit should be like brushing your teeth, wiping your arse, or getting a haircut, it's just necessary routine maintenance. At the moment however we seem as a society juxtaposed between two groups, lazy fat sts, and obsessive compulsive gym wkers. Both similarly off putting to the rest of us middle of the road humans.
My parents and grandparents, came from an era where simply working would keep you stimulated and healthy, nowadays that isn't the case. We're often silo'd into spirit crushing mindless tasks, and we have to sit on our arses all day whilst we do them. That's before we get to the fact that we have so little free time these days we end up eating s
t to top it off, then we get our only relaxation from sitting on our arse even more. It's the perfect storm for an unhealthy lifestyle. It's beside the point, but for me there's a real societal perspective shift required. Being healthy and fit should be like brushing your teeth, wiping your arse, or getting a haircut, it's just necessary routine maintenance. At the moment however we seem as a society juxtaposed between two groups, lazy fat s
ts, and obsessive compulsive gym wkers. Both similarly off putting to the rest of us middle of the road humans.I'm much fitter than my parents ever were. I actually choose to exercise and my dad never did until he hit 60 when he took up cycling so he could do the coast to coast with me. He's 72 now and still regularly cycling so he's turned his fitness around in semi retirement. My mum has never done any form of exercise beyond walking the dogs every day.
No. My dad does about 30 or 40 miles hiking a week. I do about 500 steps a day. He's a perfect weight, I'm 3 stone overweight. He's 24 years older than me but could run rings around me no bother. He is retired though so a lot more free time (yes excuses I know).
I'm 42 and already feel chronically unhealthy. I'm really struggling to address it.
I'm 42 and already feel chronically unhealthy. I'm really struggling to address it.
I'm definitely physically fitter than both my parents were at my age. I'm now 50. My Dad smoked heavily until he was well into his 40s. He suffered from that, I believe, later in life with regular boughts of bronchitis that often hospitalised him. Since he retired his health deteriorated further, mostly due to inactivity, onset of T2 diabetes, and its side effects, including sepsis.
I cycle quite a bit, often 100+km in one outing, I swim, and I go to the gym. I also make sure I do at least 5k steps day, even working from home. My BP is good / normal. My cholesterol is fine, too.
I can run 10km in under 60 minutes and cycle 100km in under 4 hours. My Dad used to break into a sweat walking upstairs in his house.
My grandparents were of the age that they all smoked, all their lives. 3 of them died of lung cancer.
I cycle quite a bit, often 100+km in one outing, I swim, and I go to the gym. I also make sure I do at least 5k steps day, even working from home. My BP is good / normal. My cholesterol is fine, too.
I can run 10km in under 60 minutes and cycle 100km in under 4 hours. My Dad used to break into a sweat walking upstairs in his house.
My grandparents were of the age that they all smoked, all their lives. 3 of them died of lung cancer.
RC1807 said:
I'm definitely physically fitter than both my parents were at my age. I'm now 50. My Dad smoked heavily until he was well into his 40s. He suffered from that, I believe, later in life with regular boughts of bronchitis that often hospitalised him. Since he retired his health deteriorated further, mostly due to inactivity, onset of T2 diabetes, and its side effects, including sepsis.
I cycle quite a bit, often 100+km in one outing, I swim, and I go to the gym. I also make sure I do at least 5k steps day, even working from home. My BP is good / normal. My cholesterol is fine, too.
I can run 10km in under 60 minutes and cycle 100km in under 4 hours. My Dad used to break into a sweat walking upstairs in his house.
My grandparents were of the age that they all smoked, all their lives. 3 of them died of lung cancer.
It's interesting that the people responding are suggesting that they are healthier than their parents.I cycle quite a bit, often 100+km in one outing, I swim, and I go to the gym. I also make sure I do at least 5k steps day, even working from home. My BP is good / normal. My cholesterol is fine, too.
I can run 10km in under 60 minutes and cycle 100km in under 4 hours. My Dad used to break into a sweat walking upstairs in his house.
My grandparents were of the age that they all smoked, all their lives. 3 of them died of lung cancer.
It is a self-selecting group, though.
Definitely. My wife and I (and our adult children) are the only people in our immediate family that do any exercise at all. My wife lives at the gym, yoga, zumba, pilates, fight club. I do 40 mins workout in the gym and a swim every weekday morning, followed by a bike ride. Rode 22 miles today. At weekends I run 7 miles each day first thing.
Everyone else in our family, if they get the urge to exercise, they lie down until it passes.
Everyone else in our family, if they get the urge to exercise, they lie down until it passes.
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