Hitting 50 Is Good For Your Health!

People in their twenties could have parents – or even grandparents – who are more healthy than they are according to new research from Fitness First. The company has devised a ten-point ‘Health Tracker’ to examine a range of aspects that impact on health including diet, alcohol consumption, smoking and stress and those over the age of 50 have achieved the highest health ratings.

Around one in five (18%) over 50s awarded themselves between 70 and 80 points out of 100, compared to 14 per cent of under 30s. Meanwhile, almost one in thirty (3%) gave themselves a score of between 80 and 90, whereas just one per cent of people under 30 could match this score.

When it comes to smoking, just 22 per cent of over 50s smoke; the same number as under 30s but two per cent less than those in their 30s and 40s.

Lynda Brown, Head of Marketing at Fitness First explains the rationale behind this study: “There has been a lot of focus on individual aspects of health, such as obesity and, more recently, smoking but the issue should be viewed much more holistically. You can be the correct weight, for example, but extremely stressed which is just as bad for the heart. We want to get a true picture of the state of the nation’s health.”

The study asks people to rate aspects of their lifestyle on a scale of 0 – 10, with 10 being the optimum level. The health aspects rated were: diet, alcohol consumption, stress levels, fitness levels, work/life balance, water consumption, overall well-being, happiness with body shape, sufficient sleep and consumption of additives.

Inevitably, as people get older their ability to undertake strenuous physical activity diminishes, and time takes its toll on body shape. The over 50s also fall behind when it comes to drinking the recommended eight glasses of water a day. However, in all other aspects, they are either equal to, or surpass, the health scores of people more than 20 years their junior.

Lynda Brown continues: “These results are something of a wake-up call to those in their 20s and 30s: to think that their parents – or even grandparents – may be more healthy than they are. We also want to emphasise that those over the age of 50 are definitely not ‘past it’. Our aim is to help everyone improve their health – regardless of age. It is never too early or too late to start a fitness regime.”

Fitness First takes the health of its members personally and, through its Get Results! programme, assigns a dedicated personal trainer to each member to give guaranteed results and guaranteed value.

To find out more, visit fitnessfirst.co.uk.