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Aging and Gen X: Study Reveals Xers Want To Live Past 90

Slackers Aging: The generation that’s been perpetually too young and old at the same time faces the stress of aging.

Bruce Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana
There was U2 and Blondie
And music still on M-T-V
Her two kids in high school
They tell her that she’s uncool
But she’s still preoccupied
With 19, 19, 1985
1985, Bowling for Soup
Generation X and Aging: A far cry from when we were young. Homecoming 1985 Esperanza High School
Football Homecoming, 1985 | Esperanza High School, Anaheim, California 

Gen-Xers (Americans born between 1961 and 1981) want to live well into old age, but compared to the Baby Boomers who preceded them, they’re more overwhelmed, worried and basically slacking when it comes to their health, according to a new MDVIP survey released yesterday.

Generation X and Exercise, Doctors Visits

The MDVIP Health and Longevity Survey reveals that more than half of Gen Xers (53 percent) want to live past the age of 90, including more than a quarter wanting to live over 100. However, neglecting their health and making poor lifestyle choices are setting them up to fall short of reaching old age.

  • Only half (55 percent) of Gen Xers – versus 72 percent of Boomers – have had an annual physical exam in the past five years.
  • One in three (32 percent) Gen Xers avoid going to the doctor out of fear of finding something wrong.
  • Two out of three Gen Xers admit they could be doing a better job of exercising regularly (67 percent), eating well (66 percent), maintaining a healthy weight (63 percent) and managing stress (66 percent).

Life Expectancy of Americans Declines

Meanwhile, the life expectancy for Americans has declined for the first time in 20 years1. Nearly half of all American adults suffer from at least one chronic health condition2, and many of these conditions, such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes, could be prevented through lifestyle changes. MDVIP, a national leader in personalized, preventive healthcare, partnered with Ipsos Public Affairs to survey Gen Xers and Baby Boomers on their health habits, views on longevity and expectations of aging.

The MDVIP survey findings serve as a wake-up call for Gen Xers, who could be heading down a path to live shorter lifespans with more chronic disease than the generations before them,” said Dr. Andrea Klemes, Chief Medical Officer of MDVIP. “The good news is that people in their 30s, 40s and early 50s can change the course of both their current and future health. Getting screened, understanding their risks and making even simple lifestyle changes today can have a significant impact on the quality and length of their lives.”

Aging Sandwich Generation

Wedged between the Baby Boomers and Millennials, Gen X is often described as the “sandwich generation.” Many are juggling demanding careers while caring for children as well as aging parents. This leaves little time for Gen Xers to prioritize their own health.

  • Looking ahead 20 years from now, Gen Xers expect to be working (46 percent), caring for their parents (22 percent), caring for grandchildren (35 percent), and even supporting adult children (14 percent).
  • Half (50 percent) of Gen Xers expect that they will have to help family members pay for healthcare costs.

Xers Not Getting Recommended Screenings

The majority of Gen Xers believe their lifestyle choices play an equal (66 percent) or greater (20 percent) role than genetics in their health and how long they live. Yet, Gen Xers are less likely to take preventive health measures compared to their Boomer counterparts. Only 40 percent of Gen Xers – versus 55 percent of Boomers – are getting the recommended screening tests for timely disease detection.

Gen Xers share a range of fears about aging, with more than half (56 percent) saying they’re afraid of getting old, and 70 percent thinking about their own mortality more now than they did 10 years ago.

  • When it comes to aging, Gen Xers are more worried than Boomers about loneliness (19 percent versus 15 percent, respectively), looking older (12 percent versus 6 percent), and having less sex (10 percent versus 5 percent).
  • Gen Xers are most anxious about dementia, losing independence and declining physical abilities.
  • Three out of four (74 percent) Gen Xers are worried about having enough money to cover health expenses during retirement, and 68 percent of Gen Xers are concerned that the quality of healthcare will diminish over the next 10 years.

Innovative models of healthcare like MDVIP that are focused on prevention play an important role in helping reverse the negative trends in Americans’ health and longevity,” said Bret Jorgensen, Chairman and CEO of MDVIP. “Whether you’re a Gen Xer who wants to get ahead of your health or a Boomer who may be managing a chronic illness, MDVIP-affiliated physicians partner with patients and provide personalized wellness coaching and tools to help them lead healthier lives. Published data has shown that our doctors are performing more recommended preventive care and more effectively managing chronic conditions – proof that our model works.”

Does the study reveal how you feel about aging?

1. Mortality in the United States, 2015. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db267.htm. Accessed on January 5, 2017.
2. Chronic Disease Overview. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/overview/index.htm. Accessed on January 5, 2017.

Study Reveals Gen X Women Are Social Media Addicts

Gen X Women use social media the most.
Gen X Women use social media the most.

According to a new study by Nielsen Generation X spends more time on social media than any other generation including Millennials. Xers spend nearly 7 hours per week on various networks versus Millennials, who come in second, at just over 6 hours per week.

Moreover, it’s primarily Gen X women. They spend 25 percent of their time online is on social media. For Gen X males it’s 19 percent. Also, the study reveals that Xers are  more likely to be on Facebook on Sundays via smartphone, while watching primetime shows.

According to Sean Casey, President of Nielsen Social, when it comes to television, the industry should courting Gen X females as potential advocates.

A whopping 61 percent of unique Facebook users who are interacting about something TV-related on Facebook are female,” Casey reported. “And when it comes to connecting with social TV audiences, bear in mind that using multiple devices at once is the new normal, and reaching out while this group is watching TV is vital to capturing their attention. So is putting a lot of thought into keywords and phrases, which should include program names as well as characters’, actors’ or athletes’ names. Keeping an eye on what female Gen-Xers are watching when is going to be key to finding them.”

If you’re a Gen X female blogger the study could provide impetus for brand ambassador work.

Thirty-nine percent of heavy social users believe that finding out about products and services is an important reason for using a social network,” Casey wrote. “Companies would do well to make it easy for potential brand advocates to find information about their products and services—preferably in the form of unbiased customer reviews; 35 percent of heavy users cite special discounts as important, such as access to exclusive offers and coupons. And above all else, brands need to make it easy for potential advocates to show their support.

“Twenty-nine percent of heavy users actually find supporting their favorite companies or brands somewhat to very important—so they need content that’s easy to find and easy to share on Facebook and Twitter.”

The report highlights numerous charts and graphs. The one I found most interesting was the top social networks by smartphone. They include:

  • Facebook 178.8 million
  • Instagram 91.5 million
  • Twitter 82.2 million
  • Pinterest 69.6 million
  • LinkedIn 60.1 million
  • Snapchat 52.6 million
  • Google+ 49.2 million
  • WordPress.com 37.4 million
  • Reddit.com 26.5 million
  • Tumblr 24.6 million

I certainly “gather” with plenty of Gen X women on these sites! The numbers are similar for desktop users, but not identical. They include:

  • Facebook 90.2 million
  • Twitter 32.7 million
  • Pinterest 26.5 million
  • Blogger 22.5 million
  • Instagram 20.4 million
  • LinkedIn 20.1 million
  • WordPress.com 16.6 million
  • Tumblr 12.8 million
  • Google+ 12.1 million
  • Reddit.com 10.8 million

Are you a social media addict?

Click here to read a copy of the full report.

Week’s Top Stories About Gen X (January 1-7)

Before we kick off the first Blue Plate Special of the year (the week’s top stories about Generation X), I want to share with you the Daily Photo. It’s Kirsten Major‘s Preppy Secrets Diary from 1984. This is such a rarity. I have not been able to locate a copy on Amazon, Etsy, eBay or a number of rare book seller sites. Read ahead to learn more about this 1980s treasure.

Daily Photo: Official Preppy Secrets Diary

Vintage Preppy Secrets Diary
Preppy Secrets Diary

Digital Parenting

Gen X: Pioneers of Digital Parenting: What I’ve Learned so Far, and What You Need to Know by Robyn Shulman, M.Ed, LinkedIn

Social media has become so influential in young lives; we can now assure it is a source of addiction for many (kids and adults). Smartphones are dopamine devices.”

Menendez Brothers

A documentary about brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez aired this week. You may recall the story that rocked Generation X. The brothers, who were in 1968 and 1970, respectively, killed their parents in 1989. They’d grown up as the privileged set in Princeton, New Jersey, and were living in Beverly Hills at the time. Both men (consistently referred to “the boys”) were convicted of first degree murder after their second trial. The first jury could not reach a verdict, primarily persuaded by testimony that their father, Jose Menendez, sexually abused them. The men are serving life sentences and are expected to die in prison. Journalist Terry Moran who covered the case stated in the documentary that if the Menendez Brothers had been the Menendez Sisters the jury would not have convicted them. You can learn more about the documentary  in an article in USA Today, Silence broken: A Menendez brother speaks.

Ageism

Why Gen X Is So Pi**ed At Millennials by John McDermott, Mel Blogzine.

Too often generations appear to blame one another for their respective plights,” says Mike North, an assistant professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. “Older workers blame younger generations for being able to work longer hours, at a fraction of the cost, and without so many family obligations. Meanwhile, younger generations blame older workers for delaying retirement, remaining in the workforce longer than ever, and clogging up the jobs pipeline for younger generations to get their turn.”

Trainspotting Sequel

Twenty years later, Trainspotting explains much about the world by Simon Castles, The Age

In an interview with Dazed & Confused magazine last year, about a month before Trump won the presidency, Welsh said Trainspotting still resonated because it wasn’t a book about drugs, it was a book about people being pushed out of work and losing meaning and hope. “These characters are all from the industrial working-class, being made redundant, being made socially irrelevant in Britain,” he said. “Twenty, 30 years later it’s happening to the middle classes. We’re rationing out the dregs of capitalism to people.”

The Gaslighting of the Millennial Generation

The Gaslighting of the Millennial Generation is a post on the blog The Born Again Minimalist.

Most millennials I know struggle with mental illness to some degree. Anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and more. I wonder how much of that anxiety comes from being told that wanting a living wage, affordable college, or adequate healthcare means that you’re being a spoiled entitled brat. It really doesn’t. The generations before us HAD a living wage, affordable college, and adequate healthcare. But now, inflation has far surpassed the minimum wage, college tuition and loan interest rates are through the proverbial roof, and medical bills are the top cause of bankruptcy in America.”

Shannen Doherty, Breast Cancer

This is Maggie Instagram post by Shannen Doherty, @Shando

This is Maggie. I’ve seen Maggie five days a week for what seems like forever. We have a love hate relationship. I love her because she’s part of the life saving treatment I’m receiving. It’s astounding how far we have come with technology. One day, Maggie will be retired and the cure will be found. Things like immunotherapy are the future but for now…. it’s me and Maggie. I’m seeing her twice tomorrow so that I can wrap this phase up faster. Goodnight sweet Maggie. See ya tomorrow. #cancerslayer”

Carrie Fisher

How Carrie Fisher’s Space Adventures Helped Define My Generation by Anna Leahy, Time

…because of Princess Leia and Sally Ride, I think of myself not as Gen X, but rather, as Generation Space. I was born in a particular slice of history, between the launch of Sputnik in 1957 and the first space shuttle launch in 1981. I was a toddler when people walked on the Moon. Those of us born into Gen Space have never lived in a world in which space travel was not going on. Our first collective tragedy occurred on January 28, 1986, when the space shuttle Challenger broke apart less than two minutes after it left Earth’s surface with a schoolteacher and six other astronauts onboard. The youngest of Generation Space were in kindergarten then and never knew a world without Star Wars. We thought of the world differently because we could look back at it — at humanity — from out there somewhere.”

Preppy Secrets Diary

Writer Kirsten Major recently shared a picture of her Preppy Diary from 1984. It’s got to be one of my top 10 favorite Gen X tweets of all time. How cool that she kept it all these years! The diary’s design was inspired by Lisa Birnbach’s blockbuster book The Official Preppy Handbook.

I was an avid diarist as a young girl, but never had one as cool as the Preppy Secrets Diary. Kirsten’s tweet inspired me to take some pictures of my college diary. I posted them on Facebook. You can see that post here. Did you keep a diary as teenager?

Here’s Kirsten’s awesome tweet:

Get the Daily Photo

Please click here to subscribe to the daily photo. If you would like to submit a special photo for possible publication, please email me, jenx1967 [at] gmail [dot] com.

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