A problem shared...
I’m dreading having my 60th birthday
Q
I’M TERRIFIED of turning 60. It makes me feel so old and it worries me, as within ten years of her 60th birthday, my lovely mum had already developed complications of type 2 diabetes and spent her remaining years in miserable ill health.
I retire next year and I’m hoping to have more than a decade or two of fun with my grandchildren, and to do a bit of travelling. So how do I stay at my best to enjoy the next phase of my life?
A
I’m also turning 60 and approaching the big day with a combination of satisfaction and a little denial. on the plus side, we are living longer and generally healthier lives than our mothers. The average life expectancy for a woman in the UK is now 83 — four years more than men.
Firstly, remember that just because your mother had diabetes and ill health doesn’t mean you will. Go for regular check-ups such as mammograms, smears and hearing tests to keep yourself tip-top.
People tend to gain weight as they get older, leading to obesity and type 2 diabetes, but it’s not inevitable. Unlike our mothers’ generation, often this can be prevented and even reversed by avoiding sweet and ultra-processed food, and by eating a healthy mediterranean-style diet, with intermittent fasting.
Your mental approach also matters. In 2010, my husband michael and Professor Ellen langer of Harvard University carried out an extraordinary TV experiment called The Young ones, where they asked six elderly celebrities to live together in a house which had been refitted to look and feel as though it was in the 1970s.
The idea was that taking them back in time, psychologically, would make them more youthful. That is exactly what happened. studies show people who are optimistic, and rate themselves as younger than they are, have healthier brains.
They are also less likely to suffer from diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and dementia. Try to build close connections with grandchildren or young people, perhaps through voluntary work. Being in touch with the younger generation keeps us younger.
Don’t forget to maintain a spark of curiosity and try new things. Having been a GP for more than 30 years, I have written a range of Fast 800 recipe books and helped create an online programme for weight loss and to prevent or reverse diabetes. I have even become an Instagram ‘influencer’.
You might try an activity such as ballroom dancing — great for keeping your mind sharp and boosting your mental health, too. Going for a brisk walk, growing veg or cycling to the shops can also keep you in good shape. I’ve joined a weekly exercise group in our park.
Turning 60 isn’t all doom and gloom. For starters, there are the senior discounts, and with all the advances in medicine, it’s better to be a sexagenarian now than ever before.