Boomers vs. Zoomers ... it's all about the attitude

Boomers vs. Zoomers ... it's all about the attitude

Gerontologist makes self guinea pig in quest for longevity lifestyle

By Debbie Gardner
PRIME Editor

Are you a boomer or a Zoomer? Do you look at aging as inevitable, with little that can be done about it, or do you embrace the challenges and opportunities inherent in the years after age 50 that time we used to call retirement and old age with an eye toward squeezing every drop of living possible from this part of life?
If you have the mindset of the first example, author and aging expert Dr. David Demko, PhD, would say you're a boomer.
If you think like the latter, Demko would say you've got a Zoomer personality.

A conversation with the author
A renown and sought-after expert on aging, Demko has been quoted by the BBC and in U.S. News and World Report, gotten a nod from Jay Leno and made Headline News.
But what's most impressive about this guy is that he doesn't just talk the talk.

He walks it.

In 1998, the self-admitted "slightly pudgy" and tired 50-year-old college professor set out to see if adopting the conclusions drawn by ongoing research on diet, exercise and healthy aging could make a difference in his quality of life.

For the next ten years he kept a journal, tracking his progress as he made lifestyle changes adjusting his diet, adding exercise, bolstering his social network and challenging his brain.

His goal, to surpass the U. S. life expectancy of 78 years and make it to the projected maximum human life span of 120 years.

That same year he coined the term "Zoomer" for his new approach to aging.

Now a fit 60-year-old who's often mistaken for a man in his 40s and whose doctor has certified to have the body mass and cardiovascular readings of a guy in his early 50s, Demko has translated the results of his self-experiment into a roadmap for successful aging.

The guidebook to this transformation "Zoomer-Boomer: Stop Acting Your Age and Start Living Your Life" hit bookstores nationwide this January, following a blockbuster test marketing at the Miami Book Fair in October 2008.

"People just loved it," Demko told PRIME in a recent interview about his work and how he came to identify the "Zoomer" personality.


Dr. David Demko

The questions ...

Here's how Demko answered PRIME's questions:

PRIME: When did you start working with the problems of aging and why did you choose to go into the field of gerontology?

Demko: I started working in the field right out of college in 1974. The field was very new and they were encouraging people to get in. I directed a foster grandparent program and worked in social services for the aged.
The National Institute on Aging had not been started yet. It was a time when the nation was looking at the problems of the aged. That was when the Nixon administration started the [Social Security] Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) and the SSI supplement.
It was a time of great awakening about the aged [in this country] and the many needs they had.
Then I got a scholarship from the U.S. Administration on Aging . they were awarding scholarships in the early 1970s to encourage young people to consider a career in aging . and I went to the University of Michigan where I got a doctoral degree and certification in aging.
I have a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, a Masters in Sociology, a Phd in Gerontology, a certificate from AARP in retirement planning and am also certified in geriatric assessment.

PRIME: How long have you been working in the field of gerontology?

Demko: About 34 years.

PRIME: I understand that, at age 50 you decided you wanted to live to be 120 and made yourself a test subject for discovering the secrets to longevity.
Why did you decide to do this?

Demko: It used to bother me when people [in health fields] didn't walk thetalk.physicians who smoked, nutritionists who were overweight; I decided "its time for a gerontologist to walk the talk."
There's been an issue in the field of aging for quite some time questioning if we can live to be 120 .
[I asked myself] how can I apply what I have learned [about aging] to achieve that goal. It was a time for someone to begin to apply what we know about primary and secondary aging.
Secondary aging is the development of conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular disease . we know that 75-80 percent of what we consider [this type of] aging is preventable.
It's not a genetic influence, it's lifestyle.
I had created a concept called a "Zoomer." You're a baby boomer by birth, but you're a Zoomer if you can take what we've learned about successful aging and retirement and use those things.
I thought 50 was a good time to begin to apply it . I kept a journal in terms of weight management and exercise. I found I need a regime of aerobic exercise that strengthens the metabolism and allow me to become more vigorous, anaerobic to strengthen muscles and have the strength to get on floor with grandchildren or play golf, neurobics - these are exercises that help strengthen the mind such as sudoko.
I was taking what had been reported in field of aging exercise, nutrition, financial planning and [studying] what was the relationship between these activities and came up with longevity traits . this is what we know about successful aging . and [how to] apply it to our lives.
There are nine traits that people should adopt if they want to not only live a long life, but have a good quality of life.
I tried to come up with some of the traits that will allow people to be actively engaged and [have] purpose and be fit in life .

PRIME: What characterizes a traditional boomer? How can someone who is a boomer adopt the zoomer life style?

Demko: You're a boomer that's your chronological age. You're a sandwich generation, you're an empty nester these are the kinds of issues you address. Some [boomers] may not plan well for retirement [and] not have the money they need for heath care and long-term care. Others [Zoomers] will plan for 80 percent of income [in retirement] plus a hedge against inflation and money for health care needs.
A baby boomer has a life expectancy of, on average, 78 years.
A Zoomer would know enough about nutrition and diet, exercise, setting goals and knowledge and staying engaged to get close to maximum lifespan.
Boomers would be more passive just accepting these [health and strength] changes are a part of aging, as a part of a retirement lifestyle.
Zoomers would look at the challenges and say, "you don't have to accept these realities" and would take the information that the experts have provided [on healthy aging] and apply it.
The boomer would not see the possibility for change. The Zoomer sees the possibility and acts on the possibilities before the change happens.
But not enough people are aware that there are things about aging that limit us, but that those things can be overcome by diet, exercise, making new friends and getting out there [into the world].

PRIME: How do you account for the difference in behavior between traditional boomers and Zoomers?

Demko: It's attitude. It's a sense of hope . it's a sense that change is possible.
You have to personally believe that attitude comes before action.
Why try because you're going to fail?
The Zoomer personality starts with an attitude that attitude is that positive change is possible "I can act on those changes and incorporate it into my life and live the longer, healthier, more productive life that I want."
They're Boomer by birth, Zoomer by choice.

PRIME: Do you really think this approach will lengthen life? Do you have documented proof?

Demko: I believe so. If I'm measuring correctly by my physician looking at my blood pressure and weight and energy level and cardiovascular system what is the normal average and what side of the curve I am on. I have an energy level and strength of someone not 60, but someone in their mid-50s, possibly early 50s.
When I started at 50 I was pudgy like everyone else . I stopped telling people my age; as soon as you mention age to someone, they begin to put you in these categories and you begin to think of yourself as other people see you as society sees you.
I guess [the Zoomer personality] is focusing on yourself, not in a selfish way you can make good, sound decisions about your life. Yes change is possible and there are resources out there that you can use to act on those changes for your life.
I want to call peoples' attention to the National Institutes of Health NIH.gov there are 20 different institutes [and] it is there for the American people to use. It is a product of their taxes through funded research. If people want to change [their lives] the information is there just waiting for people to read it, understand it and apply it to their lives.
And of course, discuss it with their doctor.

The nine longevity traits of the Zoomer lifestyle

A Boomer is anyone born between 1946 and 1964. No other qualifications necessary.
Zoomer status requires the adoption of what Demko calls nine Longevity Traits.

The nine Zoomer traits:
1. Adhere to daily nutritional and caloric needs based on age, gender and weight
Examples: annual physical exam, daily multi-vitamin, drink lots of water (5 ozs per 10 lbs. of body weight).

2. Perform daily brain exercises to enhance memory, learning, and problem-solving skills.
Examples: crossword puzzles, card games, brain teasers, chess, read aloud, learn something new.

3. Maintain a total fitness regimen of aerobics (endurance) and anaerobics (strength and flexibility)
Examples: 20 minutes speed walk at Target Heart Rate, 10 minutes low-impact lifting (aquatics).(

4. Orchestrate a social network of companions, friends, and confidantes.
Examples: voluntary service, be a good listener, sign-up for group travel, get a pet for companionship.

5. Build a positive self-concept and passion for living life to the fullest.
Examples: take the MMPI to identify project that fit your personality, think positive, learn to laugh often.

6. Create a repertoire of faith-based coping skills.
Examples: join a spiritual group and participate regularly, keep a positive attitude.

7. Engage in sound retirement planning necessary to live an adventurous life.
Examples: enroll in a college course, visit your bank's trust departement for advice.

8. Learn the difference between primary (inevitable) and secondary (reversible) aging
Examples: join a self-improvement group, visit www.NIH.gov for updates on health topics.

9. Cultivate a keen sense of intellectual curiosity about your world.
Examples: make a habit of asking questions: "How, Why, Compared to what, Where can I find out more?"

Reprinted with permission from AgeVentureNews Service/Zoomer Magazine, Boca Raton FL.