In this solo episode of Boomer Banter, I take a closer look at the language we use when we talk about aging—and how much it truly matters. The words we hear and use every day can shape how we see ourselves and how others see us as we grow older. I revisit a past episode that sparked a lot of thoughtful conversation and pushback—particularly around the labels “senior” and “elderly.” Many in our community feel these terms don’t just sound outdated—they carry a weight of dismissal, as if we’re being subtly pushed aside.

Instead, I explore what it might mean to reclaim aging with more affirming language. Words like vibrant, wise, or resilient feel truer to this phase of life. And it’s not just about semantics—there’s research to back this up. I share findings from Dr. Becca Levy that show people with a more positive view of aging actually experience better cognitive and physical health. In other words, how we think about aging can directly impact how we age.

As the episode unfolds, I also open up about some of my own early assumptions and discomfort with aging. I admit to having absorbed some ageist ideas myself—and how those images of aging used to make me squirm. But our views can change, and so can the cultural narrative. I encourage listeners to challenge those old stereotypes and instead see aging as a time of opportunity, purpose, and continued growth.

To close, I talk about two simple practices that can make a big difference: gratitude and movement. From jotting down a few things you’re thankful for, to making movement a daily habit—these aren’t just feel-good tips. They’re tools backed by science to help us stay sharp, strong, and connected.

This episode is an invitation: to rethink aging, to speak about it with intention, and to live it with energy and grace. Let’s keep this conversation going.

For more information: wendy@heyboomer.biz or heyboomer.biz

Hello, and welcome to Boomer Banter, where we have real talk about aging. Well, my name is Wendy Green, and I am your host, and I am so glad that you're here.

A little over a year ago, I recorded an episode that sparked a lot of meaningful conversation. It was about how we define aging. Not just the words we use, but how those words shape our identity, our relationships, and even our health.

So today, I wanted to revisit that episode with some fresh insights and new research. Because how we move through this life, physically, emotionally, and socially, it can really change everything. So let's get into it.

A while back, this is how I started that last episode.

A while back, I was sitting outside with a group of friends celebrating a 67th birthday under a gorgeous spring sky, and we were laughing and reminiscing. And eventually our conversation turned to what we call this chapter of life. We all agreed that we don't like the term seniors or elderly. Those.

Neither one of those felt right. One friend said she didn't like any of the labels. Boomers, Gen X, millennials, the silent generation, Gen Z. She.

She just felt like none of that fit in reality. Those labels represent demographic data and are used for demographic analysis, but they don't reflect the richness of our lived experiences.

Overall, the general feeling of the group was that they felt that as they got older, they were more dismissed, talked down to, referred to as honey or sweetie by cashiers. And for those reasons, nobody liked the idea of accepting any terms that might indicate that we are getting older.

But the language that we use does matter because it shapes how we see ourselves and how the world sees us. Recent studies show that when people adopt more positive views of aging, they live longer, up to seven years longer, according to Dr.

Becca Levy at Yale. And they experience better physical and cognitive health along the way. Words like wise or vibrant. How about seasoned?

Those feel different in our bodies. Don't they say that to yourself, I'm wise or I'm vibrant. Even I'm seasoned. They feel different.

They feel different than declining or over the hill or pasture prime. One lifts you up, the other weighs you down.

In my lifetime, I have been involved in the struggles of human rights, women's rights, children's education, voters rights, many things over the years. But taking on ageism was not something that was in my plan. In fact, I realize now that I was ageist myself without even recognizing it.

When my parents moved into a continuing care community probably 20 years ago, I felt uncomfortable when we would go to the dining room and I would see everybody coming in and walkers or in wheelchairs. And I think really what it was was deep down, I feared that future for myself.

And that fear, that discomfort, that's not unusual, but it's also rooted in a limited and often biased view of what aging looks like. And culturally, the philosophy of the boomer generation really didn't help us with that image of aging.

We grew up singing along to the who's song I, I Hope I Die Before I Get Old and Bob Dylan's Forever Young and that old phrase of don't trust anyone over 30. But here we are now in our 60s and 70s, and we still feel vibrant or we still feel like we're evolving very much alive.

And yet it feels like there's a disconnect between how we view aging and how we view ourselves. The challenge is to rewrite the script because the story we tell ourselves about aging becomes the life that we live.

That's an important thing to remember. So what are some of the fears we have about aging? Well, you know, you can thank TV for our fear of wrinkles, right?

They talk about it all the time on tv. We also fear pain, illness, cognitive decline, the loss of sexual function, the loss of loved ones, the loss of purpose or meaning.

We fear loneliness or even the fear of running out of time.

I was looking back over some things I had written 10 years ago, and I came across something I wrote that started out with anxiety about turning 61, and this year I'll be turning 72.

And when I wrote about how I was feeling about turning 61, I saw that I was focusing on things that had not turned out the way I thought they would or the way I thought they should. And I realized that part of our nature is to dwell on the challenges and on what is hard or not working. I don't know why we do that, but we do that.

And I also realized that the more I focused on those things that are hard or not working, the larger they became in my perception. So I decided to make a conscious effort to turn this around. And I decided in my 61st year to begin a journal for a year of living gratefully.

My plan was to write every day about things I was grateful for, and also to notice if focusing on gratitude was helping to turn my perception from seeing challenges to seeing possibilities, from feeling sadness to finding some inner peace. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, cultivate the habit of feeling and being grateful for every good thing that comes your way and give thanks continuously.

He added, though, because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude. Wait, what? What does he mean include all things? Is he saying I should focus on and be thankful for things that seem hard and uncomfortable?

Well, as I thought about that question and his quote, the answer I came to is yes, the things that are hard or uncomfortable are learning opportunities if we look at them that way. So of course I would be grateful for opportunities to learn even while I was not necessarily enjoying the learning process.

So what were some of the gratitudes I wrote down? At 61, I wrote that I was grateful for music when I feel down. I have realized that if I turn on the music, it lifts my spirits. It works every time.

And I wrote that I was grateful for good Shady Parking spots in South Carolina summers. When you find this shady parking spot in South Carolina in the summertime, it is something to be grateful for.

I also wrote about being grateful for family and good friends, for warm showers and cooling rains, Morning coffee. A good book. I wrote about being grateful for the time I spend with my children and grandchildren.

I didn't make the full year of writing every day, but I still find this practice valuable and useful, especially when I feel fearful or sad or uncertain. In coaching, we have a practice where we ask clients to write down three things a day that they're grateful for, anything big or small.

The practice of gratitude will help you shift your perspective.

It is not always easy to find something to be grateful for when you're feeling down, and you may just realize that you're grateful for not having to think of more than three things. But I promise you over time it will make a difference. So why not try it? Try it today? Let me know what three things you are grateful for today.

So now I want to shift and talk about our mindset of aging and why it matters more than we realize. For decades, we have been fed a steady diet of messages that equate aging with decline physically, mentally and socially.

But newer research shows that our beliefs about aging are not just attitudes, they are predictors of our outcomes. Dr.

Becca Levy's work at Yale shows that positive aging beliefs in can lead to better memory, faster recovery from illness, and a lifespan that's up to seven years longer. She found that people who expect aging to be a time of learning, purpose and vitality actually experience more of those things.

There was also a study done at Harvard.

Researchers concluded that the people who aged most successfully were those who maintained positive emotional coping styles, essentially what we call a growth mindset. Specifically, those who viewed challenges as opportunities. Words matter. Challenges and opportunities to grow aged better mentally and physically.

People who stayed curious, emotionally open and adaptable. They had stronger relationships, better health, and even greater longevity.

And most surprising is that the positive mindsets were more predictive of aging well than cholesterol levels or income. It's kind of stunning, isn't it? So how do you shift your mindset? Well, first, you have to notice that inner dialogue.

Are you telling yourself, I can't do that anymore? Or are you asking, how could I do that differently now? Second, are you curious? Curiosity opens the door to possibility. What haven't you tried yet?

What old story might you want to retire because it's not working for you anymore? What did you used to like to do that you're curious? Maybe you could bring that forward again.

And finally, you surround yourself with people and stories that lift you up. Mindset isn't just individual, it's contagious. When you see others living vibrantly in their later years, it helps you imagine more for yourself.

Mindset isn't about ignoring reality. It's about choosing a lens that helps you respond to reality with more hope, more action, and more life.

And I want to bring in one more idea that impacts our perception of aging, and that is movement. Not just exercise, but movement as a vital part of your life. The latest research is clear.

Movement is one of the most powerful tools we have to age well.

You can get up and walk every hour for a few minutes, 10 minutes, preferably in the blue zones, those parts of the world where people regularly live to 100. Movement is woven into daily life. They garden, walk to the store, dance at community events. It's not about treadmills and reps.

It's about joy and connection. So what can that look like for you? How about a daily walk, listening to a podcast, or walking with a neighbor?

Have you considered chair yoga or tai chi in the morning? What about dancing in the kitchen while you cook? I do that. Or stretching to your favorite music. Whatever gets you moving. Start there.

Because motion keeps your brain and your bodies feeling vibrant, feeling alive. And when you combine gratitude with movement, your outlook shifts.

Neuroscience shows that physical activity boosts the dopamine and serotonin in our brains. And then you add to that the reflection of gratitude and you're literally training your brain to see the good.

And how we think about aging can totally change how we feel about it. At Boomer Banter, we are flipping the script on the perceptions about getting older. Aging isn't just about our changing bodies.

It's a whole mix of physical, mental, and social perceptions.

And for a lot of us, shifting from seeing it as a decline to seeing it as a chance for new opportunities can totally breathe fresh life into our later years.

Whether it's trying a new hobby or finding folks who get you, or just being grateful for what you've got, there's so much you can do to make your later years fulfilling. It's all about changing how you see things and taking those first steps towards a future full of endless possibilities.

I want to close with a quote from Simon Sinek. He wrote the book Start with why? And he said we have no choice. We must all die. How we live, however, is entirely of our choosing.

At Boomer Banter, it is all about making that choice intentionally, joyfully, and together. Thanks for being here today. I would love to know what's one way you're moving forward, redefining what aging means for you?

Are you going to focus on your mindset? Are you going to focus on movement? How about perceptions? All of these things work to make your life more fulfilling. So leave me a comment.

I would love to know. Drop a review or send me a message. Until next time, stay curious, stay active, and stay grateful. Sam.