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Looking for Longevity
It is not often that you see major media outlets cover the health and wellness segment objectively. In mid-October, however, three popular magazines—TIME, BusinessWeek and National Geographic—offered ringing endorsements for this industry when they featured cover stories discussing the topics of aging and how consumers can live better longer. Why is this significant? Because magazines like these do not cover health and wellness as a core component of their editorial focus; these magazines focus on what’s in demand, and information on aging gracefully is indeed hot these days.
TIME’s October 17th edition featured an excerpt from Dr. Andrew Weil’s latest book, Healthy Aging, while BusinessWeek offered a comprehensive look at the baby boomer segment. And National Geographic profiled three groups known the world over as “longevity all-stars.” Each article had its own points to make, but to me one thing was clear: a new age of wellness is emerging, and consumers are listening and responding.
In the TIME article, Dr. Weil said it is paramount that consumers accept the inevitability of aging and work to understand its challenges and promises, and at the same time know how to keep minds and bodies as healthy as possible while moving through life’s successive stages. Wherever you are in the aging process, he said, it is important to learn how to live in appropriate ways in order to maximize health and happiness. Dr. Weil then highlighted the importance of diet, meditation, nutrients and exercise as components of a healthy aging regimen.
According to the BusinessWeek article, while the baby boomer generation is comfortable with the aging process, they still want to look and be healthy—they want to age “successfully.” “Many consumers experiencing their first liver spots and crows feet are actually comfortable in their skin,” the article said. “Healthy foods and supplements are in. It’s not just about living longer; it’s about living better. Some [baby boomers] consider themselves amateur nutritionists, [so] communicate the health benefits of products boldly and precisely.”
But while consumers seem to understand what it takes to age gracefully, it is this industry I am worried about. Right now it is acting a bit like a woman going through menopause—fine one minute and not fine the next. But just as a woman must negotiate the “ups” and “downs” of menopause, so too must this industry.
I realize that there have been some major setbacks over the past month or so, with the unexpected resignation of FDA Commissioner Dr. Lester Crawford, the perennial empty promise of GMPs for dietary supplements and a poorly functioning qualified health claims system, but it is our will to adapt to these challenges that will ensure a healthy future. We must believe that our best years are ahead of us and stop denying the fact that the industry is experiencing events that are part of the natural process of an aging business. As Dr. Weil said, “We can mask the outward signs of the process or try to keep up old routines in spite of it, but we cannot change the fact that we are all moving toward physical change. The best we can do—and it is a lot—is to accept the inevitability of aging and try to adapt to it, to be in the best health we can at any age.” Living better longer is becoming the mantra for consumers and it should become ours as well.
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This issue I would like to welcome my new associate editor Marian Zboraj. She has a wealth of experience in trade publishing, having come from manufacturing magazine published by Reed Business. She will be at a majority of upcoming events, so please take some time to welcome her to one of the best industries out there!
TIME’s October 17th edition featured an excerpt from Dr. Andrew Weil’s latest book, Healthy Aging, while BusinessWeek offered a comprehensive look at the baby boomer segment. And National Geographic profiled three groups known the world over as “longevity all-stars.” Each article had its own points to make, but to me one thing was clear: a new age of wellness is emerging, and consumers are listening and responding.
In the TIME article, Dr. Weil said it is paramount that consumers accept the inevitability of aging and work to understand its challenges and promises, and at the same time know how to keep minds and bodies as healthy as possible while moving through life’s successive stages. Wherever you are in the aging process, he said, it is important to learn how to live in appropriate ways in order to maximize health and happiness. Dr. Weil then highlighted the importance of diet, meditation, nutrients and exercise as components of a healthy aging regimen.
According to the BusinessWeek article, while the baby boomer generation is comfortable with the aging process, they still want to look and be healthy—they want to age “successfully.” “Many consumers experiencing their first liver spots and crows feet are actually comfortable in their skin,” the article said. “Healthy foods and supplements are in. It’s not just about living longer; it’s about living better. Some [baby boomers] consider themselves amateur nutritionists, [so] communicate the health benefits of products boldly and precisely.”
But while consumers seem to understand what it takes to age gracefully, it is this industry I am worried about. Right now it is acting a bit like a woman going through menopause—fine one minute and not fine the next. But just as a woman must negotiate the “ups” and “downs” of menopause, so too must this industry.
I realize that there have been some major setbacks over the past month or so, with the unexpected resignation of FDA Commissioner Dr. Lester Crawford, the perennial empty promise of GMPs for dietary supplements and a poorly functioning qualified health claims system, but it is our will to adapt to these challenges that will ensure a healthy future. We must believe that our best years are ahead of us and stop denying the fact that the industry is experiencing events that are part of the natural process of an aging business. As Dr. Weil said, “We can mask the outward signs of the process or try to keep up old routines in spite of it, but we cannot change the fact that we are all moving toward physical change. The best we can do—and it is a lot—is to accept the inevitability of aging and try to adapt to it, to be in the best health we can at any age.” Living better longer is becoming the mantra for consumers and it should become ours as well.
***
This issue I would like to welcome my new associate editor Marian Zboraj. She has a wealth of experience in trade publishing, having come from manufacturing magazine published by Reed Business. She will be at a majority of upcoming events, so please take some time to welcome her to one of the best industries out there!
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