Baby Boomers Drink the Most, Exercise the Least, but Report Feeling the Most Relaxed

A new health and wellbeing quiz is giving men the chance to see how their lifestyle stacks up against others in their age group. By answering questions on habits such as alcohol intake, smoking, exercise, sleep and stress management, participants can discover whether their “wellbeing age” matches their actual age — or whether their daily choices make them appear younger than expected.

The quiz follows research involving 2,000 men across a range of ages, which found that those aged 18 to 29 are taking their health particularly seriously. Gen Z men reported drinking the least alcohol and exercising more than any other generation, while also tending to get more sleep and eat more home-cooked meals than older adults.

Millennials, aged 30 to 45, followed closely behind as the second healthiest generation. Their standout habit was hydration, with the research showing they drink more water than any other age group.

Gen X, made up of men aged 46 to 61, ranked third overall. Boomers, currently aged between 62 and 80, came in last, with the findings suggesting they exercise the least and consume more alcohol than men in other generations.

However, Boomers performed strongly in one key area: diet. They were found to eat the fewest takeaways and ready meals, while also consuming the highest amount of fruit and vegetables.

They also appeared to be the least stressed generation. By contrast, Gen Z and Millennials were nearly three times as likely to say they struggle with feeling overwhelmed, despite generally making some of the healthiest lifestyle choices.

Melissa Cohen, head of nutrition at Vitabiotics Wellman, which commissioned the research and created the quiz, said: “It has often been thought that health is something of the youth, but the results show young men appear to be more aware of their wellbeing.

“But older generations are following suit – just perhaps in different ways.

“However – and whenever – you do it, taking charge of your own health is going to be a good thing and it doesn’t have to be a big leap.

“Not everyone will be running marathons, but working to introduce small lifestyle changes, whether that’s improving your diet, walking a few more steps or trying to manage stress can go a long way to improving your mental and physical health.”

The study also found almost all men (98 per cent) claimed their overall health is important to them, but Boomers are more likely to prioritise their physical health (32 per cent) than Gen Z (20 per cent) and Millennials (13 per cent).

Instead, the younger generation put more of a focus on their mental health, with Gen Z (23 per cent) and Millennials (19 per cent) concentrating on what helps their mind – something only four per cent of Boomers do.

More than half of Boomer and Gen X men feel they are taking charge of their health more now than ever before, with seven in 10 claiming they have only put more of a focus on their health as they have gotten older.

Of these, 62 per cent of Boomers think they take their health more seriously now they are older, while 53 per cent put it down to feeling like they need to make more of an effort with their health as they age.

Others now have more of an interest, feel they have learned more about what their body needs, or have had a health scare which made them take more notice.

Melissa Cohen from Vitabiotics Wellman added: “Taking charge of your health is not a one size fits all.

“What might be right will differ from person to person – but good nutrition, plenty of water and as active a lifestyle as possible is always going to be a good starting point.”