Although taking care of your health and fitness is a lifelong job, it’s one that’s especially important for seniors. Seniors have to worry about a variety of conditions that can include everything from respiratory diseases and heart disease to cognitive decline and osteoarthritis.

Properly taking care of themselves can lessen the chances of some of these conditions from occurring, so it’s important for seniors to visit the doctor regularly, eat right, and make sure they exercise regularly. To put a fine point on the importance of seniors taking their health seriously, National Senior Health and Fitness Day was created. It’s celebrated on the last Wednesday in May and encourages seniors all over the U.S. to participate.

The History of National Senior Health & Fitness Day

This holiday has been celebrated for several years now and was first created by the Mature Market Resource Center. With the help of banks, health clubs, houses of worship, local departments on aging, malls, and hospitals all over the U.S., they organize many senior day events on this day. This nationwide event has become the largest national event held on a yearly basis for seniors.

Facts About Senior Health

Below are just a small collection of some of the facts that we’ve gathered together for this holiday article. We hope the following facts help to shed light on senior health and highlight how important it is for seniors to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

• As of 2020, there are 483 million people in the world over the age of 65.
• By 2030, there will be over 974 million people over the age of 65.
• Although seniors only account for 15% of the U.S. population, they account for 40% of all prescriptions.
• Regular exercise prevents bone loss and increases muscle strength.

Observing National Senior Health & Fitness Day

People can register their event at fitnessday.com to legally use the trademarks of National Senior Health & Fitness Day, but once that’s done, they can organize their own event. Or, they can head to one of the 1,000+ events held all across the U.S. on this day. People can also spread the word about this event using the hashtag #NationalSeniorHealthAndFitnessDay on social media.