Age at which people consider themselves old is older than you think

Brits now don’t consider themselves “old” until they turn 76, according to a study which also revealed the key to feeling eternally young. The research, carried out among over 60s, found although they're in their twilight years, ‘oldies’ actually feel on average 13.5 years younger.

Of those who took part, almost nine in 10 (88%) said they felt “young at heart” – with ‘baby boomers’ in particular embracing life with 12% adopting YOLO (You Only Live Once) as their mantra. Additionally, the study of 1,000 people by TUI, which involved 1,000 respondents found almost one in 10 older Brits are enjoying a new lease of life during their golden years, which began at the age of 60.

But what is it exactly that keeps them young? When asked the question, participants said factors included their grandchildren (40%), exercise (37%) and spending time with younger people (32%).

Other keys to staying young include listening to modern music (26%) and keeping up to date with loved ones and general news on social media (14%). What’s more, the research discovered that majority of the participants have taken part in adrenaline-fuelled activities in the past decade such as live gigs, riding a horse, a motorcycle and riding pillion on a motorbike.

Riding a mountain bike also made the list. In fact, 32% still consider themselves “thrill-seekers”.

Interestingly, water activities play a big role in these adventures such as scuba diving or visiting a water park. But the poll also found that 25% of senior Brits have never been down a water slide – something TUI intends to change.

In an effort to celebrate the ‘golden oldies’ and their adventurous streak, the company is offering one lucky ‘First Time Senior Slider’ a family break to make memories in Turkey this July – where they will also get to hurtle down a waterslide for the first time. Those who want to enter the competition – which includes a seven-night holiday at the Ali Bey Club in Manavgat for the winner and their family – just needs to answer three simple questions and submit a photo of themselves to TUI’s website.

The competition opens today with entries accepted until the 9th of June. “We love the positive mentality and adventure-seeking nature of so many older Brits,” said Richard Sofer, commercial Director at TUI UK&I.

“Far from just easing themselves into the twilight years, this generation are truly living life to the full. “To mark the centenary of the waterslide, we wanted to celebrate our 30 Splashworld resorts and give someone young at heart an amazing first-time experience with their family and create life-long memories.”

However, some boomers may need a little more persuasion to embrace adventure – with 19% aged 60-64 saying it wouldn’t be good for them at their age. Though one in five admitted using their grandchildren as an excuse to go down a waterslide – even if they had wanted to do so by themselves.

Some chose to blame others for hampering their fun with 5% saying that their husband, wife, or partner wouldn’t let them slide and twice the number of men versus women were worried they would embarrass their grown-up kids. Regionally, seniors based in the North West (92%) and Scotland (90%) are the most ‘young at heart’ (national average 88%). Liverpool (14%), Nottingham (11%) and Manchester (10%) over 60’s are the biggest adrenaline junkies in the nation having slid down a waterslide 41-50 times in their lives (national average 5%).

One in five (21%) of those based in Cardiff stopped going on waterslides after the age of 18.

FIVE FACTS ABOUT WATERSLIDES YOU NEVER KNEW

The Guinness World Record for the most waterslides in one water park is held by Atlantis Aquaventure in Dubai, which is home to 50 slides.

The largest waterpark by size is China’s Chimelong Water Park which is 449 acres – equivalent to 339 football fields!

The world’s longest waterslide twists through a Malaysian jungle and measures 1,111m – providing four and a half minutes of sliding time.

Jaz Makadi Aquaviva, one of TUI’s Splashworld resorts, boasts the most water slides in its hotel range, with a whopping 50 different slides and attractions for guests to enjoy.

The tallest waterslide in the world is Kilimanjaro at Brazil’s Aldeia das Aguas Park Resort which measures almost 50 metres in height – the same height as Nelson’s Column and half the height of Big Ben – and can achieve speeds of almost 100kmh due to its steep inclination.