Gen Xers should invest in walking shoes, comfortable mattress: boomer doc

July 25, 2024

OK, boomer.

A boomer-aged board-certified general surgeon is revealing the two items that Gen Xers should invest in — a good pair of walking shoes and a comfortable mattress.

“I know you’re old, but you don’t know how old you are yet,” Dr. Terry Simpson, who is based in California, assured in a TikTok last month.

Simpson is recommending Gen Xers — who range in age from 43 to 59, having been born between 1965 and 1980 — ditch the flats and the high heels for something more sensible.

This will be a big letdown to Sarah Jessica Parker, 59, who popularized Manolo Blahniks on “Sex and the City,” and other quinquagenarians obsessed with scene-stealing pumps.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that women over 50 are particularly enraptured by sexy stilettos.

But Simpson just isn’t that into them. He wants Gen Xers to splurge on a solid pair of trainers instead.

“You’re going to be walking a lot, and you want to walk on shoes that give you support, don’t cause you to have a backache,” Simpson said before reminding the forgotten generation, “you’re old.”

The good news is that The Post has selected 16 top walking shoes for men and 13 for women.

With adults encouraged to get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week, all that walking will leave you tired.

“You’re going to sleep a lot more as you get older,” Simpson advised. “Hopefully you will, but you won’t sleep well if you have a lousy mattress.”

He recommends taking advantage of mattress stores’ 90- to 120-day return policies to find one that doesn’t leave you tossing and turning or sore the next day. Focus on back and neck support.

“I don’t care if it’s a little $80 mattress. If it makes you feel good, great,” Simpson said.

“I don’t care if it’s a $3,000 mattress — you’re going to spend a quarter to half of your life on it, make it a good one,” he continued. “But a good one doesn’t necessarily mean it’s expensive.”

In the comments section of the 78-second clip, some of Simpson’s million-plus TikTok followers shared their own experiences.

“Paid $1800 for our last [mattress], I thought I was crazy until 6-8 years later, it still sleeps like a dream! No regret!” one person exclaimed.

“I love my high heels, they aren’t going anywhere,” another vowed.