But what exactly is considered a safe habit as the body becomes more squeaky and more vague? Do we really need to be eager to run a marathon or liven up Pécs in our senior years?
Gray insists we should. “It’s good to challenge yourself, regardless of age. After the pandemic, many older people lost confidence in mixing and exercising with others. Closed local leisure. Facilities and isolation meant that their daily lives were hijacked and good habits declined. In addition, “I’m not fit enough, or I’m too old to do it. There may be a tendency for the default to say. One in four people in the UK lives in long-term health and often may not be twice as active, but studies show that exercise actually relieves symptoms and relieves pain. can do.
But for some, fear is part of the big picture. Sara Lambert, a physiotherapist specializing in elderly care, said: The secret is to grow slowly and listen to your body. Injuries occur when people change from empty to full fur. “
Runner Tim Vale, 71, was forced to rethink his exercise routine as he grew older. “I started running in the 1980s,” he says. “But by the age of 60, my knee joint stopped me. I didn’t want to stop, so I started tai chi, yoga, and aqua classes. Recognizing that these classes are for women. Although there are a few, Aqua provides aerobic exercise, and yoga and tai chi have been found to be optimal for my fitness and balance. In addition, my joints no longer bother me. ”
It is very important to listen to your body at all times, especially as we grow older. Anthony Crockett, 82, from Essex began to have problems with his back in his late thirties. Much of this was due to sitting at the desk for hours. “I saw physiotherapy, and they gave me a series of Pilates exercises,” he says. “Since then, I’ve been doing these exercises every day and I’ve never had back problems. It’s all about having a good routine. The deeper you go, the better you feel.”
Dawn Skeleton is a professor of aging and health at Glasgow Caledonian University. In 2018, she worked with Chief Health Officers in four countries across the UK to update government guidelines on physical activity and health. The guidelines were for children, adults, and the elderly. As we grow older, our weekly recommendation is to stack up at least 150 minutes to do something that makes you feel a little warm and out of breath. It can be divided into 10 minutes 3 times a day or 30 minutes a day. The skeleton further adds: The guidelines have a clear purpose. There is plenty of evidence to prove that sitting for long periods of time can lead to loss of muscle function and even worse, so we want you to spend less time sitting and lying down. The longer you sit, the more you need to exercise to make up for your sedentary lifestyle.
“It’s also very important to do something that improves your fitness at least twice a week. This is specific, such as energetic Nordic walking, gardening, cycling, Pilates, yoga, tai chi, tennis, weighting, etc. It means a muscle-targeted action, or you can do basic things such as going up and down the stairs repeatedly, sitting and standing at home while watching TV. As you grow older, strength is very important. It helps us lift things, move ourselves, and get a better balance, and muscles give us padding-you fall. Helps if-and muscle size correlates with a strong immune system that helps us fight infections.
At dawn, he sticks out his neck and states, “Physical activity is a miracle medicine.” She also believes that she has no medical condition that does not benefit from some form of activity. “In the case of osteoporosis, exercise increases bone mass, but studies show that people with angina and arthritis can reduce their medications as their fitness improves. Our mental health. The positive effects on it are also very great. When we exercise, endolphins are released into the body. These are natural painkillers that cause a feeling of well-being, reduce anxiety and help with depression. “
Movement is our friend. It supports our flexibility, beating heart and straight back. That is our lifeline. Now, regular exercise therapy may not be easy to incorporate into the big picture, especially at first. But if we don’t want the presence of our elderly to be a story where we can’t tie shoelaces, perhaps the wise solution is to choose it. Let’s meet out of breath at the finish line.
“Water is safe because you don’t have to worry about falling.”
Kari Furre, 72, is an artist and lives in Totnes, Devon.She was a passionate swimmer for most of her life
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