Did you know that adults should be doing 150 minutes a week of appropriate ‘moderate aerobic’ exercise? We recently attended an Active for Life event run by the healthy lifestyles team at Brighton & Hove City Council and it was a brilliant reminder of how important it is to remain active, whatever our age and whatever conditions we are living with. Part of that 150 minutes should focus on strengthening exercises that support our muscles and help with balance. Moderate aerobic exercise could include walking or swimming, dancing or mowing the lawn. Strengthening exercises could include carrying heavy shopping, yoga, sit ups, digging in the garden. Most importantly we should aim to be physically active everyday. Currently fewer than a third of adults over 65 do sufficient exercise.
New research
New research has shown that the biggest risk to our health is being inactive. During the Active for Life event we heard from Professor Scarlet McNally who is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust and is lead author of the research entitled “Exercise is the Miracle Cure” published by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. The research highlights that the four biggest causes of preventable ill-health are:smoking, poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, and alcohol excess. And yet relatively low levels of increased activity can make a huge difference.
One significant reason which leads to older adults not taking part in physical activity can be fear of falling. In fact evidence from the Age UK report “Stop Falling” and the NICE report Falls: assessment and prevention of falls in older adults show that physical activity programmes that emphasise balance training, coordination and muscle strengthening significantly reduce the risk of falls by between 30-50%. That is staggering!
Local options
We are very luck to have a range of great exercise programmes which cost little or nothing on offer locally. If you would like to try one of the guided Healthy Walks they are options for all abilities. Contact the Healthy Lifestyle team. If you fancy giving an exercise class a go you might find something you like the look of at the Hop 50.
You might find it useful to have a one-to-one session with a Health Trainer who can assess you and work out a personalised plan for you. Do get in contact with the health trainers service.
If you would like to get active but feel you need support in your own home, or someone to accompany you to a group then the Home & Company team would be happy to help. We can also offer one to one yoga, or just someone to have a short walk with. Do get in touch with us.
And remember! Move it or lose it! 150 minutes of exercise a week.