Age Is Just a Number 06 January 2021 “Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live.” Jim Rohn In life, there are many simple truths. One of them is that age old adage, passed down through the generations, from before the time of our neanderthal forefathers through to 21st century playground rules. It is a philosophy born of self-preservation, of tribal resilience and fortitude. The adage is, of course, ‘use it or lose it’. It’s a principle that can be applied to many different situations and, in the case of this article, we can apply it to the functionality of our bodies. Now, before we go any further, it is important to understand that the functionality of our bodies (i.e. being able to reach down and tie our shoes, carry heavy bags of shopping from the bus stop to our kitchens, comfortably climb a few flights of stairs or give the kids a piggyback) is not solely the result of ‘using it’ and/or ‘losing it’. There are many extraneous factors contributing to this, a good number of which are somewhat outside of our control. Chief among these are factors such as physical disabilities and medical conditions that prevent, despite intent and ambition, some of us ‘using it’ as much as we want to or, at the very least, in the way we want to. It is important to be kind to yourself, whilst focusing on what is within your control. The concept of 'use it or lose it', as ever, remains relative to the body and to the person. The focus of our discussion here will be placed on developing and maintaining relative functional fitness as our bodies grow older (but no less capable!). Being active keeps you younger, longer. We’ve previously spoken about how we can draw on the lessons learned from studies of ‘Blue Zone’ environments, developing better sleep habits and how small changes to our modern lifestyles can reduce the risks of both diabetes and hypertension. These are all valuable pieces of information but do you know just how important movement is to our overall health? In the UK, the 65+ age group is the most sedentary age group, spending an average of 10 hours of their waking day sitting or lying down. The price for such levels of inactivity is, for the group, a higher frequency of: Falls Heart disease Obesity Premature death These downsides, however, are not limited to this age group by virtue of their age alone - anyone of any age will experience these risks if they have a particularly sedentary lifestyle. In fact, a sedentary lifestyle is one of the 5 major risk factors that have been identified by the American Heart Association for cardiovascular disease. The other 4 are: high blood pressure, a high blood lipids count (i.e. high cholesterol), smoking, and obesity. What’s more, in the UK, it is reported that 38% of adults do not meet physical activity recommendations. What are the recommended guidelines for daily activity? “Being active every day provides a foundation for a healthier and happier life.” The Chief Medical Officers, 2019 When it comes to recommended guidelines, or a general framework to adhere to, a good starting point is the UK Chief Medical Officers' Physical Activity Guidelines. Why this and not a particular book or Instagram star? The above guidelines have specifically considered the general health of the nation and, whilst not prescriptive to each of our specific, individual and unique needs, they are designed to be: Accessible Broad A practical baseline measure Of the above, the Chief Medical Officers have stated: “We want as many people as possible to make use of these guidelines to work towards and achieve the recommended activity levels. With that in mind, we have developed updated infographics to help bring these guidelines to life and make them easy for everyone to use.” They recommend that the 65+ age group should: Aim to be physically active every day - any movement is good movement. Do activities aimed at improving or maintaining muscle strength, balance and flexibility on at least two days a week - A simple example is stair climbing: we need strength for climbing each step, balance to momentarily stand on just one leg and flexibility to lift our legs off the ground. Aim to accumulate 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity each week, slowly increasing intensity from their base level - Those who are already regularly active can achieve these benefits through 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity, to achieve greater benefits. What are the benefits of an active lifestyle? Physical activity can positively affect your levels of energy, health and independence. You’ll quickly discover improvements in a number of parts of your health and, consequently, be at lower risk of developing a number of conditions. As we age our bodies begin to fatigue under the weight of a lifetime of constant use. Unfortunately, nobody is immune from the effects of time. But, when we give our bodies the gift of appropriate levels of physical stress, it’s a bit like wafting smelling salts under its nose. ‘Wakey, wakey!’ those delicious smelling salts call out to our bodies, ‘let’s get you feeling good!’. Our bodies relish being put to good use and become all the stronger and more agile for it. Almost immediately you will start to observe improvements in the following areas: Cardiovascular health - the ability to do more, harder, faster, heavier, longer. Cardiovascular health relates to the body’s ability to, in basic terms, take in and shuttle oxygen to where it is needed more. The stronger and more developed our cardiovascular health, the easier we will be able to carry out daily tasks. Sleep quality - sleep is a magical time for our bodies and our brains and physical activity is a driving factor in the quality of sleep we experience. Our mental health - Exercise positively impacts mood, happiness and anxiety, whilst also increasing self-esteem. Cognitive function - this includes essential skills like being able to make decisions more rationally, faster. Exercise reduces the risk of dementia by between 20-30%. Perhaps the most valuable area of improvement, pound for pound, is in our functional ability. This means things like being flexible enough to undertake movements in relation to everyday activities with ease (getting on/off the toilet, reaching the low/high shelves, bending down to tie our shoelaces), being strong enough to carry bags of groceries or do a bit of gardening, and being ‘fit’ enough to not get too puffed out when out for a short walk, climbing the stairs or having a dance. If there is one single take-away from the lessons we can learn about the benefits of being active; one all encompassing consequence of developing a more active lifestyle, it’s that your body will be able to do more things to allow you to live life more freely. An active lifestyle has the power to change lives. As Health Promotion Consultant, Dr Nick Cavill has stated: "The biggest benefits come to those who start from scratch… It's moving from a sedentary lifestyle to a moderately active one that makes the biggest difference to your health. The more you do, the greater the health benefits." Are there risks to being active? It’s an ever-present question because, naturally, there are levels of acceptable and healthy amounts of stress placed on the body. Whilst the body is robust and will adapt to some considerable amounts of physical stress there are of course considerations to be aware of when carrying out any kind of physical activity. These might include: Slips or falls Strains, sprains and stresses Overtraining Any new physical activity that you choose to undertake should always be done so under supervision. For example, if you choose to do some weight lifting, it is essential that you understand the correct movements of each lift and how to select and handle weight first, in order to prevent injury. Or, if you are eager to get started with yoga, you may wish to take up a class before trying to copy the moves in a Youtube video: real life instruction will typically be the best place to start. If you live with underlying medical conditions, it will be beneficial to have a quick conversation with your consultant or other members of your care team, to ensure that the exercise you would like to try first is suitable for your needs. Don't push yourself too hard - slowly build up your exercise levels to give your body time to acclimatise to the changes it is experiencing. The risks are, however, far, far outweighed by the benefits. Nevertheless, a MedicAlert membership means we'll be right there with you whenever you choose to be active, helping to keep you safe in emergency situations and to speak for you when you can't. Why sitting down is the new smoking… Research has emerged in recent years, and will continue to develop over time, concerning the impacts of chronically sedentary lifestyles, something that for many of us can feel inescapable given how common office jobs are in our society. ‘Get Britain Standing Up’ has observed that the average Brit is sitting down for almost 9 hours a day and a sedentary lifestyle will directly contribute to increased likelihood of developing Heart disease, Diabetes, Obesity, Cancer and Dementia. What activities are most suitable for my age group? When it comes to the types of activity that might be more suitable to more mature ages, it’s also necessary to consider the type of activity one might pursue. Will it be an activity that stresses the muscles, such as a weight-bearing exercise like squats or lunges, or will it be a more cardiovascular activity like a brisk walk or a swim? Ideally, both types of exercise belong in a balanced active lifestyle. For adults aged 65+, let’s start at the very bottom end of physical activity and consider activities which can be considered ‘light’ or, in other words, more than sitting or lying down: Standing up Heading over to the kitchen to make a tea Moving around your own home Walking at a slow and steady pace Housework: Doing the laundry Vacuuming Mopping the floor Dusting If you are able to do a little bit more than this, we can then start to consider moderate aerobic activities ideal for raising your heart rate. These include: Nordic walking (walking with poles) Cycling Dancing Swimming Hiking/ hill walking The guidelines also highlight the importance of activities which specifically work the muscles in a way that strengthens them. For this, we can consider the following as good, accessible starting points: carrying heavy bags of groceries bodyweight-bearing activities such as: yoga pilates tai chi NB. Those bodyweight-bearing exercises, like yoga, are also fantastic activities to do to help develop your sense of balance as well as physical coordination. However, if we are capable of doing more, then the following are particularly valuable: Weight lifting Body weight exercises such as air squats and pushups Exercises using resistance bands Heavy gardening such as: Digging Using the wheelbarrow A really valuable by-product of weight lifting activities, whether in the gym or in the garden, is that, when done properly, they help to not only strengthen muscle but bone too. As we get older we are more susceptible to developing weaker bones (osteoporosis and osteoarthritis become increasingly more common as we age). When increased weight is stacked above our bones, the result is the gentle encouragement of bone strengthening and, in some instances, even bone growth - both vital in helping to prevent osteoporosis-related fractures. What’s next and how do I get started? No matter what our age is, the trick with physical activity is simply getting started. Like pushing a ball down a hill, the most effort is required for that first push and once we’re off and rolling it’s a case of just keeping the momentum going - you. may ache for a few days after you exercise at first, but give yourself time to recover and it will get easier, we promise. You can do it! So, if you’re keen to increase the level of physical activity in your life begin with having a quick chat with your GP or other members of your care team (especially if you haven’t been active for a while or have a medical condition) and, once you’re all set, commence your activities with an explicit understanding of your limitations. Take it slowly, build up your activity levels, and start to reap the benefits! If you do have a medical condition, MedicAlert can help provide you with additional peace of mind and safety whilst you exercise - and whilst you relax! Our wide range of medical IDs will ensure your vital medical information is available to care providers in emergency situations, allowing you to focus on, and enjoy, your physical activity. JOIN NOW Article Categories Health and Wellbeing
