As you get older, its even more important that you remain active if you want to stay healthy and maintain your independence. If you dont stay active, all the things you’ve always enjoyed doing and taken for granted start to become that little bit harder. You may struggle to pursue simple pleasures, such as playing with the grandchildren, walking to the shops, leisure activities and meeting up with friends. You might start to get aches and pains that you never had before, and have less energy to go out. You may also be more vulnerable to falling. This can all lead to being less able to look after yourself and do the things you enjoy. Strong evidence Theres strong scientific evidence that people who are active have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, depression and dementia. What doesn’t count? Daily chores such as shopping, cooking or housework dont count towards your 150 minutes because the effort isn’t hard enough to increase your heart rate. If you want to stay pain-free, reduce your risk of mental illness, and be able to go out and stay independent well into old age, you need to keep moving. It’s that simple. There are lots of ways you can get active, and it’s not just about exercising. “As people get older and their bodies decline in function, physical activity helps to slow that decline,” says Dr Nick Cavill, a health promotion consultant. “It’s important they remain active or even increase their activity as they get older.” Most people as they get older want to keep in touch with society – their community, friends and neighbours – and being active is a way to ensure that they can keep doing tha
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 11:22:18 +0000