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Keeping active as you get older is vital when it comes to staying fit and healthy and it’s a great way to meet new people too!
Fitness and exercise don’t just mean donning a pair of the latest trainers and pounding the pavements for miles – there are many more genteel options to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle. Regular physical activity in later life is important for so many reasons and there’s something to suit everyone.
• It helps you to maintain a healthy weight
• It reduces your risk of falls by strengthening your muscles
• It is linked to supporting your thinking skills
• It boosts your mood and energy levels (exercise releases endorphins)
• It’s social – joining a sports team or a class can help you to make friends
If you haven’t exercised in a while, try the classes and clubs on offer from Age UK which can help you regain fitness at your own pace or if you’re used to exercise, they can be tailored to be more strenuous.
Why not show off your moves at an Age UK dance class? Relaxed classes cover everything from Latin to ballroom to freestyle to line dancing. Learning to dance will also support your brain and memory functions.
Pilates is all about slow, controlled movements to help build up your core muscle strength, and yoga concentrates on gentle stretching to boost your flexibility and balance. Most exercises are performed seated or lying down.
Seated exercise classes are some of the most popular. These gentle, chair-based exercises are great for improving your posture and balance, and are suitable for people with reduced mobility.
Tai Chi, which originates from Ancient China, is practised by older people around the world, focussing on slow and gentle movement, supporting balance and posture, and is also known for its effects on mental wellbeing, helping you to relax and de-stress.
Explore your local area and meet new people at an organised walking group. Groups go at a pace that suits everyone and take on a mixture of flat walks through to more demanding, hillier trails over different distances. There’s often a chance to stop for a hot drink and a cake along the way!
Walking football is a slower version of the game and has become increasingly popular in recent years. It’s designed to help people get fit or maintain an active lifestyle no matter what their age and fitness levels. It’s suitable for beginners as well as supporting people getting back into football if they’ve given up due to age or injury.
Walking tennis is a slower version of the traditional game – but just as much fun. It’s great for the mind as well as the body and is a great opportunity to make new friends and enjoy being part of a team.
Zumba is known as the ultimate dance party, bringing together Latin-inspired moves and music with more traditional aerobic exercises. Zumba Gold classes are set at a level and pace suitable for all ages and abilities, and are so much fun that it won’t even feel like exercise.
Life with a health condition can make getting active challenging, Age UK is part of the We Are Undefeatable campaign which supports people living with long-term health conditions, helping to show that every step forward is a step in the right direction.
Getting started can be the hardest part. The We Are Undefeatable website (How To Start Getting Active Despite A Health Condition) has a host of valuable information and advice about how to go about it the right way for you with simple advice such as finding the right activities for you, start slowly and build up, relax while being active, try a new activity and use online resources to help you maintain your levels and goals.
Comedian and former Strictly Come Dancing champion Bill Bailey, who has partnered with We Are Undefeatable for the second year running, says: “Staying healthy for me is paramount, because I want to still be able to do all the things I love to do.”
He admits that for many people “the idea of exercise and physical activity is quite daunting”, adding “with many long-term health conditions, whether it’s Parkinson’s or arthritis, you have good days and bad days. Days where you feel like you want to do something and days where you don’t.”
And that’s where the SOFA – Sit On Fitness Apparatus – campaign comes into play. Bill explains: “What’s key with this campaign is that the exercises are primarily tailored to people who are finding it difficult to engage in any activity, but the workout’s something we can all benefit from. It’s a very achievable, sustainable set of exercises – and there’s no need to feel like you can’t get involved, because you can get involved from your own sofa! And let’s be honest, for the vast majority of us, the sofa is our happy place. But it’s also a bit of fitness apparatus! Who knew?”
You can read more & download a movement guide at Get moving with Bill Bailey’s Sofa Workout
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