Keep Moving
In the last 3 months, my Dad shattered his elbow and broke his femur - the latter and most recent incident required surgery to pin the bone. Sadly, his femoral artery was nicked during surgery and he required several blood transfusions. He developed a blood clot and within a couple of days his heart had stopped. My Dad was 93 with no illnesses. He used to be a sportsman and very fit. Even into his 80’s he was walking, cycling and playing bowls. He played cricket and golf into his seventies. A knee replacement - which meant he couldn’t bend his knee properly afterwards - and the Covid lockdowns did for him. He sat down and did what he called ‘brain training’ (crosswords, sudoko, puzzles) He was too scared to go out. All his social groups shut shop. He became isolated, depressed and unfit. He could have gone out walking to retain his fitness. He could have done exercises in his chair, but he didn’t do anything. 4 years on and he had no strength, extremely poor balance and brittle bones. Nothing can stop the progress of the years, but we can all do a lot to keep active, strong and supple.
The importance of moving as we age cannot be over-stated. As we age our concerns often turn to problems like diabetes, arthritis and cancer, but muscolskeletal health is arguably more important. By doing something active for 20 - 30 minutes a day, we can improve our overall health and mental health immeasurably. You can improve heart health, diabetes and stroke risk - and some new research even suggests cancer risk - by regular exercise. I practice yoga, which I like for stretching and flexibility and I walk regularly and swim when I can. Something as simple as going for a walk can have huge benefits for our long term health outcomes, including how well we age. This is ably demonstrated by the lifestyles of those in Blue Zones (regions of the world with the highest concentration of centenarians). Walking and other low-intensity physical activities, contribute significantly to the longevity of the people in these area, with walking being an integral part of their daily routines.
There are many local authority courses for older people who want to keep moving across most parts of the country. Classes can include exercises to improve strength, balance and mobility and are often free or reduced rate. Even if you are unable to attend a local class, there is much you can do at home and online, for example following chair yoga, otago or pilates workouts. If you’re into your tech there are many apps now available. Some have subscription models and some come with ‘in-app purchases’. It’s fairly easy these days to find a form of exercise and a time that suits you. In-person classes deliver a mental well-being bonus, with the social contact, but there is still a place for being active in your own home too. Gardening tasks and household chores can all help to keep us moving s we get older. Our next door neighbours, who are in their late 80’s, garden - including tending an immaculate vegetable plot - chop wood, DIY and don’t have help for anything other than that which requires a ladder. George still manages a 4 hour round of golf most weeks too.
My Dad would not have lived for ever, of course not! At some point his heart would have given up, or he might have had a stroke. We’ll never know. What I do know is that his lack of balance and flexibility was responsible for his fall and that fall ultimately led to his death. According to Age Concern, falls are the most common cause of injury related deaths in people over the age of 75 with over 5,000 older people dying as a result of a fall in 2017 (the last figures I could find). There are many things we can’t control in life and how we age is governed by a lot of things. However, many of those things we do have control over, including what we eat and how active we are. Let’s do ourselves a favour and keep moving as we age. Encourage your friends to keep active too. If there’s nothing much going on locally, form your own walking group with a couple of friends. There’s always something we can do. Find something you enjoy - it doesn’t need to be strenuous or difficult. Please don’t become an another accident statistic for lack of activity.
My elderly dad, once very fit and active, is completely inactive now too. The hardest thing seems to be to motivate someone else, even though their survival is at stake. And believe me, if my mum can't motivate someone, no one can !!