by Body Manoeuvres | Jan 17, 2023 | Uncategorised
There are some common myths relating to older adults and exercise, which include:
- Decline in old age is inevitable – I should expect to become frail
- If I exercise I might fall and break a hip, and
- I’ve never exercised, and it’s too late to make any difference.
However, Professor Daniel Lieberman, from Harvard, believes that this is a “pernicious myth” and that maintaining motor function and increasing bone mass can drastically boost our “healthspan” (those years in our life in which we are generally in good health).
In the UK one in four people do fewer than 30 minutes of physical activity per week, whilst 1 in 6 deaths is caused by inactivity (https://www.sportengland.org/research-and-data/research/inactive-people).
What does history tell us?
Professor Lieberman, in looking back at our evolutionary biology, noticed that hunter-gatherers stayed fit into their old age because of how they lived. To survive they needed to walk, bend, lift and carry – all these daily activities ensured that they maintained their muscular physique and strength.
In our modern world technology now underpins every aspect of our daily life – whether that’s using washing machines, tumble dryers or iRobot vacuums. Prior to these amazing developments, we needed to move and use our muscles to get basic jobs done in the home and garden.
What should we do to maintain our health as we age?
Firstly, do not cut back on exercise – maintain what you do or consider increasing it.
Secondly, continue with cardiovascular work – it is important, whether that be walking, dancing, rowing or cycling – or whatever you like to do.
Thirdly, begin strength training if you don’t do this already – this helps to maintain motor function and bone mass. It is possible for older people to increase their muscle mass and bone density. It is recommended that adults over 60 should lift weights two to four times per week.
What are the benefits of movement and exercise as we age?
It can save time and money, whether that’s visits to the doctor or hospital, paying for medications, or needing to pay for care as we get older.
As a human race we were born to move to survive, and that applies to us whether we are 6, 26, 66 or 86.
What’s your next move to increase your “healthspan”?
by Body Manoeuvres | Jan 10, 2023 | Uncategorised
Recent research has shown that someone’s ability to stand on one leg, or not, is an indicator of health. The ability to balance on one leg can increase our fitness and potentially help us to live longer, remain active, and decrease our risk of falling.
In April 2021 the World Health Organisation (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/falls) reported that falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide and 37.3 million falls are severe enough to require medical attention each year. Falls that are fatal are seen as a major public health problem – they come in second to fatalities from road traffic accidents.
When we were young
Children that are active learn to balance on one leg as part of growing up – playing games and doing sports. However, as we age, we often do less of these types of activities – and in a world where technology has taken over many of our daily tasks, we move even less. The mantras – “use it or lose it”, or, “use it and keep it”, has never been more important than now.
The cost of falling
These are varied – from the costs associated with hospitalisations, there may be time taken off work, special physio sessions required to become active again, changes may need to be made in the home, and special equipment purchased.
For some people, if a fall is life-changing this may result in long-term care and possibly a care home or nursing home.
Who is at risk of falling?
Age is a key factor and older people have the highest risk of sustaining death or injury from a fall.
Both genders are at risk of falling and the time that people can stand on one leg also varies for men and women at different ages (https://www.sralab.org/rehabilitation-measures/single-leg-stance-or-one-legged-stance-test).
It’s been noted that falls for men are more likely to be fatal, whilst women suffer more non-fatal falls.
Should I start standing on one leg?
Studies have shown that being able to stand on one leg, improves overall balance in a person and reduces the risk of falling. Standing on one leg can also help to improve bone density, especially around the hips. Both men and women are at risk of osteoporosis, although it occurs in a higher number of women. Having higher bone density also means that if someone does fall, they are less likely to fracture.
And if you’re looking for somewhere to start – we are advised to brush our teeth twice a day – so there are two opportunities to practice and get going.
by Body Manoeuvres | Jan 2, 2023 | Uncategorised
A new year, new challenges, and new goals. What are yours? And do they include becoming fitter and doing more exercise?
It’s a time when many of us look to improve on what we have done previously and /or find different and innovative ways to achieve our goals. This often happens when we recommit to exercise and looking after ourselves.
Benefits of walking
We are all familiar with the benefits of walking, and the target of 10,000 steps per day. Walking regularly is a great way to help us work on our balance. When we do walk we are in fact balancing on one leg at a time – even if it is for a very short period.
Our ability to walk is more complex than most of us appreciate. Three systems in our bodies – our visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive – need to work together in order for us to remain upright.
Walking and doing other balance exercises that strengthen our legs are great ways to maintain our independence and mobility as we get older. For example, standing on one leg improves balance and can improve bone density in older people.
However, have you considered walking backwards?
It is more of a challenge for our brains and bodies because when we walk backwards it contributes to improving our stability and balance.
Other benefits from walking backwards have been found to include how it can help our gait (how we walk) when moving forward, those with knee osteoarthritis and people with chronic back pain, we use more of the muscles that support our lumbar spine. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6391229/)
Another valuable benefit is that our energy expenditure is almost 40 per cent higher than when walking forwards. One piece of research showed reductions in body fat in women who participated in a 6 week backwards walking programme (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15776337/).
So, if you do want to try walking backwards, safety is important as we are more likely to bump into things. A good idea is to start inside or somewhere that you know is flat. Avoid turning and twisting around, keep looking forward and roll the feet through from toe to heel.
by Body Manoeuvres | Nov 29, 2022 | Uncategorised
The ONS (Office for National Statistics) recently published an article highlighting that the number of people in the workplace on long-term sickness has increased by 25% since before the pandemic.
Why an increase in long-term sickness?
Since 2019 the increase in long-term sickness is approximately half a million people, taking the figure up to 2.5 million.
We do have an aging workforce; however in the nearly 3 years since the pandemic started the workforce has needed to deal with working from home and potentially long COVID.
The pandemic has clearly had an influence on long-term sick numbers. From the survey data, it emerged that back and neck problems are the second biggest cause of the increase in numbers; for some people, their problems have become chronic.
How has posture been affected?
Working from home has impacted the nation’s posture in several ways. Workers have spent hours working in unsuitable conditions – inappropriate desk/chair/computer set up at a desk, working from a couch or on the floor, working from a bed, propped up with pillows. The adhoc movement that many will have been used to – walking around the office for refreshments or meetings, the walk to catch the train or bus, getting out of the office at lunchtime to grab a sandwich, have all been replaced by hours of Zoom or Teams meetings.
It all adds up to people being more sedentary since March 2020, and when we move less our muscles weaken. When we started working from home our posture may have felt uncomfortable if we worked from a couch or bed. However, our bodies learn very quickly how we move most of the time. Our brain and nervous system then help us to move into this position more easily. And before we realise what is happening we have developed a forward head posture, rounded shoulders and “text neck”.
When our heads move forward our ears move forward too. When this happens we add approximately 10 pounds of weight to our neck vertebrae and shoulder and back muscles. Over time this becomes very tiring for the body and if not improved may turn into more severe back problems.
What is the solution to improving posture?
The first step is to ask someone to take a relaxed standing photo of you which will highlight how your posture might have changed.
After this changing your work setup, planning and sticking to times to move during the day, and finding activities that you enjoy that get you moving will help. Lack of movement is the real enemy of our body.
And if you’re not sure where to start, seek out a professional to help you. Get in touch[/button] If you would like to know more, click below.
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by Body Manoeuvres | Nov 22, 2022 | Uncategorised
How often have you heard “Stand up straight”, “Don’t slump over your desk like that”, or “Stop slouching”? Possibly quite often when you were younger.
And although we probably didn’t appreciate it at the time, having a good posture is an important part of long-term health. Making sure that we hold our body in the right way, whether we are moving or still, can help us to maintain our health and avoid injuries.
What is posture?
Posture is how we hold our body, whether that’s moving (which is dynamic), or static (when we are still) which even includes the position we sleep in, and we need both to be working for us.
Some people believe that having good posture means standing up straight, tensing our back, and pushing our chest out. However, if we do this we are likely to affect the natural curves in our spine, which are there to help the spine absorb shock from our movements.
What does proper posture look like?
One way to find out if you have good posture is to ask someone to take a photo of you from the side. When you look at the photo you want to find that your ears, shoulders, and hips form a nice straight line down the side of your body.
Can posture affect my health?
Poor posture can be detrimental to a person’s health. It can affect the skeleton over time and cause neck, shoulder, and back pain. It can affect your balance and increase the risk of having a fall. Digestion may be impacted, and it can also be harder to breathe. This happens when the spine compresses the lungs and airways. (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/kyphosis/)
If you notice, for example, that a line from your ear meets your chest (rather than the top of your shoulder) then your head is too far forward – this may be the start of forward head posture (or text neck as it’s now often called). If this becomes the way you stand most frequently, you might notice tension or tightness in your neck muscles that seem to be getting worse. Every inch your head moves forward is the equivalent of gaining 10 pounds in weight due to the increased strain on the muscles of your neck and back. (ref: The Pain Relief Secret by Sarah Warren).
Can posture be improved?
Yes, it can, but as it took a long time to deteriorate it will take some time to improve. If you would like to know more about how to do this, click on the button below.
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