ACTIVE SENIORS
Are helping themselves to stay younger for longer.

Exercise can be the 'elixir of youth' and active seniors get benefits from their activities far beyond the physical enjoyment of being active. But as with everything else 'to enjoy the benefits, you have to do it.'
You must have heard the notion that, as you approach retirement you should be thinking of 'relaxing', 'taking it easy' and the most dangerous idea of all; 'putting your feet up'.

Relaxation is very important, but we need regular exercise, to be 'active seniors' enabling ourselves to remain healthy and retain our independence and self-respect.

THE POSITIVES

Exercise/activity is crucially important in keeping all the functions of our bodies working at or near to peak performance. Your heart is strengthened by regular exercise/activity and your arteries benefit by becoming more elastic and letting more blood flow through them, reducing the tendency to get swollen ankles (oedema) and slowing the development of blood clots and blocked arteries (atherosclerosis). Being active also helps maintain blood pressure at normal levels reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes, which are more likely if your blood pressure is high.

When your heart and arteries (your cardiovascular system) are working well, oxygen and nutrients are more readily available to your muscles, bones and brain cells, allowing them to function properly. Regularly active people have more energy and are more alert than sedentary people.

Exercise/activity is vital in order to maintain muscle strength and bone density, both of which decline naturally as we age. Muscle strength is vital to perform normal day to day activities such as; getting up from the settee or getting out of the bath. The muscles of inactive people quickly waste away. A fortnight in bed recovering from illness for example can result in a 20% reduction in strength. Muscle weakness around our joints can result in painful osteoarthritis. Painful osteoporosis (thinning of the bones) is disabling and is a major cause of fractures of the wrist, hip and spine. Exercise stimulates your body to produce growth hormones which help to maintain muscle and bone. It can also prevent falls which are a major threat to people in the oldest age groups.

Exercise helps to regulate metabolism thus helping control our weight and reducing the risk of late onset diabetes. It also benefits our immune system, helps keep our brains healthy, helps stress, anxiety, some forms of depression and the duration and quality of sleep.

THE NEGATIVES

If you remember never to exercise to the point of exhaustion, exercise carefully, using activities that are correctly targeted and paced, THERE ARE, IN FACT, NO NEGATIVES.

Some people need to be more careful than others about the type of activity to be used, especially those already suffering from any of the problems mentioned. If you have any doubts or uncertainties your doctor will be pleased to advise you. But remember :- Research shows that we benefit if we become more active more often, whatever our age.
it's never too late to join the ACTIVE SENIORS.

Reference material from; Research into Ageing.