Thankfully these days most of us know that to increase our chances of living a long  life we need to pay attention to our health and well-being.  What is often misunderstood is the difference between staying active and exercising.  One occurs during everyday life and is often simply part of a busy day.  The other has to be consciously performed and time made to do it.  It is therefore essential that there is good enough reason and evidence based facts to persuade us that it is not only necessary but could very well save our life.

Here are some of those facts taken from Age UK falls prevention resources:

• Falls and fractures in people aged 65 and over account for more than 4 million hospital bed days each year in England alone
• The healthcare cost associated with fragility fractures is estimated at £2bn a year
• Falls causing injury, including 70,000 hip fractures are the leading cause of accident-related mortality in older people

There are many more fairly frightening statistics but the final one is what I would much rather focus on…

• An exercise programme can reduce falls by as much as 54%

Running classes for people who want to improve their quality of life by learning about and engaging in sessions that focus on balance, coordination (the funniest part of all classes!) and functional strength has given me an insight into the benefits to the participants which is so rewarding to see.

Confidence and Laughter – Posture and Power  – Friendship and Effort

These pairs work together, each helping each other and all producing results.

This blog is not about drumming up business for my classes, I think the participants would agree that they are quite busy enough! I wanted to spread awareness about staying healthy no matter what age, through exercise.

Age UK has a dedicated section on the topic with downloadable resources.

http://www.ageuk.org.uk/professional-resources-home/services-and-practice/health-and-wellbeing/falls-prevention-resources/

I hope you or someone you know will find this of interest.  Now stop reading and start moving!