Death, taxes and ageing
Why do we stop exercising when we're old?
There was a period in my early teen life when Sunday afternoons were dedicated to visiting my Little Grandad in Aigburth, (Liverpool) with Dad. The bigger one, who’d lived in Moseley Hill, was long gone by then. I don’t quite know how it happened and despite my protestations, Sunday became a routine for a while.
The debate was always the same - he loves to see you and while you take him out for a walk I can tidy up. I had no counter. It was Sunday and there was nothing to do. Playing out was frowned upon, the shops were shut and any sport, watching or playing had already happened yesterday. I hated Sundays.
Grandad was well into his eighties and living alone. Just getting ready to go out took an age and confirmed that our walk would be a slow one. His shoes were black leather lace ups, a scarf was added to multiple existing layers, a hat and finally a ridiculously heavy overcoat, which seemed like unnecessary assistance for gravity, given his frailty. His stick stayed in the hall because I was now interlocked with his right arm. Together we shuffled up the gentle incline to the top of Dundonald Road and into Sudley Park, his steps little bigger than a shoes’ length. The biggest concern was balance and staying upright. We managed.
At the Cambridge Centre of Sports and Exercise Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, students experience ageing by wearing an old age suit. Using a series of weights and restricting movement in key joints like the ankles and knees, the average student is quickly aged 50 years. Ankle boots prevent flexion which immediately leads to balance issues. Knee braces have a similar effect and wrist weights reduce any natural arm swing which are younger selves do without thinking. With posture sagging and feet weighed down making lifting much harder, the final addition is a 20kg flack jacket.
A chair with arms is provided for the recipient to sit in and the first test is to stand-up, ideally by only using their legs and not the chair’s arms. It’s almost impossible until they shuffle forward to the edge of the chair catapulting upwards and forward with a squat like motion creating a moment or two of imbalance as they stand. It becomes clear quickly that the most stable way to walk involves a hip swing and a knee bend, all of which helps to exacerbate hunched shoulders and a rounding back.
Ageing is a fact of life. Benjamin Franklin, one of the US founding fathers, once quipped that, the only certain things in life are death and taxes, can be forgiven for not adding this other certainty, which will at some point challenge many of us.
Less key hormones eventually does slow muscle development leading to a reduction in the size and number of fibres. The biggest contributor of all though is inactivity.
Retirement is seen as a key milestone for many of us. I can now swop my sedentary life behind a desk and finally spend the time needed to get fit again. Such good intentions are not supported by UK stats though, which reveal that we actually do less exercise once we retire, often for good reason. Caring for others is common, whether it’s your other half or looking after your children’s children. Some simply think that they’ve worked hard enough and now deserve a break, time to relax, having finally escaped the daily commute. Fear of injury is also a common objection, typically supported by other family members, worried that Mum or Dad have forgotten how old they now are.
Government guidelines suggest a mix of 150 minutes of aerobic activity every week, plus 2 strength training sessions. I don’t think they mean hour long gym sessions squatting under heavy weights, unless of course that’s you’re thing. Repetitive weight bearing exercises, a couple of times per week, is more what they had in mind.
The reality is many of the senior citizens seeking medical attention right now, do nothing or nearly nothing. Only a quarter of ageing adults meet the suggested guidelines. That may be true, but it’s also not the full picture. There are plenty of obstacles especially for poorer people reliant on food banks, subjected to working indefinitely with little joy in their lives. Even if this isn’t the case, how often does physical activity get linked to be a preventative measure for arthritis, heart disease and dementia. What about talking up some of the positives. It’s not just about escaping life threatening disease, it can actually be fun, especially if you’re doing it with others.
How can we support our society to be more active? Public parks can be a fantastic opportunity, provided they’re safe, have well labelled paths and are well service by public transport. There are also other considerations such as toilets. People won’t visit if they’re aren’t well maintained and lit, clean, and reliably stay open. It’s a huge barrier to people visiting.
People need to feel safe and if there are bars on windows, no benches or toilets, they’re not going to exercise. It has to be easy to do it, because it’s so easy to do nothing.
Silver Fit was founded by Eddie Brocklesby in 2013, who has been running marathons into her eighties. She only started exercising in her fifties after watching a Nottingham University friend run a marathon. It was enough to inspire her to enter a half marathon which she did three months later. She only learnt to swim at sixty because she wanted to enter a triathlon.
Having realised how important it is to have a network of friends to train and support each other, Silver Fit encourages happier, healthier ageing through physical activity.
Ageism is pervasive in our society, especially with family members reminding Mum and Dad that they’re too old to learn to ride a bike or swim. The constant fear of falling couldn’t be better countered than becoming more physically active and less frail. Improving muscle mass with better function helps to reduce the risk of injury.
During my recent experience at Lynden Hill, where usually, there were three physiotherapy sessions going on at the same time, it was easy to see why other inmates, with similar hip operations to me but 15 years my senior were going to take longer to recover. At 62, you could argue I was too young to be there and it’s an unfair contest. I don’t disagree. But what you see are people struggling with core strength, weak on their good leg and not much strength left in their arms, all of which could help to support their shiny new hips. The physio’s job starts in a very different place.
The real test comes when I’m 82 and might be in need of another one. What’s my core strength going to be like when that comes around? Well I’ve talked the talk.