Speaking as someone related to a seventy-year-old who takes the dog for daily walks of ten miles or more, I am very aware that health and exercise doesn’t stop as soon as you hit fifty.

However, we live in an ageing population, and the number of those aged 55+ who worry about their health paints a worrying picture:

·       One in five (20%) aged 55 and over are most worried about becoming less active as they age.

·       48% of over 55’s admit that they are a lot less active than 20 years ago.

·       51% of over 55 year olds are currently suffering from back or neck pain with 33% of those complaining that they suffer daily and 24% stating they have endured some kind of back or neck complaint for more than 10 years.

At the start of Chiropractic Awareness Week 2012, the British Chiropractic Association is joining forces with the European Year of Active Ageing.

Active Ageing doesn’t mean daily 10 mile walks like I mentioned in the first sentence (I couldn’t manage that, and I’m only in my mid-twenties!), but small changes can make a big difference – just a couple of minutes stretches a day could help improve how limber you are, and that’s a good start.  Walking is definitely an underrated form of exercise: try walking to the next bus-stop along (difficult in Buntingford where there are only three bus-stops in total!), or parking the car further away when doing the weekly shop.  These little things can snowball.

Swimming is an amazing form of exercise which is normally subsidised for the over 60s, and helps tone the whole body and is less intensive – and more importantly, less hard on the joints – than running.

Lastly, if something hurts, stop doing it!  If you suffer pain beyond a simple ache, make sure you visit your chiropractor – as I often state, we do so much more than just backs!  We offer free consultations, as well as exercises to strengthen any damaged muscles and joints after your initial course of treatment is completed.

We hope this piece has given you some ideas about keeping active, and we always hope you’ll stay healthy along with us at Attend2Health.