Independent Living Home > Advice Centre > Keep fit
Keep fit
Whatever your age or physical condition, you can increase and maintain your fitness level. The benefits are many, including more energy, fewer aches and pains, increased sense of well-being.
Perhaps one of the single most compelling reasons to keep physically active, is to help prevent accidental falls. Since falls are extremely common (every year, between a third and half of people over retirement age suffer a fall), there is an area of Independent Living dedicated to fall prevention.
Some ideas for getting active:
• For friendly, sociable types, team sports are an excellent way of getting exercise and meeting people. If team sports sound too hearty and competitive, dancing is another very sociable activity which is a great way of keeping fit and making friends. With the popularity of television programmes like Strictly Come Dancing, access to dance classes around the country is much improved.
• Swimming is also good exercise, whatever the level of physical fitness. Water is supportive, cushioning the strain on joints and making it easier to get an effective workout without overdoing it. If the idea of swimming solitary lengths doesn't appeal, in many areas, there are "aquercise" classes, which combine exercise with water and can be fun.
• For people who are self-motivated and enjoy the discipline of regular training sessions, a trip to the gym, with its range of equipment to work different muscles, is a good way of building strength and stamina. Membership can be expensive, but many gyms offer a free "taster " session, and one of the great advantages is access to a professional fitness coach who can help with developing a programme tailored to your needs.
• No roundup of fitness options is complete without including the latest generation of computer games, many of which are designed to be much more interactive and energetic than earlier versions. Since the Nintendo Wii became the best-selling console, developers have been working on games which allow you to enjoy a range of realistic experiences from snowboarding to playing rock guitar. For pure fitness, Wii Fit and the pressure-sensitive balance board that comes with it, give access to an array of fun, dynamic and surprisingly challenging activities, including aerobics, yoga, muscle stretches and balance oriented games. It allows multiple users to monitor improvements in fitness over time. As a full body system, this isn't suitable for everybody, and anyone who has problems with balance may find it difficult to master. But there are plenty of games that can be played sitting down, so it is worth exploring if you haven't yet discovered the delights of this sort of activity.
You can check out products to help you keep fit in our fitness and health products section.
Remember, you can share your tips on keeping fit by going to the "Talkback" section (click below right)
Please note that information offered on this site is offered without guarantees or any acceptance of liability. We do our best to verify accuracy, but any advice should be used as a signpost rather than final authority!
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