Aims & Benefits
Everyone’s body changes over time and this effects our health. Keeping active becomes more important as we age and become seniors. We all gradually start to lose age related muscle loss after the age of 30 (1) and this accelerates as we age, up to 30% during a lifetime (1). Many seniors have also collected a number of health conditions, including long-term conditions.
Fortunately, the more active you are the slower the pace of muscle wastage and the more you can actually do. This is because with osteoarthritis stiff joints become more mobile and less painful. Muscles and bones become stronger when used. This helps keep the nerves in the body and brain work. To get started join a class, or contact me.
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If you’re over 65 you are recommended to do at least 150 minutes per week of moderate activity that raises your breathing and heart rate, such as vigorous walking. Seniors should do a number of sessions of 10 minutes or more during the week that all counts towards this total. Many people aim for five sessions of 30 minutes of physical activity. To limit muscle wastage these activities include two strength sessions and two balance sessions each week.
ESB can help you learn how to strengthen your muscles and improve your balance. Balance is a skill that must be learnt and practiced. ESB provides challenging tasks to help you improve your posture and reduce the risk of falls.People aged over 50 should do 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. This should contain brisk walks, strength tasks and balance practice (4). It’s never too late to get started and the health benefits are waiting for you. These include boost to your mood, weight loss, improved cardiovascular function (breathing and heart) strengthening muscles to tone your body, improve flexibility to reach your toes and balance to reduce your risk of falls (5).
Epsom has many open spaces and this makes a great location for you to do your daily walks, such as a park (6). These green spaces help boost your mood and relax as you connect to the countryside. Strengthening your muscles helps you improve your posture and makes daily tasks easier: washing, shopping, cleaning, gardening. This also allows seniors to maintain their independence. You’ll learn how to do this by joining an ESB class and regularly completing these tasks.Your balance is important especially if you were to slip, trip or fall. Your reaction times slow down as you age which makes recovery harder after a trip. However, regular practice of challenging balance exercises helps you build this skill. Keeping active can help you improve your posture, make daily tasks easier and enhance your quality of life by reducing the risk of falling. Regular activities can increase your ability to balance and strengthen your muscles. This boosts your circulation, breathing and enhances your mood. This reduces stress levels and gives you more energy.