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In care homes, older adults who are frail and sedentary are at increased risk of negative health effects due to their lack of physical activity. Here are some of the ways it can affect them: Increased risk of chronic diseases: Physical inactivity is a well-established risk factor for chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, […]
If you are working with older adults, you may find they have many barriers that can get in the way of their engagement with exercise. You need to identify these barriers and work collaboratively with the older adults to overcome these obstacles and support engagement. These barriers, for example, may be related to physical, access, […]
I am frequently asked by individuals who want to lose weight if it is more beneficial to follow a specific diet plan or to adhere to the principles of healthy eating instead. Both dieting and healthy eating can be effective for weight loss and overall health, but they approach weight loss and health goals differently. […]
Our health and wellbeing is influenced by a wide variety of factors, including environmental and societal factors, or determinants of health. ‘Environmental’ factors refer to how our physical surroundings impact on our health, and can include, for instance, things like air pollution, safe neighbourhoods, and our living and working conditions. ‘Societal’ factors may include, for […]
I came across a very interesting article the other day about sleep myths. You can see the reference below, as well as a link where you can download the article yourself. In this article the authors presented 20 false beliefs that are widely held (i.e., myths), yet lack an evidence base (or have a very […]
It is inevitable that as we age, our body’s will deteriorate; we cannot overcome the inexorable march of time and the effects of our biology. We can, however, manage this decline as best we can to minimise these deleterious effects. One tool in our arsenal is physical activity and exercise. Whilst there are many contributing […]
In today’s post, I am going to talk about fibromyalgia (or fibromyalgia syndrome), a condition that I am coming across more-and-more. The aim of this post is to raise awareness of this condition and highlight the role exercise can play in managing the symptoms. What is it? Fibromyalgia is a chronic (long-term) condition that leads […]
Recently, whilst browsing through the usual gloomy and disheartening news feeds, I came across a heart-warming story. The article introduces us to an extremely simple, yet ingenious, idea which is reportedly gaining traction around the world – ‘Happy to Chat’ benches. These are basically public benches with signs attached saying “Happy to chat bench. Sit […]
The Government has recently released its new School Sport and Activity Plan. This plan has several ambitions. Firstly, it seeks to increase physical activity participation levels so that all children and young people are doing at least 60 minutes each day in line with the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines; secondly, it wants children and young […]
I finally succumbed recently to buying and using a wearable; one of those watches that works in concert with your mobile phone to track various measures for health and fitness (such as heart rate and step count). I must also admit to getting rather fanatical since the purchase on attaining my 10,000 steps per day […]
