National Fitness Day 2021
On Wednesday 22 September 2021 National Fitness Day will celebrate its 10th anniversary.
The theme this year is ‘Fitness Unites Us’ and we hope National Fitness Day will encourage older people across North Tyneside to feel inspired to get active. Maybe you’re a carer and could do with some time for yourself an increase in physical activity could provide this.
Keeping physically active in mid-life helps to delay the onset and progression of many age-related health conditions and plays an important role in helping to manage the impact of health conditions once we develop them.
Despite its importance, levels of physical activity begin to drop in mid-life. This is also true for active travel – that is, walking and cycling for everyday journeys. Although it is one key approach to building regular physical activity into daily life, people in mid and later life are less likely to participate in active travel than younger age groups.
For individuals who have already developed a health condition, physical activity can help them manage their condition and maintain their functional ability, their independence and their quality of life as they grow older. Yet the proportion of people who are physically inactive generally increases with age, with activity levels beginning to drop in people around the age of 50.
Research
The latest data estimates that about a quarter of adults aged 55-74 are currently inactive, meaning they are doing less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week. This rises to nearly half of all adults aged 75 and over.
Active Travel
Active travel – walking or cycling for everyday journeys that get us from place to place – is one key approach to increasing levels of physical activity. Active travel offers a convenient and accessible way to build routine physical activity into our lives outside of our leisure time. Yet people in mid and later life are less likely to participate in active travel compared to younger age groups, and this trend becomes more pronounced with age.
The Centre for Ageing Better commissioned Sustrans to carry out research to understand the barriers and enablers to participating in active travel.
Barriers to active travel
Those involved in the research cited the following barriers to active travel in general:
- Distance, potentially to great in rural locations
- Lack of personal motivation
- The weather
- Their personal safety
- Lack of a previous active travel ‘habit’
- Declining health or disability
For cycling specifically the barriers to active travel were perceived as:
- Fear of motorised traffic
- Lack of confidence
- Poor cycle specific infrastructure
- Drive behaviour and car culture
North Tyneside Environment
The environment we live in is a major factor when considering active travel and the ability to do this.
To enable you to consider cycling or walking in later life why not take a look at the North Tyneside cycling (and walking) map. It is one of 6 in total, covering the whole of Tyne and Wear and South East Northumberland.
Last year Sustrans worked with North Tyneside Council on the North Tyneside plan which included a new coastal cycle and walking route. Additionally they implemented plans to create more space for pedestrians along busy town centre streets.
These include Park View in Whitley Bay, High Street West in Wallsend, Nile Street in North Shields and Front Street, Tynemouth.
If you’ve not cycled before or would like to get back into it and are feeling a little nervous why not take a look at the Cycle Ways 4 All website for sound advice for beginners.
In 2000 North Tyneside Council successfully bid for over £2m worth of funding to transform more than 30 miles of routes as part of the Government’s Liveability Fund.
Our historic 19th century Waggonways network was once used to haul coal to ships on the River Tyne from dozens of coal mines in the borough. They had fallen into disrepair over many years but now create a great cycling and walking route which is flat and so not too strenuous. There are a series of waggonway cycling route brochures which can be downloaded.
When you are feeling more adventurous you could perhaps begin to explore North Tyneside and the top 20 routes are listed on Komoot.
If you’d like to consider becoming more active or maybe someone you care for why not give Age UK North Tyneside a call. Their Healthy Habits team can suggest a programme to support you to make healthier lifestyle choices and their Active Age service will signpost you to local physical activities which will benefit you or your loved one.
or e mail community.development@ageuknorthtyneside.org.uk
The Shielding Community Project- Motion North East CIC
The Shielding Community project is a 6 week interactive social group project tackling social challenges for the disabled community in North Tyneside and Newcastle.
Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, the project is open to those aged 16 plus years with disabilities and those supporting those with disabilities and organisations who provide support services to their community.
What’s involved
The project includes weekly Zoom catch up meeting with guest appearances and an open Facebook Group with daily posts offering advice and support on a range of topics.
The group is all about communication and sharing what everyone is up to. Project lead Jonathan Baker said “I am trying to create a friendly and fun atmosphere. I’m covering the health and fitness aspect with my own organisation and we have an accessibility consultant involved, Emotional Respite – Disability counselling service, Northumberland IASS and Disability North all contributing so far”.
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/northtyneside/about-us/news/articles/2020/the-shielding-fitness-project/
More Information
For more information and to apply for a place contact:
info@motionnortheast.co.uk
Tel 0771 228 9225 Jonathan Baker
https://www.facebook.com/watch/MotionNorthEast/
Is Sitting the new Smoking?
Our wellbeing centres are helping older people combat what experts have termed ‘a silent killer, slowly affecting our lifestyle.’
The Research
In 2016, the NHS found that adults aged sixty five and over are the UK’s most sedimentary age group, in some cases spending as many as ten hours a day sat down. Professor Stuart Biddle has explained “It could be partly due to reduced functionality, or ill health, but there are also social norms expecting those in later years to ‘slow down’ and rest. That’s not helpful.”
In fact, according to the World Health Organisation physical inactivity is possibly the fourth biggest killer in the world – and has been linked to a myriad of health problems, including obesity, diabetes, colon cancer, heart disease, brittle bones, and dementia. As such, many experts have suggested that ‘sitting is the new smoking’. That is, we know that physical inactivity is bad for us, but as with smoking in the 1990s, little is being done to tackle it.
How can we Combat Inactivity?
The NHS has a number of suggestions on how older people can combat inactivity:
- Try to limit your television habits to a few hours per day, or if not, be sure to stand up and get moving during ad breaks.
- Taking up hobbies such as gardening or DIY, which keep you on your feet. For information on the ‘garden pottering’ club currently being run by Age UK North Tyneside, please contact 0191 2808480.
- Joining community-based fitness classes. You can find Age UK North Tyneside’s ‘love later life’ activities leaflet here, and their recent article on the ‘falling on your feet’ dance and health programme is available here.
- Take the stairs when/if you are able.
- Stand up & walk when taking phonecalls.
- Regularly engaging in rigorous housework, such as hoovering.
- For those times that you are sitting, consider purchasing a more ergonomic chair. These help you slouch less, and engage core muscles whilst sat down.
How can EveryDay help you?
At our three wellbeing centres in Wallsend, Killingworth, and North Shields, we’re looking to keep older people physically engaged through ‘exercise snacking’. These short bursts of light exercise throughout the day have been found to improve muscle mass, as well as mental wellbeing, and falls prevention.
What do our Customers think?
“The service is excellent, staff are brilliant, it’s like a family. They (the wellbeing team) go above and beyond what’s expected of them. The other customers are lovely as well. It’s a fantastic place, really lovely. Mum is enjoying the activities, dominoes, crocheting and exercise classes. Overall it’s been a really positive experience.”
“George used to go to a day centre and this didn’t give me the break I needed. Now he is at Linskill Park, I have a proper break He now gets picked up at 9 am and comes back after 3 giving me time to do what I want. George tells me he is the life and soul of the party.”
For information on how you can secure a free half day trial in one of our wellbeing centres, please visit: https://everydayuk.org/wellbeing/, or call 0191 287 7028