Seniors Outdoors

The Healthy Active Aging Module, developed by the Heart Foundation, was created as part of an ongoing commitment to support professionals to get older Australians active. This project has been funded by Sport Australia through the Move It AUS Better Ageing Grants program.

This Healthy Active Ageing module brings together the latest evidence, practical advice, checklists, case studies, infographics and other resources to develop healthy active ageing neighbourhoods and communities.

The content of this module aligns with the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s age-friendly approach and the WHO’s eight domains to an age-friendly community, while considering the existing Healthy Active by Design design-related features.

This module has been created for practitioners and policy makers across transport, urban planning, housing, information, health and social welfare, state and local governments, and more.

Source: Heart Foundation

See also Heart Foundation Walking

With Heart Foundation Walking, you can:

• Reduce your risk of heart disease
  Walking 30 mins a day can reduce your risk of heart disease by 35%.
• Connect with your community
  Cross paths with friends, neighbours and new people while you walk.
• Improve your energy and wellbeing
  Enjoy better energy, mood and sleep, as well reduced stress and fatigue.
• Get active at your own pace
  Walking can be as easy or challenging as you choose. Start slowly and build up over time.

Learn more about the benefits of walking.

COTA Queensland, the Council on the Ageing Queensland is the Seniors Peak Body committed to advancing the rights, needs and interests of people as they age in Queensland.

We aim to help create a more just, equitable and caring community in which older people are actively involved and have access to appropriate support, services and care.

Up to date information about services for Seniors in Queensland: Concession cards, keeping active, driving, discounts … go to https://www.qld.gov.au/seniors

• Age-friendly Toolkit
• Facebook: Qld Seniors
• Recreation and Staying Connected
  • Volunteering
  • Social connection and leisure
  • Events and awards
  • Travel and holidays

National Seniors Australia is a not-for-profit membership and advocacy organisation that gives older Australians – working and retired – a strong national voice.

We have unrivalled access to policy-makers, world-class research and a thriving branch network. We tackle issues such as age discrimination, mature age employment, the Age Pension, social inclusion, cost of living concerns and more.

National Seniors Australia is not only the leading independent voice for over 50s in this country, but also the gateway to a diverse range of exclusive member-only benefits.

#GetLifelongReady aims to equip our recreation and sport industry with practical information to engage, or re-engage, adults in physical activity.

Growing Older and Living Dangerously (GOLD), a Brisbane City Council Active and Healthy Lifestyle program, provides free or low-cost activities for residents 50 years and over.

Playgrounds for Senior Citizen are growing in popularity worldwide. Originally created in China, they are playgrounds featuring various stations that have equipment designed for use by the elderly. As science continues to show the correlation between exercise, health, and fitness and the importance of these to senior citizens, playgrounds for the elderly are in high demand.

An aging population presents many significant challenges to governments, particularly in areas related to health, participation in society, planning and infrastructure, and quality of life. Long-term physical activity has been linked to enhanced physical, mental, and social wellbeing and this may impact across many policy areas.

Source: Mature-aged Sport and Physical Activity (Clearinghouse for Sport)

Helping older Queenslanders stay healthy, active, independent and on their feet

Every day, 133 older Queenslanders have a fall requiring medical attention, even though falls are mostly preventable. Falls have a big impact on mobility and independence, but there are steps that can be taken to reduce the risk.

Stay on your Feet provides information about how we can all work together to help Queenslanders stay healthy, active, independent and on their feet. This site is for seniors and anyone who works with seniors, including individuals, organisations, health professionals in hospitals and the community, aged care facilities, local councils, government departments, and the fitness industry.

A physical activity guide for older Australians

Choose Health: Be Active encourages older Australians to be physically active.

Staying active as you get older is important for good mental and physical health and wellbeing. It reduces the risk of many diseases, including some cancers, and helps maintain a healthy weight.

Lifeball is a fun team game which incorporates activities such as walking, thinking, and passing and throwing a ball with the aim of scoring a goal through a hoop. It encourages physical movement and teamwork.

It is a game which can be played on any flat surface. It involves strategy and is a game designed for fun, fitness, and skill development. If you are looking for a way to get active, stay healthy, and meet new friends then try Lifeball!

Lifeball can be played by men, women, and boys and girls of all ages. Lifeball is particularly suited to older adults as it improves heart and lung function, increases circulation, and relieves stiffness. It helps prevent fall injuries as it improves balance, coordination, flexibility, mobility, and mental stimulation. Lifeball is also suitable for people with diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular problems, and other chronic illnesses. Lifeball is a game designed on the philosophy of participation for all. The game can be modified to suit everyone whatever their ability.

For more info: https://www.youtube.com/@LIfeballAustralia

Walking Football has been created for the Over 50’s; however, slightly younger seniors (say, in their mid40s), and especially women, are also welcome.  It is a 6-a-side version of soccer, played on a small field (e.g. basketball court size), but at a slower pace and with modified rules to avoid injuries.  It is a low-impact, fast recovery, team game ideal for people wanting to be more active, more social, and who want to get fit without the pain associated with faster-paced sports.

The Benefits of Walking Football

• No soccer experience necessary;
• Relaxed and friendly environment;
• Great way to meet new people;
• Low-impact exercise;
• A healthy pursuit; and
• Great fun!

For more information go to www.walkingfootballbrisbane.com.au

A Complete Guide for all Ages

All men want to live a little longer, right? Most importantly, all men want to look and feel physically healthy in their own bodies. Luckily, there are things you can do to take care of your health no matter which age milestone you’ve reached, whether that’s finding a way to become more motivated, or quitting that bad habit you’ve been struggling to let go of. You deserve to make your health a priority.

Read More:
Healthy Aging for Men
Your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and beyond

Source: Optimale UK

International Day of Older Persons
1 October

When you have rheumatoid arthritis, exercise can feel like an especially hard challenge. You might find that activities you used to do are too painful with your joints. Fortunately, there are lots of low-impact exercises that can improve your muscle strength while supporting your joints. Plus, you’ll enjoy the benefits of physical activity—improved balance, reduced joint stiffness, and improved mood.
READ MORE for Exercise Tips

Source: WikiHow

How to be fit in your 60’s and beyond

Ageing is inevitable and is influenced by many things – but keeping active can slow ageing and increase life expectancy. Evidence shows that ageing alone is not a cause of major problems until you are in your mid-90s. And strength, power and muscle mass can be increased, even at this advanced age.  Read More

Physical activity at any intensity linked to lower risk of early death

A multi-national team of researchers, including authors from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), have produced clear evidence that higher levels of physical activity—regardless of intensity—are associated with a lower risk of early death in middle aged and older people.
Read More

Source: National Institute for Health Research (UK)

Becoming active older can still reduce chances of premature death

They have the most free time of any age group yet they are the least active group of all.

Only 27 per cent of Australians over 65 meet the Department of Health physical activity guidelines of 30 minutes activity per day, a minimum which brings significant health benefits.

The 73 per cent who do not meet the recommendations can take heart; new research shows that it is possible to quickly regain the lost health benefits by starting exercise later in life or resuming it if it’s fallen by the wayside.

On the flip side, the exercise they did in our youth is not enough to sustain them for the rest of their lives; the benefits of physical activity are quickly lost when we stop exercising.

Professor Emmanual Stamatakis, of the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health, says the study offers “some brilliant evidence”.

It is plausible that even when uptake later in life it can reverse the physiological and functional damage that has been caused by poor lifestyles and other life stressors over time,” he says. “But unfortunately, the opposite is also the case: the benefits of exercise are relatively transient and are not carried forward, young regular exercisers who give up and adopt a sedentary lifestyle in their 30s or 40s gradually regress towards the poor health of those who never exercised.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

The Hike Forever Fitness Plan

Once you catch the hiking bug, you’ve got it for life

No matter how old you get, the urge to pack up and go for a long walk never goes away. And you don’t have to either. Stay trail-ready forever with our life-long guide to hiking fitness and health.

For seniors, Any Physical Activity is better than none

Don’t try saying you’re too or too busy to exercise, especially after that calorie-laden Thanksgiving dinner.

Any level of physical activity can reduce seniors’ risk of heart disease, researchers report. The 18-year study included more than 24,000 adults ages 39 to 79. They found a link between physical activity and reduced risk of heart disease in both elderly and middle-aged people.

“Elderly people who were moderately inactive had a 14 percent reduced risk of cardiovascular events compared to those who were completely inactive,” said study first author and cardiologist Sangeeta Lachman.

“This suggests that even modest levels of physical activity are beneficial to heart health,” said Lachman, who is with the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

No gym nearby? That’s not a problem. Seniors should be encouraged to at least do low-intensity physical activities, such as walking, gardening, and housework, she said.

“Given our aging population and the impact of cardiovascular disease on society, a broader array of public health programs are needed to help elderly people engage in any physical activity of any level and avoid being completely sedentary,” said Lachman.

For Men, Fitness Can Often Last a Lifetime

Active middle-aged men are likely to stay active into old age, a new study finds.

The research included nearly 3,500 British men, aged 40 to 59 at the start of the study. The researchers followed the men’s health for 20 years. Those who were physically active in mid-life were nearly three times more likely to be active at the end of the study period.

Men who played sports in mid-life were more likely to be active in old age than those who did other types of physical activity in mid-life. That was especially true of those who played sports for many years, the findings showed.

Men who played sports for 25 years or more were nearly five times more likely to be physically active in old age than those who didn’t play sports, the study authors said.

But plenty of men took up high levels of walking as they aged. At the start of the study, just 27 percent reported high levels of walking. By the end of the study, that number was 62 percent.

The study was published online Sept. 20 in the journal BMJ Open.

“Early engagement in sport and structured exercise may be vital for developing the necessary motor skills needed to establish a lifelong habit for physical activity. However, it may also be important to provide opportunities to take up other forms of activity, such as walking, during the transition to old age,” study lead author Daniel Aggio, from University College London (UCL), said in a journal news release.

There are a number of reasons why playing sports in middle age may increase the likelihood of being active in old age, the UCL researchers suggested.

“One possibility is that people’s enjoyment of sport may be more likely to persist into old age than preferences for other types of activity,” the authors wrote.

“Sport participation in mid-life may help maintain physical function and [physical activity] self-efficacy in later life, increasing psychological and physical readiness for [physical activity] in old age,” the researchers added.

Mature-aged Sport and Physical Activity

An ageing population presents potential benefits and challenges—particularly across the social policy related areas of health services, active participation of older persons in society, community planning and infrastructure, and overall quality of life. ^{1, 2, 3}

When sports organisations engage with older individuals and communities, they can gain mutual benefits. Sports can gain diversity of thinking and ideas drawn from older people’s experiences and increase the accessibility of their programs. ^{4, 5}

In return, sport and physical activity can benefit older individuals, with long-term participation linked to enhanced and lifelong physical, mental, and social wellbeing outcomes.

Source: Clearing House for Sport

The study was conducted in collaboration with the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) at the University of New South Wales and the University of Adelaide …

How a disciplined weightlifting schedule can improve cognition

The trial looked at progressive resistance training – such as weightlifting – and the functioning of the brain

READ MORE

70 yr old Neil Smith circumnavigates Australia 

The weathered old timbers of Wild Wind immediately suggest adventure. Tethered at the quiet Smithton wharf, the old fishing boat actually looks at rest after four years circumnavigating Australia.

Old beer barrels for carrying water sit on the deck near a hatch from which the wizened head of Neil Smith has just appeared.

“Come on down, kettle’s boiling,” he beckons from the top of ladder steps before disappearing again to clank about with his wood heater …

Read more: ABC News

Fitness, not physical activity, mitigates negative effects of prolonged sitting

New research suggests that fitness, not physical activity alone, plays a protective role in guarding the body against risk factors for heart disease and other conditions.

Read more: Medical News Today

75 Marathons in 75 Days at 75!

A 75-year-old man has run 75 marathons in 75 days to raise money for a special needs school in Rotherham in north-east England.

10km Pre-dawn Walk!

‘Nothing special’ about daily regime starting with 10km pre-dawn walk.

It is 2:30am and Con Stergiopoulos’s day is just beginning. Donning socks and sneakers, he leaves his Coolum Beach home on the Sunshine Coast for a 10km walk.

It takes two hours. And yes, it is 2:30am. This is a daily regime 78-year-old Mr Stergiopoulos has embraced for the past 14 years.

“I just like to go for walks I suppose. There’s nothing special about it,” he said with a hearty laugh.

Read more: ABC News

Exercise Makes Our Muscles Work Better With Age

To keep our muscles healthy deep into retirement, we may need to start working out more now, according to a new study of world-class octogenarian athletes. The study found substantial differences at a cellular level between the athletes’ muscles and those of less active people.

Muscular health is, of course, essential for successful aging. As young adults, we generally have scads of robust muscle mass. But that situation doesn’t last.

Muscles consist of fibers, each attached to a motor neuron in our spinal column by long, skinny nerve threads called axons. The fiber and its neuron are known as a muscle unit.

When this muscle unit is intact, the neuron sends commands to the muscle fiber to contract. The muscle fiber responds, and your leg, eyelid, pinky finger or other body part moves.

However, motor neurons die as we age, beginning as early as in our 30s, abruptly marooning the attached muscle fiber, leaving it disconnected from the nervous system. In younger people, another neuron can come to the rescue, snaking out a new axon and re-attaching the fiber to the spinal cord

But with each passing decade, we have fewer motor neurons. So some muscle fibers, bereft of their original neuron, do not get another. These fibers wither and die and we lose muscle mass, becoming more frail. This process speeds up substantially once we reach age 60 or so.

Scientists have not known whether the decline in muscular health with age is inevitable or whether it might be slowed or altered.

There have been encouraging hints that exercise changes the trajectory of muscle aging. A 2010 study of recreational runners in their 60s, for instance, found that their leg muscles contained far more intact muscle units than the muscles of sedentary people of the same age.

But whether exercise would continue to protect muscles in people decades older than 60, for whom healthy muscles might be the difference between independence and institutionalization, had never been examined.

So for the new study, which was published last week in the Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers from McGill University in Canada and other schools contacted 29 world-class track and field athletes in their 80s and invited them to the university’s performance lab. They also recruited a separate group of healthy but relatively inactive people of the same age to act as controls.

At the lab, the scientists measured muscle size and then had the athletes and those in the control group complete a simple test of muscular strength and function in which they pressed their right foot against a movable platform as forcefully as possible. While they pressed, the scientists used sensors to track electrical activity within a leg muscle.

Using mathematical formulas involving muscle size and electrical activity, the scientists then determined precisely how many muscle units were alive and functioning in each volunteer’s leg muscle. They also examined the electrical signal plots to see how effectively each motor neuron was communicating with its attached muscle fiber.

Unsurprisingly, the elite masters athletes’ legs were much stronger than the legs of the other volunteers, by an average of about 25 percent. The athletes had about 14 percent more total muscle mass than the control group.

More interesting to the researchers, the athletes also had almost 30 percent more motor units in their leg muscle tissue, and these units were functioning better than those of people in the sedentary group. In the control group, many of the electrical messages from the motor neuron to the muscle showed signs of “jitter and jiggle,” which are actual scientific terms for signals that stutter and degrade before reaching the muscle fiber. Such weak signaling often indicates a motor neuron that is approaching death.

In essence, the sedentary elderly people had fewer motor units in their muscles, and more of the units that remained seemed to be feeling their age than in the athletes’ legs.

The athletes’ leg muscles were much healthier at the cellular level.

“They resembled the muscles of people decades younger,” said Geoffrey Power, who led the study while a graduate student at McGill and is now an assistant professor at the University of Guelph in Ontario.

Of course, this type of single-snapshot-in-time study can’t tell us whether the athletes’ training actually changed their muscle health over the years or if the athletes were somehow blessed from birth with better muscles, allowing them to become superb masters athletes.

But Dr. Power, who also led the 2010 study, said that he believes exercise does add to the numbers and improve the function of our muscle units as we grow older.

Whether we have to work out like a world-class 80-year-old athlete to benefit, however, remains in question. Most of these competitors train intensely for several hours every week, Dr. Power said. But on the plus side, some of them did not start their competitive regimens until they had reached their 50s, providing hope for the dilatory among us.

Read more: The New York Times Well Blog

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80.
Anyone who keeps learning stays young

Henry Ford

Some people are old at 18 and some are young at 90 – time is a concept that humans created.

Yoko Ono

If I could live my life again.

Next time, I would try to make more mistakes.
I would not try to be so perfect, I would relax more.
I would be sillier than I have been.
I would take fewer things seriously.
I would be less fastidious.
Accept more risks, I would take more trips,
Contemplate more evenings,
Climb more mountains, and swim more rivers…
I would go to more places where I have not been,
Eat more ice cream and fewer beans.
I would have more real problems and less imaginary ones.
I was one of those people who lived sensibly and meticulously every minute of their life.

Of course I have had moments of happiness.
But if I could go back in time, I would try to have good moments only,
and not waste precious time.
I was someone never went anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bag, an umbrella and a parachute.

If I could live again,
I would travel more frivolously.
If I could live again, I would begin to walk barefoot at the beginning of the spring
and I would continue to do so until the end of autumn.
I would ride more merry-go-rounds,
I would contemplate more evenings and I would play with more children.
If I could have another life ahead.
But I am 85 years old you see, and I know that I am dying.

TED: Talks to make you feel good about getting older

The extra candles on the birthday cake, the little lines you notice in the mirror … aging doesn’t always feel good. But remember, age also brings wisdom and balance. Watch these reminders of the benefits that come with age.