Fear of injury preventing over 55s in Edinburgh benefiting from exercise

Confusion over what exercise to do in older years

One in 10 Edinburgh residents over the age of 55 say that fear of injury holds them back from joining a gym/attending the gym more regularly, according to a recent survey by Nuffield Health, the UK’s leading not-for-profit independent healthcare organisation.

The results, released today, reveal that worryingly, almost half of Edinburgh residents aged over 55 (45%) don’t believe that exercise is an important part of lifestyle for their age group, and less than half (49%) believe that exercise is essential for ensuring good bone density when getting older.

This comes despite evidence showing older adults who participate in physical activity maintain not just good physical function but also good cognitive function, with more physical activity providing greater health benefits. Poor muscle strength has also been shown to increase the risk of a fall by 76% in older adults^[1].

Given the benefits of exercise for older adults, Nuffield Health conducted a survey amongst 2,000 Brits aged 55+ to explore attitudes to exercise and what’s holding them back from joining a gym.

Jonathan Davies, OBE, former Wales rugby international who’s supporting Nuffield Health’s campaign to encourage exercise in the over 55s said: “Maintaining bone and muscle strength as we age is critical, not only to ensure we can continue to live life to the full physically, but also to maintain mental health. So its worrying that almost half of us over 55s don’t believe exercise is important.

“Joining a gym later on in life can be daunting though, particularly after any operations or injuries. After my hip replacement a few years ago, going back to the gym wasn’t easy. I was worried about injuring myself but I knew I needed to build muscle strength back up as I’d committed to a big charity bike ride. It was as much a mental challenge to overcome as a physical one, but I’ve gone on to do two charity cycle rides since then.

“Something like a Health MOT, or a personal training session, can give confidence to overcome inhibitions and ensure you’re working in the right way with, rather than against, your body.” 

To stay healthy or to improve health, older adults need to do two types of physical activity each week: aerobic exercise and strength (also known as resistance) exercises. However nearly a fifth (17%) of people in Edinburgh aged over 55 wrongly thought they should avoid resistance training as they age.

Joint pain also proved to be a confusing problem when it came to Edinburgh’s over 55s considering exercise: almost a quarter (23%) believed it best to avoid resistance exercise completely when suffering from joint pain, while almost half (48%) didn’t know what exercises to avoid with joint pain. Likewise for other health conditions with people believing they should avoid the gym if suffering from heart problems or diabetes.

Rich Comley, General Manager at Nuffield Health, Edinburgh Omni said: “It’s concerning that so many older people think they should avoid resistance training when they have joint pain, or avoid the gym completely with a health condition. The reality is that exercise can be an important part of preventing and managing illness as well as rehabilitating after injury.

“For those who have experienced joint pain, you can find a clinically devised workout plan here: https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/article/18-exercises-to-strengthen-your-joints.”

 Rich continued: “It’s also worrying that one in 10 older people in Edinburgh felt that a personal trainer is only for young people or that a young personal trainer couldn’t relate to older people.  A personal trainer can be invaluable in helping tailor a workout suitable to any age and any existing health/mobility issues.”

Of those who did attend a gym, aside from exercise, the reasons for Edinburgh’s over 55s joining included: to beat stress (23%), to socialise or make new friends (22%) and to help them sleep better (22%).

To help encourage people to start on their fitness journey, Nuffield Health is offering a 1-day trial voucher, valid at any of its consumer clubs across the UK.

It is available to download here: https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/free-pass. Members of Nuffield Health gyms receive a free, comprehensive, hour-long Health MOT every three months as part of their membership.

NHS Physical Activity Guidelines for older adults aged 65 and over  Adults aged 65 or older who are generally fit and have no health conditions that limit their mobility should try to be active daily, doing: at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity such as cycling or walking every week and strength exercises on 2 or more days a week that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) Or      75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity such as running or a game of singles tennis every week and strength exercises on 2 or more days a week that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) Or a mix of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity every week (for example, two 30-minute runs plus 30 minutes of brisk walking equates to 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity) and strength exercises on 2 or more days a week that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) Ref: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-older-adults/