Page 4 - William Cape Gardens - Summer Newsletter 2018

4 WILLIAM CAPE NEWS, SUMMER 2018
Health & Wellbeing

Keeping Fit and Strong as you

Age

One of the unfortunate assumptions about ageing is that 3. Nutrition
as we get older we become weaker and less able, and
many examples of this are evident in our society. There is Just like a car, our bodies need fuel to run, and the better
a wealth of research that shows that from the age of 50 the fuel, the better they perform. Eating a healthy
onwards we lose an average of 3kg of muscle mass every balanced diet is beneficial for our minds and bodies and is
decade. There are some steps we can take to not only important for maintaining a healthy body weight. We all
reverse these effects, but also prevent them from know the rules; include plenty of vegetables, legumes,
occurring. The simple answer to the question “How do nuts and low-sugar fruits.
we stay fit and strong as we age?” is this — through
regular exercise, and by maintaining adequate physical 4. Staying Strong
activity and appropriate nutrition.
The key point for staying strong as we age is ensuring that
you consume enough protein each day. In summary, to
1. Exercise
stay fit and strong as you age:
Activities that challenge our heart and lungs such as
cycling, brisk walking or climbing stairs, done regularly, • Exercise at least 2 -3 times per week;
help to maintain our cardiovascular fitness as we age. We • Perform a mixture of Cardio and Resistance
should exercise for around 20 minutes, at least two to training exercise (choose Resistance training over
three times a week. Because intensity is important; we Cardio);
must continually challenge our muscles and joints to • Ensure adequate daily protein intake to maintain
maintain and improve their strength and mobility. muscle mass and have fun!
Resistance training exercises target our muscles - the
easiest way to access resistance training is with weight At Cranbrook Care residences we encourage our
training machines. residents to be as active as they can, including our
extensive Leisure & Lifestyle program and physiotherapy
2. Physical Activity program.
Physical activity benefits our bodies in many ways,
including keeping our joints moving and our heart and
lungs working. It is also great for the brain. The best way
to keep physically active is to make it fun; some examples
are gardening, bush walking, yoga, tai chi, swimming and
dancing.