Chief Medical Officer Annual Report 2009 - Department of Health

With increasing age, the risk of heart disease is reduced by keeping physically active. Weight gain increasingly motivates individuals to become more active, but the time pressures of hectic lifestyles prevent regular participation. This is reflected in the growing trend of non­attendance despite gym membership: one­fifth of gym members attend once a month or less. As age increases further, health may become a limiting factor to activity. In the Active People Survey, ‘health isn’t good enough’ was the main reason given for non­ participation in an active sport. This is a vicious cycle: although ill health may limit physical activity, inactivity can also lead to a decline in health and physical functioning.

Many people accept weakness, pain and loss of function as inevitable consequences of ageing. Many of these are not due to increasing age however, but are due instead to the accompanying inactivity. A quarter of women aged 70–74 years do not have sufficient strength in their legs to get out of a chair without using their arms. However, there is strong evidence that this decline can be halted and even reversed by regular training. This has informed recommendations in Scotland and the United States. By maintaining strength, the risk of falls decreases and overall mobility improves, enabling older people to preserve their independence and participation in the activities of daily living, such as climbing the stairs, using the bathroom and getting dressed. Low­impact activities to improve flexibility and muscle strength can also help to reduce the pain and loss of function caused by injury and physical impairment. These activities must therefore be a core component of regular physical activity for older adults in England.

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