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Tom's Guide
25-06-2025
- Health
- Tom's Guide
Over 60? This chair workout will help you build strength without weights
Losing strength as you get older is completely normal. It doesn't mean you're weak or lazy. It even has a name. According to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, sarcopenia refers to the natural loss of muscle mass and function that many older adults experience. While it can increase the risk of frailty and other health issues, the good news is that it's never too late to rebuild strength. You don't need a gym membership or expensive equipment to get started. There are simple and effective ways to stay strong at home, especially when guided by someone who understands the needs of older adults. I had the joy of asking personal trainer Kirra Mitlo to put together a five-move bodyweight workout designed to help improve strength and build muscle. All you'll need is a chair, and if you like tracking your progress, one of the best fitness trackers can be a helpful bonus. The number of sets and reps varies for each exercise and is specified below the exercise title. Follow these guidelines closely so you're neither overdoing it nor slacking off. Remember to take rest between sets to give your muscles time to recover. The Fitbit Charge 6 is a great choice for tracking home workouts and overall fitness. It supports a wide range of activities like strength training, kickboxing and yoga. With built-in GPS and detailed health metrics, it helps you stay on top of your fitness goals indoors and out. This simple move helps strengthen your ankles, hip flexors and core. These muscles play an important role in supporting your balance and protecting your joints. Mitlo suggests focusing your gaze on a fixed point in front of you, saying: "Find a stationary object five to six feet in front of you to help with your balance." Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. This is a great lower-body move for building strength at home while keeping your knees happy. As Mitlo explains: "The hold in this exercise is designed to add more time under tension, which is a science-y word that means more tension on your muscles for extra time. This will aid in building muscular strength and endurance." This variation targets the thighs and glutes while teaching a movement pattern you'll actually use in everyday life. "This exercise is an anti-aging hack. It's how physical therapists teach patients to stand from the floor," says Mitlo. For stability, she adds: "Make sure your front foot is either in front of your hip or out to the side. That gives you a nice, wide base before you press up." This upper-body hold challenges your triceps, shoulders, chest and core. All you need is a stable surface like a chair, bed, or bench. "In just 20 seconds, you're working three different muscle groups," says Mitlo. It's a simple way to build strength without needing to do a full push-up. "Good mornings are a posterior chain building powerhouse!" says Mitlo. "Your posterior chain is made up of your glutes and back (and muscle groups on the back of your body). This exercise will shape and strengthen your back and glutes, all while improving your posture as well."
Telegraph
23-02-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Five minutes of exercise a day could reduce dementia risk
Just five minutes of exercise a day can reduce the risk of dementia in frail older people by more than a third, according to new research. The analysis of exercise levels among British adults found that engaging in as little as 35 minutes of 'moderate to vigorous' physical activity per week was associated with a 41 per cent lower risk of developing the condition after four years, compared to those who did none. Higher levels of activity were linked to an even lower risk, according to the findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. Dr Amal Wanigatunga, lead author of the research by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US, said it suggested even some exercise was 'better than nothing'. The study of almost 90,000 people living in the UK, who wore smartwatches with activity trackers, found that dementia risks were 60 per cent lower in participants who did between 35 and 70 minutes of physical activity per week. The risk was 63 per cent lower for those who did 70 to 140 minutes and 69 per cent for those who did more than 140 minutes. 'Some exercise better than nothing' Dr Wanigatunga said: 'Our findings suggest that increasing physical activity, even as little as five minutes per day, can reduce dementia risk in older adults. 'This adds to a growing body of evidence that some exercise is better than nothing, especially with regard to an ageing-related disorder that affects the brain that currently has no cure.' There are thought to be at least 200 different types of dementia, of which Alzheimer's disease is the most common. Almost a million people in the UK are estimated to have dementia, with the figure expected to rise to around 1.4 million by 2040. The condition, which is often associated with forgetfulness, speech and writing difficulties, and personality changes, mainly affects people over the age of 65. Research in recent years has suggested lifestyle changes help lower the risk of developing the condition, including via better control of cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and by being more active. However, the amount of exercise needed to reduce the risk meaningfully is not yet clear. The NHS recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week – or around 20 minutes per day. The new study analysed data from the UK Biobank project and involved adults mostly aged in their 50s and older, who were monitored for one week between the period from February 2013 to December 2015. The research team continued to monitor their health for an average of 4.4 years through to November 2021, during which time 735 of the participants were diagnosed with dementia. The analysis compared participants whose activity trackers showed some weekly moderate to vigorous physical activity to those who showed none, while also accounting for the subjects' ages and other medical conditions. The study also took into account participants who showed signs of frailty or 'pre-frailty,' but found that the association between higher activity levels and lower dementia was largely unchanged. A Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health spokesman said: 'To check the possibility that their findings reflected undiagnosed dementia leading to lower physical activity, the researchers repeated their analysis but excluded dementia diagnoses in the first two years of follow-up. The association between more activity and lower dementia risk remained robust.' The connection between higher activity and lower dementia risk was 'striking', even among frail, older people, the researchers said. Dr Wanigatunga added: 'This suggests that even frail or nearly frail older adults might be able to reduce their dementia risk through low-dose exercise.'
