Latest news with #over50
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
A Doctor Reveals the 5 Exercises Everyone Over 50 Should Be Doing
Daily exercise is associated with a range of benefits, like strengthening your bones and muscles, boosting your mental health, helping you sleep better, and improving your quality of life. And Steven Bowers, D.O., board-certified family physician and author of Secrets of the World's Healthiest People, says your fitness routine isn't complete without regular strength training—especially if you're over 50. 'For one, being stronger just makes your life easier,' he says. 'You can do things like carry more grocery bags from the car to your house, lift your suitcase into the overhead compartment without any help, and conquer impossible-to-open jars of spaghetti sauce.' Strength training can also improve your balance, bone density, and ability to burn fat, he adds. There are five basic strength-training exercises Bowers recommends to all his over-50 patients—though people of any age can benefit from trying them. 'They're super easy on the joints, target major muscle groups, and strengthen key areas that tend to weaken as we get older,' he says. The best part? They don't involve heavy equipment or frequent trips to the gym. Do the circuit one to three times per week for the best planks challenge your whole body, they're especially great for strengthening your core. 'Core muscle fibers tend to shrink and become less supple as we age, which can put more strain on your back,' Bowers says. Having a strong core is important for balance and stability, and it can help you go about your day with more ease. Try this: Place your forearms on the floor. Your elbows should be right below your shoulders, and your arms should be parallel—not turning in or out. Your feet should also be shoulder-width apart. Press into your hands and toes to lift your body off the ground, squeezing your glutes and quads for support. Your body should create one straight line from head to toe. Don't lock your knees or arch your back, and keep your neck straight by looking slightly in front of you. Hold this position for 20 seconds. 'As you get more comfortable and your core gets stronger, hold the plank for as long as possible without sacrificing form or breath,' Bowers three-in-one exercise engages your arms, legs, and core. But it specifically targets your oblique abdominal muscles—the muscles that line the sides of your core. Try this: Start in a tabletop position, with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. Press into your fingers and toes to lift your butt toward the ceiling, and try to straighten your legs without locking your knees. (It's okay if your heels come off the ground or your knees are slightly bent!) This should bring you into a downward dog position. Lift your right leg as high as you can to come into a downward dog split. Then, bend your right knee and bring it toward your stomach, lowering your body like you're doing a mountain climber. Lift your leg back up into your downward dog split. Then, bend it again—bringing it toward your right elbow. Lift it back up again—then bend it and bring it toward your left elbow. Repeat this series three times before switching to your left dips target your triceps—the muscles lining your back upper arms. Strong triceps help with daily activities like closing doors, lifting groceries, and opening jars. They also stabilize your shoulder and elbow joints. Try this: Find a sturdy chair, and sit it in—with your palms pressing next to your hips. Scoot forward until your butt comes off the chair, and bend your knees at a 90-degree angle. At this point, you should be completely supporting your body weight with just your arms and legs. Bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle—keeping them tucked, so they don't splay out or in—and slowly lower your butt toward the floor. Then, straighten your arms to lift yourself back up, trying not to use your legs for help. Repeat this 8 to 15 classic arm exercise 'tone[s] and strengthen[s] your biceps, which will help you with independence and mobility as you get older,' Bowers says. You use your biceps—the muscles lining your front upper arms—for everything from eating to getting dressed. While this exercise doesn't require weights, Bowers recommends using a resistance band. Try this: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides. Place a resistance band under your right foot, holding one end of the band in each hand. Bend your elbows, so your fingers are facing your chest and your arms aren't angled in or out. Curl your hands toward your upper arms for 2 seconds, and breathe in. Then, lower your arms for 3 seconds, and breathe out. Do six reps. Then, switch the resistance band to your left foot, and do six more reps. 'For an added balance challenge, try standing on one leg while you perform the curls,' Bowers says.'Squats are a fantastic way to tone your legs, glutes, and core muscles all at once,' Bowers says. 'They help with balance and flexibility to prevent age-related falls.' Plus, having stronger legs and glutes can help you sit and stand, walk around, and lift things more comfortably. Try this: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees to lower yourself into a squat, lifting your arms in front of you. Push your butt back like you're trying to sit in a chair, and keep your weight in your heels. 'If you are in the proper position, you should be able to raise your toes off the floor and you should be able to see your toes,' Bowers says. Push into your heels to lift yourself back up, and lower your arms as you do. You Might Also Like Can Apple Cider Vinegar Lead to Weight Loss? Bobbi Brown Shares Her Top Face-Transforming Makeup Tips for Women Over 50
BBC News
06-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Irchester woman forms singles group after cancer heartbreak
A woman who set up a social group for single people over 50 in response to personal tragedy and loneliness said it was slowly becoming a "little community".Debbie Osborne founded Singles Ministry Northamptonshire earlier this year following a series of life-changing events, including her son and first husband dying from group has grown to more than 250 members and regularly hosts events in the Osborne, from Irchester, said: "The vibe is great because we're all comfortable. It's fantastic, it makes me so proud." Ms Osborne said she lost her first husband to cancer and later her son, and has since separated from her second was also diagnosed with breast cancer, but thankfully it was caught about wanting to meet new people following those events, she said: "It's really hard, and all my friends are married and settled. "I wanted to go out with people like me, my age."As a result, she organised a small gathering at Rushden Windmill Club, which attracted more than 40 people. Encouraged by the turnout, she set up the social group in March, which has continued to grow."As soon as you walk in, the vibe is great," she said. "We're all the same age and we all feel comfortable. People that have come, now come all the time." Attendees of the group said it had helped them feel more Warren, from Burton Latimer, said: "I realised I had no joy left in my life. "When I saw Debbie's ad [for a meet-up,] I thought, 'time to get out and find some people'."Trevor Pywell, from Barton Seagrave, said he had attended four events. "Debs' group is fantastic," he said. "I do miss having a partner. I gave up on dating apps and thought I was getting used to being on my own."Ms Osborne said she was now looking for a suitable venue in Northampton to accommodate the group's increasing numbers. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Daily Mail
18-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The X-rated sex practice older women are choosing to boost lacklustre love lives - as 70 per cent say they're starved of intimacy
Most coupled-up women over 50 are unsatisfied in the bedroom and some are resorting to extreme methods to compensate, a survey has suggested. The poll found that 69 per cent of older women aren't happy with their sex lives, with one in 20 women so starved of intimacy they have considered paying for sex. An additional 11 per cent debate having an affair to boost their love life. The poll suggested that male difficulties with erectile dysfunction could be driving these bedroom busts. Of the men surveyed in the poll, almost half (44 per cent), admitted they avoid sex with their partner because of erection problems. However stress was another common reason for dodging intimacy, as well as back pain. Just under one in five men said they had previously faked an illness to get out of love making. Lorraine Grover, a psychosexual therapist, said the results were sadly unsurprising. 'These findings highlight how intimacy can quietly fade in long-term relationships as couples reach midlife and beyond,' she said. 'Many assume desire naturally declines with age, but emotional closeness and sexual satisfaction remain crucial for a healthy relationship well into later life. 'When those disappear, it can leave partners feeling isolated and, sometimes, desperate.' However, she added that for men suffering from erectile dysfunction—sometimes called 'ED'—there are a range of potential solutions. 'It's common for men in particular to feel deeply troubled by declining sexual function but too embarrassed to discuss it, even with their partner,' he said. 'Many still see ED as a personal failure rather than a treatable medical condition, which puts relationships at risk. Starting the conversation is the first step to finding help.' Professor David Ralph, a consultant urologist at University College London Hospitals, said fortunately there are now a range of effective treatments. 'There are more treatment options than ever for managing ED—not just oral medications but also medical devices which offer a more permanent fix and according to clinical data, helping 85 percent of men within a month,' he said. While problems maintain an erection can be due to mental health issues, it can also be a potential sign of serious, and potentially deadly, health problems. These include issues like high blood pressure or high cholesterol, diabetes as well hormone imbalances and mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Impotency is thought to effect about half of men over 40. While most cases are isolated and nothing to worry about, repeated or sustained episodes of erectile dysfunction should be checked out by a GP. The new poll, of 2,000 people over 50 in committed relationships by impotency tech company Vertica Labs, also revealed it wasn't just women facing an unsatisfactory sex life. Almost half of married men surveyed, 46 per cent, also described the intimacy acts in their relationships as either 'non-existent' or 'under par'. While dissatisfaction in the bedroom can put a relationship in peril numerous studies suggest a lack of sex and intimacy can also be bad for your health. Regular sex and intimacy have been linked to several health benefits, including improving the condition of your heart, reducing stress and even boosting mental health. The new research follows a separate poll of 2,000 adults by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists which found men and women typically have sex 46 times a year—once every eight days. But some have far less frequent amorous activity, with a tenth reported having sex less than once a year. Earlier this month, researchers at the University of Manchester, also revealed women who have sex at least once a week are the happiest in their relationships. Their study showed that 85 per cent of women who had sex once a week described themselves as 'sexually satisfied'. Separate research, published last year, also suggested its not just the over 50s with a lust for life. A survey found 53 per cent of over 75s wanted to remain sexually active as they aged.
RNZ News
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
The Panel with Verity Johnson and Ed McKnight (Part 2)
national about 1 hour ago Tonight on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Verity Johnson and Ed McKnight. They discuss the difficulty in finding work after 50, driving etiquette through roundabouts, and iconic Kiwi music as the 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards kicks off. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
This new basketball league in Sudbury, Ont., is getting women over 50 active
The Silver Hoop Sisters is a new basketball league in Sudbury meant for women over the age of 50. Many were former high school and varsity athletes who are getting back into the sport.
