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National Falls Prevention Week: How do you want your retirement to look?

26/09/2024

Falls are a leading cause of injury and hospitalisation as we age, but by maintaining your physical strength when you’re younger will help you stay active in your retirement years.

Nicola Bone, Central Falls Prevention Lead for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, is urging people in their 40s and 50s to think about how they want their retirement to look regarding their health, mobility and independence.

Here’s some of Nicola’s key points to maintain your muscle, strength and balance for an active retirement.

  1. As we age the body struggles to maintain the number of muscle fibres – Age-related muscle loss is called sarcopenia and experts think we have peak numbers of muscle fibres around 35-40 years of age, which we then start to lose at a rate of approximately 1 per cent per year.
  2. Stronger muscles, especially in the lower body help us to stabilize the joints and keep us walking, standing, slowing down and changing direction without losing our balance.
  3. Maintaining our flexibility and ability to balance allows us to maintain an upright posture and is essential to preventing falls during static activities of daily life.
  4. The Government guidelines state we should all be doing moderate exercise for 150 minutes per week and 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, however any exercise and movement is a start. (Consult your local health care provider if you’re new to exercise, and GP if have any medical conditions.)

Nicola said: “If we are lucky enough to reach old age, our bodies will change and age with us and, with it may come difficulties in getting around and maintaining our independence. So ask yourself ‘what level of independence do I want in my 60’s,70’s and beyond. What do I want my retirement to look like? How much importance do I place on my quality of life and functional independence?’. 

“It’s a simple equation, the more we can do whilst we are young to maintain our strength, balance, flexibility and co-ordination, the more resilient we can be in our older years, but it is never too late to start working for the body you want to take you into old age, and we are here to support you every step of the way.”

Watch Nicola discuss what you can do to maintain your strength for a healthy retirement here: