Exercise

It’s never too late to start

Whatever your age, regular activity will improve your health, make you feel better, and make it easier to do everyday tasks.

It’s now easier than ever before to get support to get more active and to find an activity that will enjoyable.

Being active as you grow older brings many benefits. There are immediate and long term physiological, psychological and social benefits. There is also the benefit of helping to maintain independence in everyday living.

Health benefits

• Increased muscle strength and flexibility
• Improved balance and co-ordination and reduction the risk of falls
• Enhanced sense of well being and improved mood and self-esteem
• Help to prevent depression and anxiety
• Reduced risk of suffering from cardio vascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis and diabetes
• Better sleep
• Broadened social networks, leading to new friends and a sense of purpose.

Everyday living

Keeping active can help you to do everyday tasks by giving:

• The strength to lift and carry groceries
• Flexibility to tie shoe laces, wash hair or hang up washing
• The balance to climb stairs or get on and off a bus
• The speed to cross the road before the green man turns to red
• The muscle strength to walk to the shops
• The energy to play with grandchildren.

Green prescriptions

If you want to begin to be more physically active, or if you have chronic health conditions or injuries you should first see your health professional. You may be given a Green Prescription or GRx. A patient with a Green Prescription is referred by the medical centre to the local regional sports trust who can then help the person into appropriate, regular physical activities and provide personal encouragement.

With any increase in exercise it is wise to start gently and build up gradually. Finding something enjoyable at a level that is comfortable is good place to start. Anyone who feels unwell or has pain during exercise should stop immediately and seek medical advice.

Find out about physical activity opportunities in your community:

• Your regional sports trust will know about facilities, clubs and falls prevention initiatives happening in your area for older people.
• Your local Age Concern will know about a range of opportunities to become involved Check out www.ageconcern.org.nz for details, or look up Age Concern in the telephone directory
• Your local government town or city council will have recreational programmes for a range of activities.
• www.sparc.org.nz - a wide range of research, information and resources
• www.acc.co.nz – for information for older people
• 0800 ACTIVE (0800 228 483) – puts you through to your local regional sports trust or Green Prescription Team. They can give support and advice on opportunities locally for activity appropriate to the individual, and for information about Green Prescriptions and Push Play.

Some of the many other agencies interested in promoting physical activity:

National Heart foundation of New Zealand www.nhf.org.nz
Te Hotu Manawa Maori www.tehotumanawa.org.nz
Cancer Society of New Zealand www.cancer.org.nz
Osteoporosis New Zealand ‘You deserve a medal’ awards www.bones.org.nz
Agencies for Nutrition Action www.ana.org.nz – search ‘older’ adults
Asthma and Respiratory Foundation of New Zealand www.asthmanz.co.nz
Diabetes New Zealand www.diabetes.org.nz
Arthritis New Zealand www.arthritis.org.nz