It may sound dramatic to talk about a second pandemic especially in view of the incalculable impact of Covid19, but it is a very real threat. Millions of older people and those with long term health conditions are suffering the consequences of inactivity and loss of social contact over many months, a situation which is unfortunately ongoing.<\/p>\n
I know how every year, following the Christmas break, there\u2019s a discernible decrease in fitness and strength after just two or three weeks at home without a class and lower activity levels. Every six weeks, we use the 30 seconds sit to stand test (how many times you can get up and down from a chair in 30 seconds) which shows if leg strength is improving, plateauing or declining. The vast majority of people decline by 10-20% but this soon improves when they get back to \u2018normal\u2019 \u2013 weekly classes, home exercises and getting out and about on a regular basis.<\/p>\n
Research has shown that reducing the number of steps taken per day to less than 1,500 for two weeks can results in almost 4% loss in muscle in 66-75 year olds.\u00a0 So how can we begin to imagine the impact of lockdown, physically, mentally and socially, especially for those in their 70s, 80s and 90s.<\/p>\n
I was asked to speak on this topic for a webinar with CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity and wanted to share my presentation with everyone who is interested in helping older people to stay healthy and active to reduce their need for medical or social care. You can watch my presentation here.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n