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Category: Physical Wellbeing

Body MechanicsPhysical Wellbeing

Therapy in Focus – Yoga

Exercise and relax both the body and the mind

What is Yoga?

By controlling the breath through a series of rhythmical movements, yoga gently encourages you to rediscover the mind-body connect. Yoga helps to keep the body in balance by using your own body weight to keep muscles and joints supple, by creating space through the spine using gentle stretches, thereby improving overall strength, posture and function. Using the breath as a way to ease into these movements and postures introduces a meditative element and helps calm the mind.

How Can Yoga Help?

Yoga is great for building both strength and flexibility; for increasing mental clarity and focus, promoting health and wellbeing overall.

Yoga can help with:
 

  • Mental fatigue or calming a busy mind
  • Muscle tension and tightness
  • Joint pain and discomfort
  • Stress
  • Insomnia
  • Headaches and migraines
  • Digestive conditions
  • Posture

What Does Yoga Involve?

There are many different forms of yoga which means it’s suitable for all age groups and fitness levels.

Prior to your yoga class, your Instructor will discretely discuss any health conditions and symptoms as appropriate, as well as your overall health and wellbeing goals.

Each class begins and ends with a short period of relaxation to calm the mind. Your Instructor will then lead you through a series of movements, postures and relaxation techniques, always focusing on the use of the breath. Variations of these movements and postures may be given depending on your flexibility and capability.

On-site yoga classes available before work, during lunchtime or after work.
Available as 1-2-1 sessions or classes of up to 15 people.

Online yoga classes are also available through our Partner Providers, Fiit.

WANT TO BOOK A YOGA SESSION

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE DETAILS

Please always seek medical advice before engaging in any form of treatment or rehab.

If you have any questions or feedback about this article, please send them to enquiries@bodymechanics.co.uk

Therapy in Focus – Nutrition

You are what you eat

What is Nutrition?

Optimal nutrition is the foundation to overall good health and wellbeing. We help you achieve nutritional balance and variety, specific to your needs. By ensuring you eat the right food groups and in the correct proportions, in relation to any health concerns, you will have the essential vitamins and minerals you need to achieve overall balance and good health.

How Can Nutritional Guidance Help?

Good health is all about looking at your current health, your lifestyle and your health and wellbeing goals and addressing any imbalances. Where there is a specific issue, it’s important to identify and treat the cause, rather than the symptoms.

Balanced nutrition is an ideal way of managing overall health, as well as conditions such as:

  • diabetes
  • obesity
  • blood pressure
  • energy levels
  • brain fog
  • hormone imbalances
  • menopause
  • PMS
  • fertility
  • pregnancy
  • skin issues
  • digestive disorders
  • bone and joint health
  • autoimmune conditions
  • and so much more

What Does Nutritional Guidance Involve?

Nutritional Guidance starts with:

  • Base Level Health Assessments – blood work, diet, lifestyle and fitness, health conditions and symptoms, overall health goals
  • Review of Allergies/Intolerances – trigger foods, food groups and food combinations
  • Nutrition Plans – foods to include and avoid, advice on macros, vitamins and minerals, portion size, eating frequency, meal plan and shopping list
  • Guidance and Support – regular check-ins and contact to keep you on track and to answer any questions you may have

Nutritional advice can be delivered as:
 

  • 1-2-1’s
  • Groups
  • Online Webinars
  • or Lunch and Learns
  • with supporting documentation as appropriate

WANT TO BOOK A NUTRITION APPOINTMENT

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

(Corporate Enquiries Only)

Please always seek medical advice before engaging in any form of treatment or rehab.

If you have any questions or feedback about this article, please send them to enquiries@bodymechanics.co.uk

What You Don’t Know About Exercise And The Brain

This article first appeared as a blog on https://fiit.tv/

The mood-boosting benefits of regular exercise are often overshadowed by the physical gains. Most people work out to get in shape. To lose weight, build muscle or improve their athletic performance.

But when motivation wavers, it’s the mental rewards of regular exercise that encourage us to get back on the mat. Even the smallest improvements in our training patterns increase our sensitivity to dopamine receptors. So each workout becomes more of an accomplishment. A way to release stress and flood ourselves with feel good hormones.

At Fiit, we want to highlight the many ways in which exercise — of any kind — can improve mental wellbeing. And why it can be a constant source of motivation for everyone.

“Exercise is associated with a lower mental health burden across the globe, irrespective of age, race, gender, household income and education level.”

~ Dr Adam Chekroud, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University.

1. Manage Stress

In The Real Happy Pill, Dr. Anders Hansen describes exercise as one of the most effective ways to alleviate stress and anxiety, and improve mood levels.

“Modern neuroscience has shown that maybe the most important thing we can do for our brain — and therefore ourselves — is to be physically active.”

~ Anders Hansen

That doesn’t mean you have to go cardio crazy. A HIIT class is an excellent outlet for stress (especially if Jamie Ray’s got a say in it). But any dynamic movement will help you produce endorphins and enkephalins. And everything seems much more manageable once you’re fuelled with those coveted ‘happy hormones.’

Over the past few years, evidence has mounted suggesting Yoga is a ‘low risk, high yield’ approach to improving overall health. By lowering the heart rate and blood pressure as well as improving respiration, Yoga completely changes the way we respond to stress.

Combine it with breathwork and you’ll learn to retrain your nervous system. Find out more about the benefits of breathwork here.

Our solution: Whatever form of exercise you choose, make it regular. Work out 3+ times a week (easy to fit in with 25 minute classes) to experience long-term positive changes. And breathe deep

2. Treat Depression

Many GPs now prescribe exercise as a treatment for depression, on its own or alongside other therapies. It can help manage symptoms but, more importantly, it can prevent them.

Often described as a ‘wonder drug,’ exercise improves blood supply and neuron signalling, growth and connections. It therefore has a direct and immediate impact on the brain.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 300 million people suffer from depression, globally. We believe exercise has the power to significantly reduce that number (with zero side effects).

Our solution: Researchers suggest as little as one hour a week of dynamic exercise can make the difference. Of course, the more you work out, the fitter you’ll be, but the mental benefits yield pretty quickly. Gamifying workouts has also been proven to increase both motivation and mental wellbeing. So naturally, we’re working on this. Watch this space.

3. Protect Your Memory

The good news is, the brain fog that often comes with age can be prevented. The University of British Columbia recently conducted a study which proves aerobic exercise boosts the size of the hippocampus (a part of the brain responsible for verbal memory and learning).

That means cardio training protects you from developing dementia, as well as depression, anxiety and stress.

Our solution: 120 minutes of high-intensity training a week. That’s just two Fiit sessions every 7 days.

“To keep the body in good health is a duty. Otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”

~ Buddha

Now more than ever, we need to make mental health a priority. And in our experience, a strong mind leads to a healthy body. Make a small change today and you’ll soon feel the benefits.

Let’s Talk About Men’s Health

Talking about Men’s Health is something we think needs to be encouraged and done more often.

We have featured stories from some of our about what causes them stress, how they manage that stress and their overall health and wellbeing.

We also polled you, our clients, to see how you manage your own health and wellbeing and the results of this are summarised in this article. Thank you to all those who completed the survey or shared their stories with us.

Key Stats

Age of respondents

All respondents were aged between 25 and 64 years old with the following breakdown.

  • 28.6% were 25 - 34 years old
  • 28.6% were 35 - 44 years old
  • 28.6% were 45 - 54 years old
  • 14.3% were 55 - 64 years old

50% were parents with over half having children under 11.

Most were in professional occupations or self-employed

Pressures on Men

We asked all respondents what they thought the biggest pressures were on men and the majority cited balancing family, life and work, mental health and work stress as the main pressures.

Stereotypes and the perception that men shouldn't show weakness also came high up on the list of pressures.

 

"The expectation to be the bread winner and enjoy manly pursuits (pub etc.), however it is better to have time away with your thoughts and talk about what's going on in your head."

 

Unsurprisingly the pandemic and uncertainty around employment also featured strongly in the responses we received.

Coping Strategies

Sport featured strongly as a way to cope with these pressures with a range of sports:

  • 71.4% Cycling
  • 28.6% Martial Arts
  • 28.6% Running
  • 14.3% Swimming

However, we also saw Yoga feature for a small number of people too.

Alongside sport, a range of hobbies were also mentioned including reading, travel, baking, music, movies and gaming.

The changing perception of masculinity

The stereotypical role of the male is changing, it is great that mental health is recognised and talked about more for men, however there is still a long way to go, here are some of the responses we received about the perception of masculinity.

 

"I think the modern world has just increased expectations of all genders to be able to do everything and achieve everything."

 

"It's starting to change, and thankfully. Masculinity (as well as femininity) in its 'traditional' terms should be eradicated. We're all human, and should do as we feel, not as some norms prescribe."

Overall Health

Given the age range of our respondents, we are unsurprised that many of you highlighted that you manage some form of physical or mental issue.

42.9% of you have a mental health condition - it is great that so many of you are able to share this and is a sign again of the way that the perception of masculinity is changing, however we hope that this number will drop as this is talked about more and you are able to gain the support you need.

With so many of you taking part in sports, finding that 57.1% of you have muscular/skeletal conditions was to be expected as although exercise is great for us some types of exercise can put additional pressure on our joints. This is where nutrition and other activities are important to support your body, particularly as you get older.

 

For me, physical exercise is an essential part of keeping my mental health as well as my physical health

Nutrition

We all know that diet as well as exercise is important to us and we were surprised to find that only 33.3% of you were getting your '5 a day'. A healthy diet is so important and how we fuel our body will have an effect on our overall health and wellbeing.

Alongside this, drinking enough water is also important and we were pleased that 66.7% of you were drinking over 2 litres a day.

There are strong links between diet, energy levels and mental health, so reviewing your dietary habits is a great stip to finding ways to cope with the day to day stresses we all face.

Health & Wellbeing Aims

Ending positively it is great to see so many of you have really focused aims for your health and wellbeing moving forward.

These included:

  • Remaining active in retirement
  • Taking care of your body and mind
  • Overall fitness improvement
  • Improving mental health

In conclusion

It was evident from the survey that everyone has some form of stress in their life, which has the potential to become a negative influence, if it's not managed appropriately

However, despite this potential, all respondents associated building resilience with focusing on physical activity to maintain good mental health.

It's encouraging that the connection between the mind and the body is being actively recognised and that social pressures are being managed through nutrition, exercise, and social interaction, to achieve a sense of balance.

All respondents felt that some of the conventional stereotypes of masculinity - of being the breadwinner, of being strong, not showing emotion, and carrying on' - were still issues, but hopefully, by continuing to talk about this and by masculinity taking on multiple forms, these pressures can be reduced.

Miss your gym buddies?

This article first appeared as a blog on https://fiit.tv/

Miss your gym buddies? You can create your own group workouts with our partners FIIT

We train stronger together. Working out with friends pushes us harder and keeps us accountable. So in 2019 we launched the UK’s first live leaderboard HIIT workouts, with Fiit Club. These classes let you train with people around the world in 60+ scheduled workouts a day.

Now, as Covid-19 continues to affect group classes in gyms — we’re taking things one step further.

We’re really excited to announce our newest feature, that lets you create your own group class! You choose the trainer, class, time and guest list. We bring the best workout you can get (in or out of the gym).

Your next meetup. Is on the mat.

It could be a long time before group classes at the gym return to normal. Our newest feature is here to help you stay accountable and connected to friends, even when you can’t meet at the gym.

Not only that, our stats show that training together helps you burn 22% more calories than on demand classes — so if you want the most efficient workout possible, invite your friends and get ready to level up.

How it works

With group classes you now have the power to take on whoever you want, including the Fiit community! So how do you get started?

First of all, you need to be on the latest version of our app. So head over to the Google Play Store or App Store to update.

You can create a group class from any of the 500+ on-demand (or training plan) workouts in the app. From 10 minute stretches and yoga flows to 40 minute equipment classes, the options are endless. Simply tap the ‘Schedule group class’ button on your chosen class and pick a time and date that works for you (at least 15 minutes before you want to work out).

As the host, you’ll get a unique class link you can share with as many people as you like, wherever they may be. Have everyone join the lobby at least 10 minutes before the class starts.

You’ll see your scheduled group class, start time and guest list under the ‘Schedule’ tab (and so will your guests once they’ve booked in).

Will there be a leaderboard?

You bet. Cardio classes include a live leaderboard so you can challenge your friends to the top. But if you’re not one for friendly competition, you can easily swipe it away. If you’re not tracking your stats with a device, you won't appear on the leaderboard either.

For strength workouts, we don’t want you sacrificing your form over Points. It’s quality reps over quantity every time. So we haven’t added a leaderboard, but you’ll still see your rep count on the screen — and you’ll be able to compare it with your friends’ scores in a post-workout leaderboard.

As you know, the Rebalance studio is all about finding calm on the mat. So you’ll flow together, without scoring points.
 

 

Want to join up - click here.

Two men chatting in a gym

Let’s Talk About Men’s Health – Nick’s Story

Talking about Men’s Health is something we think needs to be encouraged and done more often.

Four of our Body Mechanics clients have shared their stories about what causes them stress, how they manage that stress and their overall health and wellbeing and in this blog we will hear Nick's story.

It’s interesting to discover what health and wellbeing means to different people and its context in their everyday life.

Nick Thompson

Key Facts

  • 41
  • GM iManageAI
  • 2 kids - Ben 6 and Annabelle 9
  • Gorgeous wife (batting well above my average)
  • No pets although definitely considering one

"Life is never simple nor consistent and can’t be “controlled” so my aim is to do what’s necessary to live in and enjoy the moment so I don’t miss what matters most"

Biggest stressor?

My biggest stressors are definitely work related – I am a problem solver and tend to want to dive into problems to get them resolved as quickly as possible. That uses up tremendous amounts of energy. When in my type of role, it can be better to take a marathon vs sprint mentality given that “problems” are ever present.

How do you manage that stress and your health and wellbeing?

Like everyone I have times when I can manage the stress effectively and then other times less so. Additionally, I am an anxiety sufferer. It is therefore hugely important to my well being that I have a way to manage my mental and physical health. So I have two main approaches – one is to focus on the mental aspects and the other the physical. Starting with the latter, I always ensure that I have a physical goal that I am working towards such as entering races or competitions, that require me to train and therefore ensures I dedicate time to getting away from work.

 

I have two main approaches – one is to focus on the mental aspects and the other the physical

 

In recent years I’ve entered events like the Henley Swim Marathons, London Marathon and Otillo SwimRuns – all of which ensure that each week I need to carve out at least 6-7 hours worth of training time and to keep eating healthily.

From a mental health perspective – and it sounds cliche – but it's good to talk. It never works for me to let things stew inside – much more effective for me has been speaking to close friends, family and folks I work with, to share experiences and hear how common my experience is for others and so share ideas and techniques to manage your mental wellbeing.

For me, the best antidote is knowing you’re not alone in how you feel and hearing other perspectives. So for me the perfect combination is to sign up to these annual races and competitions with friends so you can train together, socialise and talk!

 

For me, the best antidote is knowing you’re not alone in how you feel and hearing other perspectives

 

What do you gain from your competitions?

Mostly it's all about peace of mind. I don’t enter competitions with the focus of winning against others, it's about personal challenges and goals, then enjoying the experience. I can’t describe the sense of wellbeing I get when I find myself in hidden and beautiful parts of the country of the world, that I wouldn’t have otherwise seen if I hadn’t entered a race or competition that scared me.

On top of that I spent my twenties carrying injuries, having surgery on a pair of dodgy knees and with an unhealthy focus on work, I gained a significant amount of weight. In 2012 when my daughter was born things had to change and by changing my focus away from work and getting healthy - I shifted 40lbs and have kept it off since. So having these physical challenges helps me not only mentally, but gets me away from the desk and keeps the weight off!

My health and wellbeing aims...

My aims really all boil down to the pursuit of happiness. Life is never simple nor consistent and can’t be “controlled” so my aim is to do what’s necessary to live in and enjoy the moment so I don’t miss what matters most. Family, friends, connections. Work and health stressors have the power to make you focus on the direct opposite of what’s good for you, making you worry about things that have either happened or might happen. So managing stress, giving myself some slack and focusing on being present are the aim!

We’d also like to hear from you, our male readers, about how you manage your own health and wellbeing. We’ve put together a short survey for you to answer by clicking on the image below.

Please only provide information you are comfortable sharing. Your data is submitted anonymously and is not shared outside of The Body Mechanics Team. We value your privacy. Thank you for your participation. We value your insights.

Two men chatting in a gym

Let’s Talk About Men’s Health – Gavin’s Story

Talking about Men’s Health is something we think needs to be encouraged and done more often.

Four of our Body Mechanics clients have shared their stories about what causes them stress, how they manage that stress and their overall health and wellbeing and in this blog we will hear Gavin's story.

It’s interesting to discover what health and wellbeing means to different people and its context in their everyday life.

Gavin Williams

Key Facts

  • An Irishman living in England since 1997. I moved over here for work and then somehow never left.
  • IT consultant, working with large enterprises on their transformations to new technologies.
  • I am privileged to be married to a Yorkshirewoman and have two fantastic children, a girl and a boy aged 11/9.
  • We have 2 rabbits and I feed the local cats.

"Animo Sana in Corpore Sano, a healthy mind in a healthy body"

Biggest stressor?

In general, work is my biggest stressor. There is always more to do than time to do it, and we obviously are both in a competitive situation as well as ensuring that we deliver to the right quality in areas which are often new.

However, this stress is x2 when at the same time there is any level of stress at home, e.g. perhaps the children are sick and need care or any other items.

How do you manage that stress and your health and wellbeing?

The biggest relief I use to manage stress is to find some physical way of releasing it. While others may purge and exhale the stress through mindfulness, I tend to use exercise.

I am a keen cyclist and typically will get up 05:30 each morning to hit the bike and wake myself up as well as flush the system.

I am also a black-belt in 2 styles of Karate, and find the energy and physical nature of that to be very releasing.

Finally, cuddling with the children and reading books together during “Bookie and Cookie” time is the icing on the cake!

 

While others may purge and exhale the stress through mindfulness, I tend to use exercise.

 

What do you gain from your exercise?

I have had several back issues in my life, related initially to poor core stability during exercise and also through a fundamentally sedentary lifestyle and weight drifting upwards.

What this exercise does is it not only keeps the weight at the right ratio, but the movements in Karate strengthen the core and the bicycle allows multiple gentle mobilisation of lower back. Thanks to this, (and regular ministrations from Nikki Roy), my back issues have not been a problem now for a number of years. Touch Wood!!

 

There is always more to do than time to do it

 

My health and wellbeing aims...

Overall my aim for health and wellbeing is to be able to enjoy life. It’s very important for me to be able to be a physical role model for my children who will in turn grow up into a life much more sedentary than the previous generation.

I want to get stronger and faster on the bike, and am faster than I was 18 years ago.

I am absolutely a firm believe in ASICS (not the shoe brand but still!). Animo Sana in Corpore Sano, a healthy mind in a healthy body. Achieving this life balance gives me the ability to manage work stress, achieve my health goals, and in being more relaxed, be a more fun and participative husband and father to my family!

We’d also like to hear from you, our male readers, about how you manage your own health and wellbeing. We’ve put together a short survey for you to answer by clicking on the image below.

Please only provide information you are comfortable sharing. Your data is submitted anonymously and is not shared outside of The Body Mechanics Team. We value your privacy. Thank you for your participation. We value your insights.

Two men chatting in a gym

Let’s Talk About Men’s Health – Steve’s Story

Talking about Men’s Health is something we think needs to be encouraged and done more often.

Four of our Body Mechanics clients have shared their stories about what causes them stress, how they manage that stress and their overall health and wellbeing and in this blog we will hear Nick's story.

It’s interesting to discover what health and wellbeing means to different people and its context in their everyday life.

Steve Williams

Key Facts

  • 55 years young
  • Watchmaker (fully qualified with nearly 40 years in the trade), company director/owner of a small independent watch and clock retail and repair business
  • Married to Michelle for 23 years
  • Pets are numerous cats, at one point having 4 in the house but now sadly only 1....

"Life is a challenge to everyone, it’s how you face that challenge and try to overcome it that will give you a fulfilling and enjoyable existence."

Biggest stressor?

The biggest stressor I find is to be running a small business while trying to make ends meet in the current difficult retail environment. This is made even more difficult by the Brexit uncertainty and the proliferation of online retail, this year more-so, with the enforced lockdown closure which us and many businesses have had to endure....

How do you manage that stress and your health and wellbeing?

To combat the stress, and to keep a good work/life balance, I enjoy exercise and also teach martial arts (been training in a Japanese style, Shorinji Kempo, for over 35 years) after many years of being a “gym body” the last few years have seen me getting back into cycling in a big way (used to cycle in my late teens but had almost 20 years off the bike) now cycling around 100 to 200 miles every week. I also so callisthenics workouts 2 or 3 times a week instead of gym training, to keep the body fit in addition to the cycling.

I enjoy travelling, but more the long weekend city breaks than the week or two lazing on a beach.... a long weekend is just enough to recharge the batteries. Although this last year there has sadly been no travelling, that just leaves more time for the bike....

Also a great de-stressor is to get a good book, and a cat (other pets are available) on your lap and just chill out for a couple of hours.....
A physiotherapy and/or sports massage session regularly can also help to de-stress the body and ease those muscles you are working to de-stress the mind....

 

What do you gain from your physical exercise?

For me, physical exercise is an essential part of keeping my mental health as well as my physical health. Other people may find other ways to maintain mental health and stability, whether it’s seeing friends, socialising, alcohol, food, anything..... it doesn’t matter as long as it works for you and doesn’t have a negative effect on others, then it’s great.....

 

For me, physical exercise is an essential part of keeping my mental health as well as my physical health

 

My health and wellbeing aims...

Looking to the future, I just hope that I can maintain what I’ve got. We all suffer ageing in different ways and I’m already suffering arthritis in my hips but by keeping up the exercise routines I’m hoping to be active well into retirement.....

Life is a challenge to everyone, it’s how you face that challenge and try to overcome it that will give you a fulfilling and enjoyable existence.

We’d also like to hear from you, our male readers, about how you manage your own health and wellbeing. We’ve put together a short survey for you to answer by clicking on the image below.

Please only provide information you are comfortable sharing. Your data is submitted anonymously and is not shared outside of The Body Mechanics Team. We value your privacy. Thank you for your participation. We value your insights.

Two men chatting in a gym

Let’s Talk About Men’s Health – Tom’s Story

Talking about Men’s Health is something we think needs to be encouraged and done more often.

Four of our Body Mechanics clients have shared their stories about what causes them stress, how they manage that stress and their overall health and wellbeing and in this blog we will hear Tom's story.

It’s interesting to discover what health and wellbeing means to different people and its context in their everyday life.

Tom Davies

Key Facts

  • 41 years old
  • Commercial Director
  • Married with two children aged 5 and 3 years old

"You always get a better outcome when you provide your full attention to one task, especially if that is an interaction with someone at work or your children"

Biggest stressor?

The biggest stressor for me is balance across all aspects of my life. With a busy job, a young family and now that things are opening up again, the opportunity to see friends and family, play sports and travel more, I find it very hard to make sure I am achieving the right balance. I find that trying to achieve that balance often leaves me feeling that I am doing everything badly, or at least not to the level that I should be, which in turn can sometimes cause stress and anxiety.

How do you manage that stress and your health and wellbeing?

There are a number of things that I do to try and achieve a good balance and reduce stress and anxiety as much as possible.

Exercise is hugely important to me, and running in particular - I find running helps me to reduce stress, as well as giving me time away from devices, to make plans and priortise my time. I try and exercise at least 3-4 days a week.

 

I started doing 15 minutes of yoga every morning, it gives me a bit of space before starting the day.

 

Yoga - I started doing 15 minutes of yoga every morning during the second lockdown, and it is now a key part of my routine for reducing stress. I do it as soon as I get woken up by the kids and while they are still entertaining themselves and it gives me a bit of space before starting the day.

Attention - One of the areas I am working hard to improve on is a focus on attention. It is so easy to try and multi-task in today's world, but you always get a better outcome when you provide your full attention to one task, especially if that is an interaction with someone at work or your children. I am trying to bring this into my life as much as possible.

Massage - With all the exercise, I also have regular massage sessions with Body Mechanics which really helps to keep me de-stressed and relaxed.

 

I am more focused on making sure I take the best care of my body, and my mind and maximise the enjoyment I get out of life

 

What do you gain from your management techniques?

Focusing on my wellbeing, by making sure that I make time in my week to do things that are important to me, has the multiple benefits of keeping me motivated, keeping me focused, de-stressing me and making my life more enjoyable.

My health and wellbeing aims...

My key health and wellbeing goals have changed a fair amount over the last few years. I used to have very specific targets and times I wanted to achieve for runs or triathlons, whereas now I am more focused on making sure I take the best care of my body, and my mind and maximise the enjoyment I get out of life.

We’d also like to hear from you, our male readers, about how you manage your own health and wellbeing. We’ve put together a short survey for you to answer by clicking on the image below.

Please only provide information you are comfortable sharing. Your data is submitted anonymously and is not shared outside of The Body Mechanics Team. We value your privacy. Thank you for your participation. We value your insights.

A middle aged man walking in a mountain valley

How Exercise Helps You Stay Younger For Longer

This article first appeared as a blog on https://fiit.tv/

Ageing will happen to us all, but there is lots of evidence that exercise will help you stay younger longer. Our partners at Fiit explain how in this article.

Ageing is often associated with loss of energy, strength and mobility. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

As countless generations have proved, you can move and feel just as well at 80 than 30 — provided you put in the work.

That doesn’t mean stocking up on overpriced anti-wrinkle creams or undergoing painful procedures. The only science-backed way to reverse the ageing process (in body and mind) is as simple as it is affordable.

Exercise to stay strong and mobile

You might be shocked to learn that from as early as our mid 30s, we start to lose muscle mass and bone density. We get weaker and more prone to bone fractures.

It’s estimated that up to a quarter of adults over the age of 60, and half of those over 80, have significantly thinner arms and legs than they did in their youth. Worse still, 4 out of 5 adults aged 50 or above are suffering from at least one chronic condition.

Daily activity becomes harder and we risk losing our independence — precisely at a time in our lives where we should be enjoying it the most.

The good news is regular exercise is an extremely effective way to stave off (and even reverse) the ageing process.

In a study conducted by the University of Birmingham and King’s College London, 125 amateur cyclics, aged 55-79, were put through a series of tests and their results compared to a group of similarly aged adults who weren’t active. The study showed that muscle mass and strength did not decrease in those who had exercised regularly, nor did their body fat or cholesterol levels increase with age — as was the case for those who hadn’t exercised throughout their life. The cyclists’ immune system also showed zero signs of ageing, unlike that of their more sedentary counterparts.

Another study followed a group of runners aged 55-72 and found the length of their telomeres (the protective caps on the strands of DNA) hadn’t shortened at all. In fact they were virtually the same as those of 18-32 year olds. So exercise keeps us young — right down to our DNA.

Image of a DNA strand

Exercise to look younger for longer

Working out naturally gives you a younger-looking complexion. By increasing your blood flow, which carries oxygen blood flow, which carries oxygen to working cells around the body, exercise cleanses your skin from the inside. And it doesn’t take much. McMaster University found that women over 65 who trained for 2 hours a week, over a period of 3 months, had the skin composition of women 20-30 years younger.

Dr Mark Tarnopolsky, professor of pediatrics and exercise science at McMaster, set out to prove the significant impact exercise can have on our health — even when introduced at a late stage in life.

“Exercise is something we should be doing not just for our hearts and brains and to lower cancer risk…but also to make our skin healthier. 30 minutes, 3 times a week is all it takes.”

That’s just 2 Fiit workouts a week, 1 strength class and a rebalance session to stretch off and recover.

Image a middle aged man running along a road

Exercise to keep your mind sharp and happy

In 2010, a meta-analysis grouped 24 studies that found significant proof of both the mental benefits of exercise, as well as the risks posed to those leading more sedentary lifestyles.

From Parkinson’s and MS to Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, physical activity was proven to reduce the risk of developing a host of neurological diseases. As well as preventing and treating depression and stress.

By training just 30-60 minutes, a couple of times a week, you’ll improve your chances of retaining memories, judgment, reasoning and learning skills in later life.

Exercise adds life to your years — not just years to your life. It changes the way you feel, think, look and move, in a safe and affordable way.

By combining strength training, HIIT and mobility classes, you’ll experience a wide range of benefits that keep your brain and ageing muscles from weakening over time — and your skin from wrinkling.

 

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