Latest news with #activeaging
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Washington Post
AP lifestyles reporter explains the origins, benefits of chair yoga and its surge in popularity
WASHINGTON — Chair yoga modifies traditional yoga poses to suit older adults and those with physical limitations. But as AP Lifestyles Writer Leanne Italie explains, that doesn't mean it's any less of a workout. As older adults embrace active lifestyles, chair yoga has surged in popularity. In this episode of 'The Story Behind the AP Story,' Italie explains the origins of chair yoga, its benefits and how it works.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
The champion Sheffield couple who took up running in middle age
When Gordon Fiander took up running at the age of 60, it was to join his wife Jenni in a passion that had only begun when she herself was in middle the Sheffield couple are such keen runners that they are often the fastest finishers in the over-70s categories in the local events they are members of Valley Park Runners and have told the BBC that more retired people should follow in their footsteps and remain Fiander, 71, said: "I know people who basically retire and give up everything. They sit on the sofa and die within a couple of years. Older people ought to be still working hard. That's what bodies are designed for." The pair, who worked as lecturers at Sheffield College, were always keen on the outdoors, having met an an outward bound event in their Fiander loved caving, while his wife's hobbies were fencing and was when they moved to Grenoside that Mrs Fiander, then 48, discovered the joy of running."It was getting tricky to travel to orienteering events and we'd moved here to be near the woods, so I started to get out and run to destress from work - first in the day and then at night with a head torch," she joining Valley Park Runners, she placed first in races from over 50s to husband eventually came with her on short jogs before he started going to local Parkruns and got "hooked" on running."It's amazing, it's addictive when you start going, you meet this wonderful community."Jenni finds Parkrun too short but I love it. I'm faster than her at shorter distances, but on longer distances I can't keep up." The couple regularly compete in half-marathons and fell races, and encourage those around them to enjoy the club's women's captain, Jayne Grayson, called them "inspirational"."They are amazing. They never stop giving, time and effort. Nothing's too much, they are so enthusiastic and full of energy," she pair have had many injuries to recover from over the years, including a broken leg suffered on a ski trip for Mrs Fiander, and a sore back as a legacy of her husband's caving Fiander said: "We are not normal, our friends say that but we enjoy our retirement doing active things and making memories."Right from the outset of our marriage, we were determined to make it work. It's the same dogged determination that Jenni has powering up a hill. One foot in front of another we know we'll get there!" Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Arab News
5 days ago
- Health
- Arab News
The rise of healthy aging: a new frontier in wellness
While science and knowledge drive many trends shaping the world, these shifts are followed by social, cultural and economic changes that, in turn, affect human societies. Whether this influence begins in isolated communities or not, it ultimately leads us to the globally interconnected world we live in today, compelling us to adapt, transform and integrate with these phenomena. In recent years, the wellness industry has seen the emergence of new terms, concepts and vast untapped potential. One such concept is healthy aging, which is reshaping societal and individual consciousness. It is also transforming this demographic segment into an attractive economic market — steering capitalism toward developing comprehensive product systems for it, while enabling older adults to remain active and influential in various areas of life. This shift can impact society and national economies by enabling older people to stay healthy, productive and active, reducing the economic burden associated with healthcare, caregiving and welfare. According to UN projections, the number of people aged 65 and older worldwide will double — from 761 million in 2021 to 1.6 billion by 2050. The population aged 80 and above is expected to grow even faster. As time passes and life expectancy increases, and as rapid technological advances continue, the need for effective solutions to support healthier aging is becoming more urgent among these growing population segments. This trend does not originate from top-down societal or governmental vision and planning. Rather, it stems from a personal and individual perspective — growing awareness among people who increasingly prioritize their well-being and longevity. This awareness has developed over the years due to multiple factors, including technological and societal progress, the effects of globalization and the impact of pandemics. This article explores the evolving landscape of healthy aging and highlights the key factors that contribute to a fulfilling and vibrant later life. Healthy aging refers to the process of maintaining and enhancing functional capacity — relative to one's age — that supports well-being in older age. It goes beyond the mere absence of disease and includes the promotion of physical, mental and social health. The core components of healthy aging include physical health, such as maintaining a balanced diet, regular exercise and managing chronic diseases; mental health, which involves supporting cognitive function, managing stress and promoting emotional well-being; and social connections, through meaningful relationships and active participation in community life to strengthen social support. It also includes finding purpose and engagement, whether through work, volunteering or hobbies that bring a sense of fulfillment; and lastly, access to care — ensuring that older adults benefit from healthcare, social services and supportive environments. Overall, healthy aging promotes a holistic approach to improving quality of life as people grow older. One of the most important drivers of this trend is the shift in perspective — from merely preventing disease to enhancing effectiveness and life satisfaction. The concept of healthy aging now goes beyond avoiding age-related illnesses; it embraces a holistic approach that prioritizes both physical and mental health, fosters a sense of purpose and encourages active engagement with life. This shift reflects a growing recognition that a long life is only truly valuable when it is also healthy and fulfilling. Specialized studies also indicate that social relationships and emotional engagement are key contributors to this growing trend. A recent study by the McKinsey Health Institute, which surveyed more than 21,000 people aged 55 and older across 21 countries, revealed a common thread: Purpose, social connection and independence are the most important factors for a positive aging experience. The study found that people who maintain a sense of purpose, manage stress effectively and nurture meaningful relationships tend to report higher levels of overall well-being. Mental and spiritual health also play a significant role in this trend. While physical health tends to decline with age, the study revealed that mental and spiritual well-being often remain strong. In fact, among those aged 65 and older, spiritual health emerged as the most positive dimension of overall well-being. This suggests that inner peace, personal growth and a sense of connection to something greater than oneself can deeply enrich life in later years. The survey further highlighted the impact of economic status and community involvement on well-being. Interestingly, people in low- and middle-income economies generally reported better overall health than those in high-income countries. However, among people in high-income economies, those actively engaged in work, volunteering or community activities reported higher levels of well-being — highlighting the importance of purpose and social contribution in healthy aging. This suggests that meaningful community engagement can significantly enhance the aging experience, regardless of economic status. The survey also found that volunteering, in particular, had a notably positive impact on future health, highlighting the importance of contributing to society and maintaining a sense of purpose — even after retirement. Founded in 2018 and officially inaugurated in 2022, the Saudi Hevolution Foundation is the world's largest organization dedicated to healthy aging. Operating under the direct supervision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the foundation has an annual budget of $1 billion to support research and develop treatments aimed at extending healthy lifespans. It funds research projects lasting two to five years, with up to $1 million in support per project, and invests in biotechnology with contributions of up to $20 million. So far, the foundation has backed 25 projects within Saudi Arabia and 225 international initiatives in the same field. To create a world where everyone can age healthier and happier, a collaborative effort is required — from regulators, communities, and investors — to meet the needs of older adults and help them lead fulfilling lives. This includes promoting a positive view of aging, not as a passive end-of-life stage, but as a meaningful chapter of continued growth, engagement and purpose. It is essential to challenge and reverse the outdated stereotype of aging as a time of decline. Instead, aging should be seen as a phase rich with opportunities to learn, contribute and pass on knowledge to younger generations — building a more developed and forward-looking society that does not repeat the same patterns with each generation. Complementary medicine also plays a supportive role in healthy aging, contributing to prevention and improved quality of life through safe, natural treatments. This aligns with Saudi Arabia's broader vision of becoming a leading destination for global health tourism. Ultimately, by adopting a comprehensive and inclusive approach to healthy aging, we can build a world where everyone has the chance to live a long, healthy and fulfilling life. • Saad Majdy Baslom has more than 10 years' experience in health tourism, wellness services, management, regulation and policy as a technical affairs director in complementary medicine. He holds a leadership and management certificate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a doctorate in traditional Chinese medicine, and master's degrees in Chinese herbology and acupuncture.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
‘Tennis repairs you': the 101-year-old fuelled by iced coffee who still plays competitively
Henry Young doesn't mind being asked about his secret to a long, active life – it comes with the territory when you're a 101-year-old competitive tennis player. It has its perks, like getting to play on centre court during the Australian Open, but what he does mind is that it's considered so remarkable that he is playing at all. That he is seen as extraordinary and there must be some magic trick that keeps him going. 'What bugs me is that people give up their tennis when they have some kind of injury,' Young says. 'I'm a monument to the medical profession because I've had so many injuries and I just persevere, and then tennis repairs you.' Just as a sore calf doesn't have to mean the end of the road for a runner, or a pulled hamstring signal the end of a football career, Young wishes the prospect of injury didn't deter older people from playing sport. But staring down the barrel of a long rehabilitation process can be daunting, and returning to sport and exercise after injury undeniably gets harder as you age, so an ever-increasing amount of determination is required each time. This is not something Young is lacking. 'Two new knees, a new hip, pacemaker for my heart, hearing aids in one ear and a cochlear implant in the other and two broken noses,' he says. 'You just can't keep a good man down.' Young's doggedness is key to playing for so long – he just can't stop, it's not in his nature. Tennis has featured in Young's life since school, along with rugby and then squash during his time as a fighter pilot in the New Zealand navy. But when he returned to work on the land in South Australia after the second world war, he could only pick up a racket a few times a year. It wasn't until Young was 70 and retired that tennis became such a big part of his life. Winding around War Memorial Drive in Adelaide 30 years ago, he passed the tennis club with a billboard out front saying 'good tennis players wanted' and thought he'd have a crack. 'They said, 'you have to get tennis lessons unless you belong to a tennis club,' and I didn't want to take lessons,' Young says. So he made up a club. 'I said that I belonged to the Inglewood Tennis Club. [Inglewood] was the name of a neighbouring property where we used to play tennis. And they took it.' As Young had suspected, he played well enough to satisfy the recruiters at Memorial Drive so no lessons were required. 'That's when it started,' he says. 'And I'm competitive so I started really playing, and making it my sport, which it still is.' Now a centenarian with three decades of competitive tennis under his belt, Young is preparing for the ITF Masters Championships in Croatia in October. He plays three to four times a week, often with his friend and sometimes doubles partner Gerry Prideaux, and spends a little time in the gym at his retirement complex. That training regime is about to diversify further. 'I've bought myself a rowing machine,' Young says. 'I've set it up next to the window … so every morning I'm going to do 20 minutes rowing in the Adelaide hills.' Young made history in 2023 as the first 100-year-old to play in the World Masters Individual Championships. 'It's only recently that they've started to make it a bit easier for me,' he says. 'I used to have to play down in the 80-year-olds [age category]. But then they made it 85, now they've got the 90s, and some of the countries are even going to 95.' He's sure it won't be long before there are enough players over 100 to have their own age group too. 'I'm doing my little bit to persuade people to keep on trying, because we're all living longer these days.' Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion Young is happy to share his advice for staying healthy as you age and swears by 'wholesome thoughts' and a balanced diet with a twist. 'I watch my diet, and part of my diet is that I drink three two-litre [cartons] of Farmers Union iced coffee every week,' he says. His attachment to iced coffee is so strong that he's always itching to get back home to it when he travels interstate. The coffee is the outlier in an otherwise fairly standard menu. 'I like everything, I like my meat and my fish and vegetables … I make sure that I get that full variety,' he says. 'I snack on nuts during the day and I've got my iced coffee, and that really keeps me fit.' However, Young's number one tip for people of any age is no secret at all. 'I would encourage everybody to play tennis,' he says, claiming the medical profession supports his view that it's the best ball sport for you. 'In tennis, win or lose, you gain something. It's very nice to be able to say to the man at the other end of the tennis court, 'it was a good win, but you had to work for it,' and you both laugh. They're the ones that you remember, the games that you really had to fight for, and that's competition … it's good for you.'
Telegraph
6 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
‘My 95-year-old dad lives in my garden – and he loves it'
Jack Higham has a busy schedule for a 95-year-old. His day usually begins with a two-mile walk, before heading down the road to a community café at lunchtime for a bowl of soup and to catch up with friends. On Wednesday afternoons, he does an armchair keep-fit class for pensioners and is toying with the idea of joining the circuits session that runs afterwards. Every evening, Higham sees his daughter, Ruth Deans, for dinner at her house, together with her husband, Hughie, the couple's daughter, Alice, and Alice's partner, Ben. It's not much of a journey, because Jack lives at the end of their garden. Since July 2023, Higham's home has been a one-bedroom annexe that Deans, 60, and her husband, 65, built outside their 1930s terraced house in the London borough of Bromley. The family says their set-up could easily be a blueprint for others. 'It's such an effective solution for busy boomers who have elderly parents and adult children living at home,' says Deans, who works in marketing. 'Many homeowners could do this, and you don't need a lot of space. We live in a very average mid-terraced house in suburbia with a narrow garden.' After Sheila, his wife of over 60 years, died three years ago, Higham was living alone in a large, detached house in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, on the edge of the Peak District. 'I'm fortunate that I'm pretty fit and able,' he says. 'I didn't have any home help and could manage and look after the garden.' However, after suffering a dizzy spell, when a neighbour ended up having to call an ambulance for him, it hit home how far away he was from Deans, who had been driving up to see him every week, and his other daughter, Rachel, who lives in New York. 'The house wasn't big enough' 'Ruth asked if I'd come and live with her,' Higham says. 'It was an easy decision to make.' Deans and her father pondered a few options, including selling both their houses and buying somewhere together, or moving Higham into her spare room. 'We'd probably have needed to install a stairlift eventually,' she says. 'Also, at the time, we had both Alice and our son Harry, plus their partners, living with us – and had also taken in a Ukrainian refugee. 'The house, which has four bedrooms, isn't big enough for so many people. So, we hit upon the idea of building a cabin in our garden.' It took a total of 18 months to get the cabin, which measures 7.6 metres by 5 metres, through the planning system and then built by a local company, Garden Office Buildings. Deans says the planning process took eight weeks and was straightforward. 'In fact, the council were very good and suggested helpful changes to the spec once they realised Dad's age, including building on a concrete base, which added to the warmth, and increased insulation,' she says. 'We've been really grateful for that.' Selling Higham's home of 32 years wasn't as simple. The property had spray-foam insulation in the loft, and mortgage lenders are increasingly unwilling to lend against this. However, the family managed to agree a deal with the buyers, who purchased in cash, to reduce the property price and take account of the cost of remediation works. The cabin, which was mainly funded by the sale of Premium Bonds owned by Sheila, came in at a cost of £70,000, which included building the structure, plumbing, electrics and fitting it out with wardrobes and a bespoke kitchen. The total also covered landscaping the garden, fitting a new garden gate and building two sheds. Despite being pleased to move closer to his family, it was a wrench for Higham to leave the place he had called home for so many years and in which, as a sub-postmaster for the nearby village of New Whittington, he had been a valued member of the community. 'He had a big circle of friends, and moving 200 miles is a huge lifestyle change for someone in their 90s,' Deans says. 'It was chaos with a lot of mud' The building of the cabin was also stressful for Deans and her family. To keep costs down, they took it upon themselves to demolish the existing garden shed in which Hughie, a handyman, kept his tools and gardening equipment. Alice, 29, and Harry, 26, were fully involved too and enlisted the help of several of their friends. For eight months, while the cabin was being built, they stored her husband's tools and equipment in a large white gazebo in the garden. 'The huge tent made it very dark inside the house and we often joked that people passing by must have thought it was a police crime scene,' Deans laughs. 'It was chaos for a while with a lot of mud.' It was also a huge task for her to oversee the building works while travelling to Derbyshire every week to help her father with the sale process, house viewings and emptying the family home. 'My sister flew in from New York to spend the final two weeks in Derbyshire lugging stuff to charity shops while I was at home encouraging kitchen fitters and decorators to complete,' Deans explains. 'The lawn was only re-laid the day before dad arrived.' Access to the site was tricky as the house is in the middle of a row, so all materials and waste had to go in via a shared alleyway around the side and back of the terrace. 'Pouring the concrete base for the cabin was a mission because they couldn't get the concrete lorry down the alleyway so they parked it on the road and pumped it round through a hose,' Deans says. 'Everyone around was hanging out of their windows and watching.' The neighbours were very good about the disruption, mess and having to juggle parked cars around in the alleyway. 'We consulted them all very early on, showed them the plans and probably would not have proceeded if they objected,' Deans says. 'I kept them fully informed throughout, sending them texts, plus wine and biscuits, whenever big plant equipment and skips were due. By the time Dad moved in, they had a welcome party for him.' 'I'm glad we made the leap' Today, with Higham happily installed, the stress and disruption have been forgotten. His cabin – Deans scolds him playfully for calling it a 'Portakabin' – is cosy and chic, runs on electricity with timber cladding at the front and steel insulated panels on the rear and sides. There's a bedroom, bathroom and a main living area, which has a fitted kitchen with a dining area, plus a lounge with three armchairs and a television. 'It's quite luxurious,' he says. 'The friends and people who have been to see me have been amazed. It's ample for a single person, with great big sliding doors and, because it's well-insulated, is always lovely and warm.' All the furniture came from Higham's house so it would feel as much like home as possible. 'He was adamant he had to bring his favourite 40-year-old reclining armchair. It's huge and we weren't sure, looking at the floor plans, whether it would even fit, but it worked out fine and he uses it all the time,' says Deans. She will often pop into the annexe to find 'one of the boys' watching a sports match on television with her father, who was a keen cricketer and footballer in his younger days. Higham has embraced the move and made many friends at the Green Bird café in Beckenham, where he goes for lunch most weeks and where, in February, they celebrated his 95 th birthday with a party. 'There must have been 50 people there. It cost me a fortune in cake,' Deans jokes. And, for the family, the arrangement is ideal. 'It required a big commitment from everyone, yet I'm so glad we made the leap,' Deans says. 'My husband and the kids all enjoy doing stuff with dad. Care homes are so expensive and, anyway, going into one wouldn't have been right for him.' She adds that Higham's cabin has even inspired several friends with elderly parents. 'They're looking into creating similar set-ups in their homes – putting their golden oldies at the bottom of the garden.'
