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The Importance of Exercise

Exercise is a necessary part of every individual’s life as it allows us to maintain both our mental and physical health. Sadly, as we age it is usual for involvement in such activities to cease. ‘The loss of strength and stamina attributed to aging is in part caused by reduced physical activity’ (https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/sgr/olderad.htm) yet statistics show that in the UK 44% of adults complete no moderate exercise and that most adults over 65 years old do not partake in any exercise at all.

For the past 8 years, Nouveau Wellbeing CIC have battled against this issue, working with North East communities, partner organisations and care homes to provide seated exercise and seated dance classes for seniors. Care home contracts with Bupa, Anchor, HC1 and Country Wide Care Homes have allowed Nouveau Wellbeing CIC to develop safe and suitable classes for older adults, with trained practitioners able to tailor classes to meet individual needs and allow anyone to participate.

The benefits of exercise are obvious across all demographics including reduced risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Simultaneously, older participants can see an improvement in the of strength of their bones, joints and balance, therefore not only reducing the risk of falling and breaking bones, but creating a peace of mind as independence can be upheld. Recent studies in Norway have even discovered that elderly individuals who completed three hours of exercise a week lived around five years longer than those who were sedentary! (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-32735723)

As well as physical benefits, cognitive improvements are also gained by seniors who exercise. The cognitive improvement gained from fitness is highly important to the Nouveau Group and our training programmes have been developed from our experience and ongoing research to reflect this

It is therefore fundamental to keep active, whether the participant’s aim is to live longer, to dance to their favourite song at the next family wedding, or to keep up with their grandchildren in the school holidays! ‘Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’ has revealed that the exercise required to obtain health benefits does not need to be strenuous and the NHS recommends that seniors involve themselves in aerobic and strength exercises to improve health, muscle strength, balance and flexibility.

Nouveau Training Academy now offers care homes ‘Seated Exercise and Seated Dance Leader Training’ to enable care homes staff to confidently teach Seated Exercise, Seated Dance and Seated Relaxation via a trained and internal member of staff allowing regular activity to be provided to residents, improving their quality of life and fostering feelings of well-being.

Ultimately all ages can gain health benefits by engaging in physical activity that they enjoy. At the Nouveau Group we provide an option for all!