1Life Blog

With your diet and fitness in check, you’re well on your way to getting the most out of life during your senior years. Remembering all the other aspects involved in living a healthy lifestyle can be a bit of a juggling act but here we’ve listed some top tips for ageing healthily to make sure you continue to live life to the full.

When we talk about strength training, a lot of people think of bronzed bodybuilders and bulging muscles, while this is mainly achieved through weight training, it is an extreme example! What a lot of people don’t realise are the many benefits that strength training can offer as we get older, including halting the ageing process of our bodies.

For 1Life Personal Trainer Nick Whateley, being a PT is more than just a job it’s a passion, a calling and ultimately his life. Here is Nick’s story about what life as a PT is like and why he’s happy to get out of bed at 5am most mornings… 

Joining a gym can be a daunting experience, especially if you’ve never stepped foot in one before, but it really doesn’t need to be. Contrary to what you might think, they’re not full of body-beautiful individuals, dressed head to toe in lycra - just normal people working towards a healthier lifestyle.

Here are some top tips to ensure you choose the right gym for you and what you can expect from your first visit.

If retirement is fast approaching or you are already enjoying this exciting new chapter in your life, the change in routine can sometimes be a bit daunting. This new lifestyle change can mean making mental adjustments as well as physical ones to really make the most of your new-found freedom; allowing you to get on with enjoying a happy and healthy retirement.

If exercise classes and working out in a gym don’t appeal to you, there are other great ways to boost your physical activity – golf being one of them. Golf is not only great fun, research shows it also offers a wide range of physical benefits, such as improving strength, flexibility and endurance, as well as having a positive impact on your mental well-being. A game of golf can help players exceed the recommended government guidelines for physical activity and one study has shown players can burn over 500 calories over 18 holes. So grab your clubs and get out in the fresh air, just make sure you avoid the temptation of the 19th hole!

Flexibility exercises are one of the four key types of training that you should be aiming to incorporate regularly in your exercise routine, along with strength, balance and endurance. Just as you wouldn’t dream of eating the same thing every day, and understand the importance of a varied diet, the same applies to your physical activity. This doesn’t mean that each type of exercise needs to be done every single day but variety is key when it comes to keeping our bodies fit and healthy as well keeping our interest.

1Life is throwing open its doors to provide free activities for everyone as part of National Fitness Day 2018, Wednesday 26th September - the most active day of the year.

We all know that healthy eating and regular exercise are the foundations for good health, yet in the UK over 50% of adults are either overweight or obese. Research shows that to achieve the best long-term results healthy eating and regular exercise should be combined. If you’re working out five times a week but living on processed foods and takeaways the rest of the time, you’re not only limiting the benefit of the exercise when it comes to weight management, you could also be putting your body under unnecessary stress by not fuelling it properly.

Nobody can deny the endless benefits both physically and mentally of taking regular exercise and maintaining an active lifestyle when it comes to fighting the effects of ageing; from reducing the risk of heart disease and strokes to cancers and diabetes, there’s never been a better time to get out there and get moving.