A Letter from Sir Muir Gray: The Second Theme of Living Longer Better

Dear Readers,

I am delighted to share with you the second theme of our Live Longer Better Plan:

Regaining and Improving Fitness.

This isn't about donning lycra or competing in marathons - it's about understanding that fitness becomes more crucial and relevant as we age, not less. One effect of the normal biological process of ageing is a reduction in resilience, namely your ability to cope with challenges like inactivity, so fitness is lost more quickly. A second effect is that many relatives and even many doctors and social workers think that everything that happens as you live longer is due to ageing and that the concept of fitness is not relevant.

When we speak of fitness, we must think beyond the narrow definition typically associated with lycra and sport. True fitness encompasses four essential dimensions: the "4 S's"—Strength, Stamina, Suppleness, and Skill. Each requires attention, though strength is perhaps the most commonly neglected.

Fitness has two critical dimensions:

First, it determines your maximum ability - how fast you can walk or whether you can reach that top shelf. Second, and equally important, is the reserve you possess - the capacity to respond when life demands more of you. Picture fifty seventy-year-olds: you might guess their fitness levels, but ask them to walk briskly for half a mile, and their true reserves become unmistakably clear.

Here's the encouraging truth: muscle loss, breathlessness, and stiffness are common but not inevitable. After thirty, we may lose up to 8% of muscle mass per decade, but this can be reversed at any age. Physical activity isn't just beneficial - it's medicine. It reduces dementia risk by 30%, heart disease by 35%, and type 2 diabetes by 50%.

The beauty lies in simplicity. No gym? No problem. Walk during phone calls, use your stairs, dance in your kitchen, or stand on one leg while brushing your teeth. Every movement counts.

Stamina can be increased through brisk walking, while strength, skill, and suppleness benefit from joining a wellness hub or working with a trainer versed in Pilates, Tai Chi, or Yoga. Just 30 minutes daily, properly guided, can maintain and increase all four S's.

Start where you are! Aim for thirty minutes of brisk walking plus ten minutes for the other S's. Have a look at www.drgrayswalkingcure.net. Focus not on temporary goals but on identity: "I'm someone who moves daily."

Movement is independence. To keep doing what you love at seventy, eighty, or ninety, start moving more now and don't stop! Bring your friends along—group activity is even better!

Live longer better-- you can do it and help others!

Sir Muir Gray

OLP Board Member