This October and November, across Solihull, Everyone Active is encouraging a greater number of over 60s to become physically and mentally active, with the launch of its Age is Just a Number campaign.
Now in its fourth year, the campaign celebrates the senior demographic by showcasing their fitness stories and proving what can be achieved by staying active into later life.
It launched on Saturday, October 5 – the same weekend as Silver Sunday, the national day for older people – and will run until Sunday, November 17.
Tudor Grange Leisure Centre and North Solihull Sports Centre, run by award-winning operator Everyone Active in partnership with Solihull Council, are encouraging the older generation to visit their local centre and enjoy the wide range of activities on offer.
Everyone Active supports older people to exercise across the country throughout the year, with regular dedicated senior activity sessions already seeing 18,000 attendances each month.
To help older people to get active, we’ve spoken to some of our local senior members and heard just how transformative exercise can be. Whether it’s for weight loss, recovery from injury, improved mobility, fitness or social reasons, there’s so much that exercise can do to improve quality of life.
Alan Martin, 92, from Marston Green, retired 30 years ago and has been attending Better Breathers sessions at North Solihull Sports Centre every week for five years.
The specialist sessions are designed to help people manage breathing conditions and are suitable for those with lung conditions such as lung disease, severe asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – which is caused by damage to the airways or other parts of the lung.
Alan attends the sessions to help him stay active and improve his breathing.
“I’ve had asthma since the age of 23 and now have COPD. It slows you down and there are times when I have no energy, and because it’s difficult to breathe you don’t move very fast. I exercise once or twice a week just so that I can keep breathing,” says Alan.
“In the Better Breathers class we do general exercises, walk a bit, use arm weights, stand up and sit down, and do vertical upright press ups.”
However, Better Breathers sessions not only help members physically, but also offer those attending a way to socialise and beat loneliness.
Alan adds: “Socially, I am a member of our local horticultural society and I volunteer for the Midlands Air Ambulance with my wife. But I think the biggest problem with old age, which we don’t suffer from, but we see, is loneliness.
“A lot of people who go to the class do have a breathing problem, but it’s for the social side of it as well. It’s a case of meeting other people.
“When you get above 70, one of the things you find is that more and more people are single. I’m very lucky as I have a very energetic wife. For some people, the classes are possibly the only outside contact they have.
“The thing is, is to join things, even if you don’t take a very active part. At least you meet people. I think that is very important. It’s an attitude of mind.”
Alex Fuoco-Lang, Everyone Active’s contract manager, said: “We are proud to offer our members a friendly and welcoming environment that motivates people of all ages to get active.
“Maintaining physical activity and keeping socially active is vitally important for older people in the local community.
“This campaign aims to inspire people to try a new activity or engage in simple exercises each week at home, helping people of all abilities discover the different ways they can enjoy exercise.”