The crucial health step most of us are missing out on
What if the key to healthy ageing isn't just exercise, but having a community that helps you keep showing up?
One of the things I talk about a lot is that we’re all planning for longer lives.
We’re working longer, retiring later and, for many of us, spending 30 or 40 years in the semi-retirement and retirement phase of our second half of life. But while we spend a lot of time thinking about the financial side of that equation, we don’t always spend enough time thinking about the physical and social side.
How strong do we want to be? How mobile do we want to be? And who are we going to spend all those extra years with?
In this week’s episode of Prime Time, I sit down with Van Marinos. He is an Accredited Exercise Scientist, a physical educator, and the founder of Community Moves - an organisation dedicated to functional fitness for older adults. He’s also the author of Strong & Social, a new book built around a simple idea: staying fit in our prime years isn’t just about the physical heavy lifting. It’s also about the community we build along the way that makes it enjoyable.
We discuss why it’s never too late to start exercising, the role strength training plays in healthy ageing, and why finding your tribe may be just as important as finding the right workout.
Your healthspan is just as important as your lifespan. Because ageing well isn’t just about adding years to your life- it’s about making sure those years are healthy, active, connected and independent.
LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE OF THE PODCAST HERE:
Highlights of the conversation:
It’s never too late to start: Why age is far less of a barrier to exercise than most people think.
What are you training for? How our fitness goals change in the second half of life.
The strength training gap: Why so few people do it, despite the enormous benefits.
Find your tribe, not just your workout: Why community may be the secret ingredient to staying active.
The hidden health risk we don’t talk about enough: What loneliness and social isolation can do to our wellbeing.
Balance is about more than standing on one leg: Why preventing falls starts much earlier than most people realise.
The simplest way to get started: Van’s advice for anyone who feels they’re beginning from scratch.
Strong and social: Why movement and connection may be one of the most powerful combinations for healthy ageing.
From Bec’s Desk
My health kick from the beginning of the year is still going. Is yours? I have to admit - I had a setback, when too many days of travel upset my neck and back and I had to slow down on the lifting heavy, and focus more on small muscle exercises. But, I have done that for a bit, and am on the mend. That’s the thing I’m finding, body awareness, health awareness and muscle awareness is important in this phase, particularly if we want to maintain our ability to hike up hills, ski down mountains and jump on a bike and go for a cruise. And these are a high priority for me.
Van is an inspiration, not just because he’s helping people maintain their health, but because he’s helping people build community around that, which we know is something that helps us stay committed and interested. But also something we need more of as we step away from our workplaces and into the next stage of life.
I’m curious - do you mix up the exercise you do to include some types that include a tribe or community, and others that are more independent? I’d love to hear your stories. Inspire us!
And, if you have ideas, inspiration or things that baffle you that you’d like me to look into on the show - reply to this email and let me know what they are. I always love to hear from you!
Until next week - Make your Prime Time count!
Bec Xx
I go to the gym on my own but I’m also in a Bushwalking club. Some of the members are in their 70s and 80s and still doing heaps of bushwalks - very inspirational.