Lifestyle changes can be made in a wide variety of ways, from taking time out to sign on for gym classes – not the heavy duty one to one training with agonising muscle burning workouts on the upright bikes or pounding around downstairs in the weights room. No, this sort of lifestyle change involves the family doctor’s surgery referring the old and more decrepid amongst their ever increasing flock to the local gym or health centres as a direct replacement for the pain clinics. We have probably all been to those – most folk come home and say, never again, that was useless. Sadly the pain clinics never seem to able to offer real solutions to the pain, just sheets of diagrams of exercises to do at home. Well, this has now been rcognised as a waste of time because folk just don’t do them. However, when they are referred for mobility and balance classes at the gym, it’s a social outing and they do get to do some proper movement.
The gym trainer for several classes I am familiar with is only early 50s and of course, because she has trained all her adjult life, she does not yet exhibit the signs of someone eaten up with arthritis, or ‘our friend Artheritis’ as she calls it, in any of its many forms. She does tend to be a bit pushy wit some folk who she knows do do not practice any of the moves between sessions, so it’s like Groundhog day, she sees them at the same stage every week instead of progressing onwards. But it keeps them from sliding into oblovion in their kitchen. . She sees the same groups of ladies and gents, many are in their late 70s upwards. She is in charge of 22 folk per class and she now runs 13 classes a week. They are all full – every week. Even in the poorest weather. it is a help for the older ones to be mixing with younger folk, those in their 60s! Joking aside, they gain massively as the movement really does help to restore confidence in their balance and mobility, at lest in the lucky ones who not battling the more debiltating conditions. But the mantra for all is Motion is the Lotion.
