If your vision of a typical gym or health club involves lots of fit twenty-somethings clad in lycra, or hunky young guys showing off their hard-earned muscles, then it’s time to think again. Following a new study by Nuffield Health, it’s been revealed that far from the gym merely being a haven for the fit and young, it’s now become a Mecca for pensioners too. In fact, the study showed that people aged 72 are the ‘most frequent gym-goers’, as they average 8 visits to the gym every month, while gym goers between the ages of 70-79 visit the gym an average of 7.5 days per month.
In comparison, Nuffield Health revealed that gym members aged between 25-39 made it to the gym an average of 6 times per month, while members aged between 20-25 fared slightly better with an average attendance of 6.5 visits per month. This puts the septuagenarians firmly ahead in the workout stakes.
Nuffield Health, which has a chain of 75 gyms stretching across both England and Scotland, claim that these findings highlight the older generation’s growing interest in keeping fit and active, as they understand the importance and implications of exercise, diet and well-being for leading a long and healthy life. And with just under 10% of the Nuffield’s gym members now being aged 65 and over, it certainly seems as though older people are taking fitness to heart. However, it also appears that the Scottish people are leading the way, as their most frequent gym users have an average age of 75, compared to 65 for gyms in the London area, while Edinburgh, Sheffield, Glasgow and St Albans boast the highest number of gym members in their 80s in the UK.
These findings have led the researchers to conclude that far from middle age being something we experience in our forties and fifties, the goal posts have now shifted with middle age starting at 60. Of course, this is all good news for Nuffield Health who are benefitting from the extra memberships arising from the desire of older people to stay fit and active. But of course, the people who benefit the most, are the gym goers themselves, as regular exercise is known to reduce the risk of muscle loss, heart disease and memory decline. In fact, as the deputy medical director of well-being at Nuffield Health, Dr Aldric Ratajczak, says “exercise in the super pill we’ve been looking for to live happier and healthier through our later decades”.
Of course, when the session at the gym is over, there’s nothing better than a nice warm bath or shower, and whilst regular gym goers may not feel the need for a walk in bath or shower in their home while they’re feeling fit and active, these bathing options can be a useful solution for those of us who are feeling less mobile as we age.
Here at Walk In Showers and Baths we offer a superb range of walk in baths and showers; to find out more, simply call us on one of these numbers: For the North call 0161 870 2545, For Midlands call 01952 457 991, for the South call 0207 101 9340 or Freephone 0800 612 5954.
