Older people playing pickleball isn’t risky – it’s medicine | Letter
I’d rather see active, smiling people with the odd strain than a generation glued to the sofa, says physiotherapist Christien BirdSo what if a 2020 study found that 91% of...
By Guardian Staff · The Guardian Opinion
I’d rather see active, smiling people with the odd strain than a generation glued to the sofa, says physiotherapist Christien Bird So what if a 2020 study found that 91% of pickleball injuries involved people aged over 50 ( You should act your age – at least when it comes to exercise. Here’s why, 3 November )? Most pickleball players are over 50! I’d rather see active, smiling people with the odd strain than a generation glued to the sofa. The real health crisis isn’t overexercising – it’s inactivity. Fitness is the biggest predictor of long-term health and independence. Ageing is inevitable, but fragility is not. Women in particular face an accelerated loss of bone and muscle through menopause, yet 84% of inactive women going through menopause want to be more active and 90% would get active if advised by a professional. There is still a societal acceptance that it is OK to be a fragile older lady behind a Zimmer frame with no bum in her trousers. Continue reading...