Exercise can stop our bodies from dwindling, and it’s never too late to start Like so many fitness influencers , Rosemary Mallace runs strength-based classes on YouTube. Unlike so many fitness influencers, she is 73. She’s just starting to add fell running and tap dancing to her exercise regime.
“I’m trying to think of something that I can’t do that I used to be able to do and I can’t think of anything,” Mallace says. It seems the Miss Marple approach to ageing that features frequent cups of tea and the odd slice of Victoria sponge is being replaced by a new breed of 70-or-80-somethings who run, lift and move with power and agility. Mallace, a supporter of London’s Centre for Ageing Better, is part of this new generation redefining what it is to be an older person .
Most of us know that as our bodies age we start to lose lean body mass (muscle and bone density), a process also known as sarcopenia. Men tend to gain weight until age 55 and start to lose it in the years that follow while women usually stop gaining weight once they hit 65. It’s why we might start to appear more frail and falls become more severe as our bones break more easily.
Mallace took her personal training qualifications after she retired at 60 and now divides her week between runs and strength sessions – she is living proof that healthy eating and exercise can prevent our bodies from dwindling and can stop ageing in its tracks. She also is a great example of why it’s never too late to .
