Taking those important steps

Taking those important steps ……..

Bungalow legs – a condition suffered by the elderly is growing and is now becoming increasingly recognised by the medical profession.

Many people, having reached a certain age, decide to ‘downsize’, either into a retirement flat or a bungalow.  In either case, the absence of stairs is noticeable and often one of the deciding factors when choosing the new home.  Although this might seem like a good idea in preparing for later life, the impact of not having stairs in the home needs careful consideration.

Stairs play a vital role in the maintenance of functional strength.  Climbing stairs works all of your major lower-body muscles, including your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps and calves.  It is also a weight bearing exercise.

Weight bearing exercises are activities that make your muscles work against gravity.  Walking, hiking, playing racquet sports, jogging and stair-climbing all fit into this category.  Climbing stairs means that the bones of your lower body must work to support your weight, and that extra load will trigger an increase in bone-building cell activity.

Bone density is especially important as we age.  Maximum strength and bone density peaks at around the age of 30.  After this there is a slow decline in both our physical strength and the density of our bones.  Continued decrease in bone density can lead to a condition known as osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a disease that weakens bones.  It is a ‘silent disease’, with no symptoms until a sudden fall leaves you with a painful and unexpected fracture of the hip, wrist or of the vertebrae in your spine.  Osteoporosis can affect anyone at any age, although postmenopausal women are particularly at risk.  Bone density in women is regulated by the female hormone oestrogen.  As oestrogen levels decline around and after the menopause, bone density also begins to fall.  The benefits of undertaking regular weight bearing activities are especially important for this particular cohort of the population.

Those living in bungalows (or actively avoiding stairs) may well be denying themselves a vital exercise activity.  The old adage of ‘use it or lose it’ certainly applies in this case.  If this is you (or someone you know), then seek to redress this imbalance by taking stairs rather than a lift where possible, finding steps to climb when out walking, or using a stepper machine if you go to a gym.  These simple measures will help to prevent those unwanted, and potentially harmful, bungalow legs.