There is endless research promoting the health benefits of regular exercise and staying active as you age. Felicity Bee, Prime Health’s Ambassador has trained regularly throughout her life. Recalling her love of being active when at school and now embarking on a career as a Junior Doctor, Felicity shares the mental and health benefits that regular training and exercise offers, in her own experience and what she witnesses out on the wards.

“I have always been active and those who knew me as a young child commonly recall memories of me running around, bumping my head on walls and bringing energy and fun to every room.

Like the majority of children, playtime on a summer’s day when we were allowed to run around on the school fields brought a huge amount of happiness. Freedom to move carefree gave me an escape from the formality of school lessons.

Assessing the drop-out within sport as you age, and the deterrent for participation in regualr exercise and movement always brings me back to the question, “how we can catalyse that same energy and happiness that we had at primary school when we were let loose on the playing fields?’

I would be ignorant to not address the factors that impact everyone’s own ability to exercise with such freedom – lifestyle, jobs, parental responsibility, aching joints… the list goes on. However, the question of rekindling enjoyment stems back to our early years and adopting an exercise regime that works for your lifestyle.

‘I hate running’ – do you? Or do you dislike the mental process of running a 5km loop twice a week? There needs to be remodelling to the thought process for a lot of people who go to the gym or run regularly.

We are not hamsters on a wheel who need to use exercise for calorie expenditure. Exercise is a component of a healthy lifestyle that allows us to strengthen our muscles and cardiovascular system, it releases the endorphins that are so positive on our mental health. In addition, sport is also a facilitator of social connection, teamwork, leadership and a multitude of other transferrable life skills. It brings so many positives

As an elite athlete, there is a mandatory component to the exercise I do, I follow a training programme and I am self-disciplined in making sure I execute each session that is set for me.

This regular structure has a huge benefit to me, it gives me a sense of purpose and makes me efficient in being active and getting the hard work done even if I’m not feeling it or lacking in motivation.

Exercise allows me to escape from the pressures of work and for me when I’m being active I feel my happiest. Exercise boosts my self-esteem, increases my sleep quality and elevates my energy levels.

As a doctor, every day I am exposed to examples of poor health and disease, and there are many cases that I witness in my working day where insufficient exercise or movement has contributed to the depletion of physical health.

Research confirms the positive health factors of exercise include:

• improving cardiovascular health
• reducing the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes

In turn, these positive health factors result in reducing your risk of some cancers and increasing longevity as a whole.

Part and parcel of regular exercise are keeping your weight at a healthy level, lowering your cholesterol, strengthening your heart and improving blood circulation.

In addition, the strengthening of muscles and tendons as you age has huge importance in staying injury-free, maintaining good mobility and giving you the freedom to enjoy everything you want to do pain-free.

I believe, there is great value in treating muscle strength as an investment as it reduces the degree of sarcopenia when you age. In turn, this aids with balance and coordination and reduces falls risk and living many more quality years.

In summary, I strongly believe that exercise brings so many benefits, both physically and mentally to individuals. From meeting new people and keeping your body healthy and strong, to giving your confidence and maintaining mobility. Whatever age you are, try experimenting with different sports or exercises until you find one that sparks joy in your heart and mind. The health benefits you will experience will long outweigh the time spent doing the activity itself.”