There’s a tendency to talk about exercise in your 80s as though the only acceptable form involves sitting in a chair and gently rotating your ankles. There is nothing wrong with chair exercises. For some people they’re exactly the correct starting point. But age alone shouldn’t decide the exercise. Ability should. There are people in their 80s who walk miles. Some cycle. Some swim. Some lift weights. Some garden. Others live with arthritis, previous fractures, balance problem

Your 70s produce one of the most misleading sentences in health: “I’m getting too old for that.” Sometimes it’s true. Perhaps competitive parkour can finally be removed from the diary. But far more often, the thing somebody has become “too old” for is simply something they haven’t done for a while. Walking uphill. Getting onto the floor. Lifting. Squatting. Balancing. Carrying things. The body is wonderfully economical. If you repeatedly show it that a capacity isn’t required

Let’s clear something up immediately. Being in your 60s does not mean you suddenly require a collection of extremely gentle exercises performed beside a chair while someone speaks to you very slowly. Some people in their 60s are running. Some are hiking. Some are cycling. Some are lifting weights. Some are travelling. Some are gardening with a level of determination normally associated with major civil-engineering projects. And some are returning to exercise after many years

There’s something interesting about reaching your 50s. For many people, this is when they actually become more interested in their health, not less. Perhaps the children are older. Perhaps you’ve got slightly more time. Maybe you’ve started walking regularly, returned to the gym, bought a bicycle, taken up running or suddenly developed an enthusiasm for hiking holidays involving hills that looked considerably smaller in the brochure. And then the body adds a small footnote: “

There’s something slightly sneaky about your 40s. You may still feel pretty much the same as you did in your 30s. You can still go for a run, lift a few weights, spend four hours gardening, help move furniture, or suddenly decide that this is the year you become “a bit more active.” Then your body replies with a polite but firm memo: “Lovely idea. But perhaps next time, warn me first.” That, in many ways, is what the 40s are about. Not decline.Not disaster.Just a growing gap

(And the night over Jersey he never made a fuss about) Every now and then in clinic, someone walks through the door who you don’t forget. Not because of how much pain they are in.Not because of how complicated the case is.But because of who they are. Back in 2010, a gentleman, let’s call him Arthur, came in for treatment. He was 92. He mentioned a knee issue. Nothing unusual on the surface. I ran through my usual assessment, then tested his straight leg raise. Most people, es

The sun comes out, the birds start showing off, and suddenly half the country decides it’s time to become Monty Don in a single afternoon. You pop outside to “just tidy a few bits up,” and three hours later you’ve dug borders, hauled compost, wrestled a pot the size of a small hatchback, and spent far too long folded over like a camping chair. Then the next morning your lower back stages a protest. That pattern makes sense: back pain is commonly linked with awkward lifting, w

Foot pain doesn’t stay in your feet. Foot pain is one of the most overlooked causes of ongoing discomfort in the body. Most people wait until it becomes unbearable—heel pain in the morning, aching arches after walking, or a persistent niggle that starts creeping into the knees or lower back. But here’s the truth… Your feet are the foundation of your entire body. If they’re not functioning well, everything above them is forced to compensate. At my clinic in Horsham, I regularl

Why Understanding the “Fix Me So I Can Carry On” Mindset Walk into any gym, golf club, Pilates class, or padel court and you’ll see something encouraging. More people are moving. Training. Taking their health seriously. And that’s a good thing. But there’s a pattern I see regularly in the clinic that doesn’t always get talked about. Many people are putting in the effort — showing up, staying consistent, doing all the right things on the surface — yet their body still feels ti

Why doing too much too quickly leads to muscle injuries The Rise of the “Weekend Warrior” For many people, the working week involves long hours sitting at a desk, driving, or generally being less active than the body was designed for. Then the weekend arrives and suddenly it’s time to make up for it. A long run. A game of tennis. A challenging gym session. A hike through the South Downs. This pattern is incredibly common — and it’s the reason healthcare professionals often re

Modern life has turned most of us into professional sitters. Hours at desks, long commutes, Netflix recovery evenings… it all adds up. Muscles grow stiff, joints feel cranky, and posture slowly collapses forward like a marionette with cut strings. The traditional solution used to be simple: “Strengthen your core” , “Work harder at the gym” , “Do more glute work.” Strength still matters—but a new trend is rising, and it’s reshaping how we think about muscular health. Mobility-

The New Way to Walk Tall and Relieve Muscle Tension “Walk more” is standard health advice — but how you walk matters just as much as how far. Posture walking, the latest trend blending fitness and alignment awareness, focuses on walking with conscious posture to strengthen muscles, improve balance and reduce tension. Instead of mindlessly counting steps, posture walking turns every stride into a mini-therapy session for your spine, shoulders and hips. Why posture walking is t

How to build an injury-resistant body and prevent running injuries #runners Runners are often very good at running, but when the topic of...