THE ART OF HEALTHY AGEING

As Australians age, maintaining a healthy and happy lifestyle is vital. A simple tool that can encourage healthy ageing is movement and exercise, and age should not be a barrier for anyone to participate. Exercise provides a wide range of important benefits and health outcomes for older adults. From increased independence, improved mental health and the prevention of falls, movement allows ageing Australians to maintain their daily living activities whether it be lifting the groceries or playing with their grandkids.

Thyra Sullings, formerly Greenwood, is the sixth child born into a family of fourteen. Born in 1925 she will soon be 95 years of age. Thyra together with her husband, Bob, built and ran a garage in Quirindi which was called Sulling’s Garage and Service Station and they operated it for over forty years until they decided to retire.

Thyra’s eyesight was slowly declining and so they decided to move to Tamworth and live in a gated retirement community, Tamworth Gardens in April 2018. After living together in Tamworth for almost one year Bob sadly passed away.

Despite her poor eyesight, she is as active as ever!

LIVING AN ACTIVE AND HEALTHY LIFE

Thyra believes that her good health can be attributed to always leading an active and healthy lifestyle. Living in the country meant that she had plenty of fresh air and good food.

EXERCISES AT HOME

Thyra only started performing gym based exercises at the age of 92 when she moved to Tamworth Gardens.

Every morning after having breakfast and cleaning up, Thyra schedules in time to perform the exercises she has been given to do at home. These exercises consist of stand ups from a chair with a band around her knees, lying on her bed doing bridges by lifting her hips, standing at her kitchen sink for safety, and performing side stepping, calf raises and heel to toe walking balances. She completes one round of ten repetitions for each exercise and never misses a day of her exercises.

Later in the day either before or after morning tea she heads into the gym to walk on the treadmill for ten minutes. Thyra would love to continue walking outside but due to her lack of vision she is unable to do this without support. Despite this, she keeps active and rarely misses a day of walking. If she is feeling some pain in her knees she might walk at a slower pace or for a shorter duration on the treadmill but always aims to do it every day.

Thyra described her daily exercises as an activity that she is happy to do to keep herself active. She does not feel that she has to force herself to do it and on days where she may not be feeling 100% she remembers the feeling of achievement she gets after finishing her exercises and this motivates her to get them done. Thyra can notice the benefits that regular exercises has on how she feels and knows that it has a positive impact on her health.

THYRA’S ADVICE, STAYING ACTIVE

Thyra’s advice to anyone who is considering starting exercises or who has been recommended by their GP or health professional to start exercising is to start slowly. She believes that once you build a routine you will see the benefits that exercises have and will help you to look after yourself as you age.

Read Thyra’s full story here.

HOW ACTIVE DO I NEED TO BE?

Australia has developed Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines which outline the minimum amount of physical activity required for all ages, including older Australians.

As older people make up a considerable proportion of Australia’s population – in 2017, over 1 in 7 Australians were aged 65 years and over – it’s important they have their own set of physical activity recommendations.

These recommendations for older Australians (those aged 65 years and over, or aged 55 years and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples) state that older people should be active every day in as many ways as possible, doing a range of physical activities that incorporate fitness, strength, balance and flexibility.

It’s recommended that people 65 and over should complete at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days, no matter their age, weight, health problems or abilities.

Download PDF: A physical activity guide for older Australians

THE IDEAL PROFESSIONAL & LIFESTYLE MOVE

We are going through significant growth and are looking for a senior physiotherapist who wants a high-quality professional experience at our Armidale clinic

Move Better for Life is a multi-award winning and growing practice with a vibrant and inclusive team and a commitment to ongoing professional development, Our practice enjoys a wide variety of working providing comprehensive physiotherapy services to our clients, inpatients of the Armidale Private Hospital, residents of local aged care facilities as well as other clients as required.

We are also committed to providing education and prevention services, helping our clients move better for life.

Help us find our new team member by sharing this newsletter far and wide!

Find out more about the role

ABOUT THE ROLE

Our ideal candidate is a qualified senior physiotherapist who wants to maintain the focus on their career, enjoy a variety of work across private practice, aged care and in patient hospital care, while still benefiting from a lifestyle change.

The role will be responsible for musculoskeletal, sports and work injuries, post-operative orthopaedic rehabilitation, neurological conditions, women’s health a wide range of physiotherapy services including musculoskeletal, sports and work injuries, post-operative orthopaedic rehabilitation, neurological conditions, and women’s health, aged care and occupational health,

You will provide clinical leadership to allied health professionals and assistants, supported by ongoing professional development for all staff, a mentoring program for new grads, as well as fortnightly in house professional development sessions.

In addition to treatment services you will oversee the delivery of Cllinical Pilates and falls prevention classes, You will also contribute to and lead clinical education within the practice alongside other senior physiotherapists.

Position closes: 4 December 2020

LIVING IN THE NEW ENGLAND – A GREAT LIFESTYLE CHOICE

A University town and home to the renown NERAM (New England Regional Art Museum) Armidale offers all the amenities of the city, affordable housing, great shopping, quality educational facilities and vibrant entertainment options, offering its residents a great regional lifestyle.

The climate is temperate and there are plentiful National Parks throughout and some beautiful waterfalls and gorges.

Halfway between Sydney and Brisbane and only a few short hours to a coastal getaway, Armidale is perfectly located.

Apply now for the perfect professional and lifestyle change!

Deborah Hunter discusses the philosophy that underpins everything we do. If you are driven by values, and are excited by the opportunity to not just treat patients, but educate them and help them move better for life, then this role could be the right one for you!

Contact Deb via email for any questions

Many of us will at some time be asked to quarantine or self-isolate. The challenge is how will we keep active and mentally healthy?

Founders of MyAge.Fit, Deborah and Sandra Hunter have put together a number of exercise challenges you can use while keeping your distance, at home in your backyard, or even indoors if necessary.

Keep moving!

My AgeFit provides age-appropriate advice based on clinical evidence and significant research tailored to suit your lifestyle.

If this is you or someone you love you might like to check out these easy to introduce exercise challenges:

Keeping active while social distancing I Challenge 1 – My Age Fit
Get Moving During Social Distancing | Challenge 2 – My Age Fit
How to run 5 km in 6 weeks | Challenge 3 – My Age Fit
The wonders of walking while physically distancing | Challenge 4 – My Age Fit
How to be Active at Home | Challenge 5 – My Age Fit
More intentional physical activity needed at home | Challenge 6 – My Age Fit

OUR DOORS ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Our practices offer physiotherapy treatment, exercise physiology and a range of wellness classes. And we can look after you both in practice and via a telehealth consult. We look forward to seeing you!

Our clinics in Tamworth and Armidale are open 8:30am – 5pm Monday to Friday.

Don’t hesitate to come and see us. We are here to help. Book online today, or give us a call.
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

Book your preferred practitioner online 24/7!

COVID-SAFE PRACTICES

Caring for our clients, staff and our community remains our highest priority. Move Better for Life is adhering to strict COVID-safe practices please view our video below for more.

COULD A WELLNESS CLASS BE RIGHT FOR YOU?

Our Wellness Classes are ideal for those who suffer from chronic pain or injury and want to improve their health under the guidance of a qualified allied health professional. Contact us today to discuss your circumstances.

Our ARMIDALE practice is offering:

Living with Parkinsons’ on Tuesday mornings at 10 am
Better Balance is being held on Monday and Thursday mornings – 2 consecutive classes 10.00 am and 10.45 am each morning to limit numbers in each class for social distancing
Hipster Hip and Knee Class on Wednesday at 1.00 pm
Body Reformer Pilates will be offered on Monday at 4.30 pm and Thursday at 5.00 pm and Friday at 8.30 am
Active Oaks is back at Oaktree Retirement Village Armidale on Tuesday at 1 pm

Our TAMWORTH practice is offering:

Better Balance is on Monday at 10.30 am
Living with Parkinsons’ on Tuesday morning at 10.00 am
Strength for Life (Men’s Group) is on Wednesday at 10 am
Strength for Life (50’s and over) at Active Fitness is on Fridays from 10 am
Women’s Exercise Group on Thursday at 3.00 pm

A REQUEST OF OUR VALUED CLIENTS
We often have people waiting for appointments with acute injuries. Recently we have had a large number of ‘no shows’ or cancellations on the day of the appointment. We understand that life happens and you may need to reschedule or cancel but we ask that you let us know as soon as possible so we can give the opportunity for treatment to a patient on our waitlist.

Our cancellation policy is 24hrs notice so please call 02 6772 1962 if you need to cancel. If you call outside business hours it will go to a monitored voicemail system.