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Strength training has a range of benefits for women. Here are 4 ways to get into weights

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/erin-kelly-1497598">Erin Kelly</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a></em></p> <p>Picture a gym ten years ago: the weights room was largely a male-dominated space, with women mostly doing cardio exercise. Fast-forward to today and you’re likely to see women of all ages and backgrounds confidently navigating weights equipment.</p> <p>This is more than just anecdotal. According to data from the <a href="https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiZGU1YWFhZDgtMmRhZi00YTgyLThhMzItYjc2ODk5NTg0MTg1IiwidCI6IjhkMmUwZjRjLTU1ZjItNGNiMS04ZWU3LWRhNWRkM2ZmMzYwMCJ9">Australian Sports Commission</a>, the number of women <a href="https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/research/ausplay/results#portal">participating in weightlifting</a> (either competitively or not) grew nearly five-fold between 2016 and 2022.</p> <p>Women are discovering what research has long shown: strength training offers benefits beyond sculpted muscles.</p> <h2>Health benefits</h2> <p><a href="https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/osteoporosis">Osteoporosis</a>, a disease in which the bones become weak and brittle, affects more women than men. Strength training increases <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/strength-training/art-20046670">bone density</a>, a crucial factor for <a href="https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7015-8-47">preventing osteoporosis</a>, especially for women negotiating menopause.</p> <p>Strength training also improves <a href="http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s40279-015-0379-7">insulin sensitivity</a>, which means your body gets better at using insulin to manage blood sugar levels, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Regular strength training contributes to better <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2020-0245">heart health</a> too.</p> <p>There’s a mental health boost as well. Strength training has been linked to reduced symptoms of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.0572">depression</a> and <a href="http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s40279-017-0769-0">anxiety</a>.</p> <h2>Improved confidence and body image</h2> <p>Unlike some forms of exercise where progress can feel elusive, strength training offers clear and tangible measures of success. Each time you add more weight to a bar, you are reminded of your ability to meet your goals and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1634127">conquer challenges</a>.</p> <p>This sense of achievement doesn’t just stay in the gym – it can change how women see themselves. A <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1755296623000194">recent study</a> found women who regularly lift weights often feel more empowered to make positive changes in their lives and feel ready to face life’s challenges outside the gym.</p> <p>Strength training also has the potential to positively impact <a href="https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/abstract/2002/11000/Relations_of_Strength_Training_to_Body_Image_Among.25.aspx">body image</a>. In a world where women are often judged on appearance, lifting weights can shift the focus <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0193732502238256">to function</a>.</p> <p>Instead of worrying about the number on the scale or fitting into a certain dress size, women often come to appreciate their bodies for what they can do. “Am I lifting more than I could last month?” and “can I carry all my groceries in a single trip?” may become new measures of physical success.</p> <p>Lifting weights can also be about challenging outdated ideas of how women “should” be. Qualitative <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/wspaj/aop/article-10.1123-wspaj.2022-0088/article-10.1123-wspaj.2022-0088.xml">research</a> I conducted with colleagues found that, for many women, strength training becomes a powerful form of rebellion against unrealistic beauty standards. As one participant told us:</p> <blockquote> <p>I wanted something that would allow me to train that just didn’t have anything to do with how I looked.</p> </blockquote> <p>Society has long told women to be small, quiet and not take up space. But when a woman steps up to a barbell, she’s pushing back against these outdated rules. One woman in our study said:</p> <blockquote> <p>We don’t have to […] look a certain way, or […] be scared that we can lift heavier weights than some men. Why should we?</p> </blockquote> <p>This shift in mindset helps women see themselves differently. Instead of worrying about being objects for others to look at, they begin to see their bodies as capable and strong. Another participant explained:</p> <blockquote> <p>Powerlifting changed my life. It made me see myself, or my body. My body wasn’t my value, it was the vehicle that I was in to execute whatever it was that I was executing in life.</p> </blockquote> <p>This newfound confidence often spills over into other areas of life. As one woman said:</p> <blockquote> <p>I love being a strong woman. It’s like going against the grain, and it empowers me. When I’m physically strong, everything in the world seems lighter.</p> </blockquote> <h2>Feeling inspired? Here’s how to get started</h2> <p><strong>1. Take things slow</strong></p> <p>Begin with bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges and push-ups to build a foundation of strength. Once you’re comfortable, add external weights, but keep them light at first. Focus on mastering <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-are-compound-exercises-and-why-are-they-good-for-you-228385">compound movements</a>, such as deadlifts, squats and overhead presses. These exercises engage multiple joints and muscle groups simultaneously, making your workouts more efficient.</p> <p><strong>2. Prioritise proper form</strong></p> <p>Always prioritise proper form over lifting heavier weights. Poor technique can lead to injuries, so learning the correct way to perform each exercise is crucial. To help with this, consider working with an exercise professional who can provide personalised guidance and ensure you’re performing exercises correctly, at least initially.</p> <p><strong>3. Consistency is key</strong></p> <p>Like any fitness regimen, consistency is key. Two to three sessions a week are plenty for most women to see benefits. And don’t be afraid to occupy space in the weights room – remember you belong there just as much as anyone else.</p> <p><strong>4. Find a community</strong></p> <p>Finally, join a community. There’s nothing like being surrounded by a group of strong women to inspire and motivate you. Engaging with a supportive community can make your strength-training journey more enjoyable and rewarding, whether it’s an in-person class or an online forum.</p> <h2>Are there any downsides?</h2> <p>Gym memberships can be expensive, especially for specialist weightlifting gyms. Home equipment is an option, but quality barbells and weightlifting equipment can come with a hefty price tag.</p> <p>Also, for women juggling work and family responsibilities, finding time to get to the gym two to three times per week can be challenging.</p> <p>If you’re concerned about getting too “bulky”, it’s very difficult for <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/0031512520967610">women</a> to bulk up like male bodybuilders without pharmaceutical assistance.</p> <p>The main risks come from poor technique or trying to lift too much too soon – issues that can be easily avoided with some guidance.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221307/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/erin-kelly-1497598"><em>Erin Kelly</em></a><em>, Lecturer and PhD Candidate, Discipline of Sport and Exercise Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/strength-training-has-a-range-of-benefits-for-women-here-are-4-ways-to-get-into-weights-221307">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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Sam Neill reveals his pillar of strength during cancer battle

<p>Anyone facing a major health battle will always cherish the support they receive from loved ones during tough times, and Sam Neill couldn't be more grateful for his support system. </p> <p>In 2022, the Jurassic Park star was diagnosed with stage-three blood cancer and had to undergo treatment.</p> <p>Fortunately, he is still in remission, and during a recent interview on the <em>Big Talk Show</em> podcast, he told host Jess Rowe that it was fellow actor and friend Bryan Brown who was a pillar of strength for him during his health battle. </p> <p>"I would be completely lost without friends and old friends are even more precious because they have been through the tough times," Neill said. </p> <p>“I had a spell in hospital and Bryan came in every day. Every day. I thought: ‘That’s a real friend’.</p> <p>“He didn’t have anything to say, but he came in and kept me company.”</p> <p>He added that despite the pair having very little in common, their friendship has lasted for more than 40 years. </p> <p>"Bryan and I have been friends since 1980, I think it is," he said. </p> <p>“I love him dearly, he’s a great family man [and] immensely loyal,” he added.</p> <p>Sam found out he had stage-three blood cancer in 2022 during his first trip back to New Zealand following the Covid lockdowns, that made it almost impossible for him to see his family. </p> <p>He had to undergo chemotherapy for three or four months, which he said was "brutal". </p> <p>In another interview with <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/today/sam-neill-says-working-saved-his-life-during-blood-cancer-battle/d4d7442d-c328-4ff8-9195-8a5d78d3ada0" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Today</em></a>, he also credited his work for keeping him busy and helping him survive his battle with cancer. </p> <p>"I like working and when I was diagnosed, I didn't have any work to do, so I wrote a book and that saved my life because I was pretty down and I got up in the morning and I would write and write and write and that was good fun," he said at the time. </p> <p><em>Image: Susanna Saez/EPA-EFE/ Shutterstock Editorial</em></p>

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Want the health benefits of strength training but not keen on the gym? Try ‘exercise snacking’

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/justin-keogh-129041">Justin Keogh</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jackson-fyfe-134774">Jackson Fyfe</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a></em></p> <p>The science is clear: <a href="https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full/10.1139/apnm-2020-0245">resistance training</a> is crucial to ageing well. Lifting weights (or doing bodyweight exercises like lunges, squats or push-ups) can help you live independently for longer, make your bones stronger, reduce your risk of diseases such as diabetes, and may even improve your <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28919335/">sleep and mental health</a>.</p> <p>But not everyone loves the gym. Perhaps you feel you’re not a “gym person” and never will be, or you’re too old to start. Being a gym-goer can be expensive and time-consuming, and some people report feeling <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/StartingStrength/comments/j3hq32/unwelcome_feeling_at_the_gym/">unwelcome</a> or <a href="https://www.quora.com/I-feel-awkward-and-I-want-to-start-a-gym-but-could-not-What-should-I-do">awkward</a> at the gym.</p> <p>The good news is you don’t need the gym, or lots of free time, to get the health benefits resistance training can offer.</p> <p>You can try “exercise snacking” instead.</p> <h2>What is exercise snacking?</h2> <p>Exercise snacking involves doing multiple shorter bouts (as little as 20 seconds) of exercise throughout the day – often with minimal or no equipment. It’s OK to have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01605-8">several hours of rest</a> between.</p> <p>You could do simple bodyweight exercises such as:</p> <ul> <li> <p>chair sit-to-stand (squats)</p> </li> <li> <p>lunges</p> </li> <li> <p>box step-ups</p> </li> <li> <p>calf raises</p> </li> <li> <p>push-ups.</p> </li> </ul> <p>Exercise snacking like this can help improve muscle mass, strength and physical function.</p> <p>It’s OK to hold onto a nearby object for balance, if you need. And doing these exercises regularly will also improve your balance. That, in turn, reduces your risk of falls and fractures.</p> <h2>OK I have done all those, now what?</h2> <p>Great! You can also try using resistance bands or dumbbells to do the previously mentioned five exercises as well as some of the following exercises:</p> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/IP4wM2JpDdQ?si=1B1GyV_FY5rcArW8&amp;t=6">seated rows</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/G6GIffCaJCQ?si=RxXZtzMqQ0DGxF3k&amp;t=48">chest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUnnz5i4Mnw&amp;t=5s">shoulder presses</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/z0omicIkYu4?si=8WffT3ij12SNTqEs">bicep curls</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wXVnxBgLHo">knee extensions</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtTcXXgeRYo">leg curls</a>.</p> </li> </ul> <p>When using resistance bands, make sure you hold them tightly and that they’re securely attached to an immovable object.</p> <p>Exercise snacking works well when you pair it with an activity you do often throughout the day. Perhaps you could:</p> <ul> <li> <p>do a few extra squats every time you get up from a bed or chair</p> </li> <li> <p>do some lunges during a TV ad break</p> </li> <li> <p>chuck in a few half squats while you’re waiting for your kettle to boil</p> </li> <li> <p>do a couple of elevated push-ups (where you support your body with your hands on a chair or a bench while doing the push-up) before tucking into lunch</p> </li> <li> <p>sneak in a couple of calf raises while you’re brushing your teeth.</p> </li> </ul> <h2>What does the evidence say about exercise snacking?</h2> <p>One <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31687210/">study</a> had older adults without a history of resistance training do exercise snacks at home twice per day for four weeks.</p> <p>Each session involved five simple bodyweight exercises (chair sit-to-stand, seated knee extension, standing knee bends, marching on the spot, and standing calf raises). The participants did each exercise continuously for one minute, with a one-minute break between exercises.</p> <p>These short and simple exercise sessions, which lasted just nine minutes, were enough to improve a person’s ability to stand up from a chair by 31% after four weeks (compared to a control group who didn’t exercise). Leg power and thigh muscle size improved, too.</p> <p>Research involving one of us (Jackson Fyfe) has also <a href="https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12877-022-03207-z">shown</a> older adults found “exercise snacking” feasible and enjoyable when done at home either once, twice, or three times per day for four weeks.</p> <p>Exercise snacking may be a more sustainable approach to improve muscle health in those who don’t want to – or can’t – lift heavier weights in a gym.</p> <h2>A little can yield a lot</h2> <p>We know from other research that the more you exercise, the more likely it is you will <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167268119302586">keep exercising in future</a>.</p> <p>Very brief resistance training, albeit with heavier weights, may be more <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29975122/">enjoyable</a> than traditional approaches where people aim to do many, many sets.</p> <p>We also know brief-and-frequent exercise sessions can break up <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26378942/">periods</a> of sedentary behaviour (which usually means sitting too much). Too much sitting increases your risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, whereas exercise snacking can help keep your <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36921112/">blood sugar levels steady</a>.</p> <p>Of course, longer-term studies are needed. But the evidence we do have suggests exercise snacking really helps.</p> <h2>Why does any of this matter?</h2> <p>As you age, you lose strength and mass in the muscles you use to walk, or stand up. Everyday tasks can become a struggle.</p> <p>All this <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36907247/">contributes</a> to disability, hospitalisation, chronic disease, and reliance on community and residential aged care support.</p> <p>By preserving your muscle mass and strength, you can:</p> <ul> <li> <p>reduce joint pain</p> </li> <li> <p>get on with activities you enjoy</p> </li> <li> <p>live independently in your own home</p> </li> <li> <p>delay or even eliminate the need for expensive health care or residential aged care.</p> </li> </ul> <h2>What if I walk a lot – is that enough?</h2> <p>Walking may maintain some level of lower body muscle mass, but it won’t preserve your <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38190393/">upper body muscles</a>.</p> <p>If you find it difficult to get out of a chair, or can only walk short distances without getting out of breath, resistance training is the best way to regain some of the independence and function you’ve lost.</p> <p>It’s even more important for women, as muscle mass and strength are typically lower in older women than men. And if you’ve been diagnosed with osteoporosis, which is more common in older women than men, resistance exercise snacking at home can improve your balance, strength, and bone mineral density. All of this reduces the risk of falls and fractures.</p> <p>You don’t need <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37171517/">heavy weights</a> or fancy equipment to benefit from resistance training.</p> <p>So, will you start exercise snacking today?<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/232374/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/justin-keogh-129041">Justin Keogh</a>, Associate Dean of Research, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jackson-fyfe-134774">Jackson Fyfe</a>, Senior Lecturer, Strength and Conditioning Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/want-the-health-benefits-of-strength-training-but-not-keen-on-the-gym-try-exercise-snacking-232374">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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Steep physical decline with age is not inevitable – here’s how strength training can change the trajectory

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/zachary-gillen-1251178">Zachary Gillen</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/mississippi-state-university-1970">Mississippi State University</a></em></p> <p>Raise your hand if you regularly find yourself walking up a flight of stairs. What about carrying heavy bags of groceries? How about picking up your child or grandchild? Most of us would raise our hands to doing at least one of those weekly, or even daily.</p> <p>As people age, it can become more and more difficult to perform some physical tasks, even those that are normal activities of daily living. However, prioritizing physical fitness and health as you get older can help you go through your normal day-to-day routine without feeling physically exhausted at the end of the day.</p> <p>It can also help you continue to have special memories with your family and loved ones that you might not have been able to have if you weren’t physically active. For example, I ran two half-marathons with my dad when he was in his 60s!</p> <p>I am an exercise physiologist who studies how people can <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=gn8ZiLMAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">use resistance training to improve human performance</a>, whether it be in sports and other recreational settings, in everyday life, or both. I am also a certified strength and conditioning specialist. My career has given me the opportunity to design exercise programs for kids, college athletes and elderly adults.</p> <p>Staying physically active as you get older doesn’t need to include running a half-marathon or trying to be a bodybuilder; it could be as simple as trying to get through the day without feeling winded after you go up a flight of stairs. Although our muscles naturally get weaker as we age, there are ways we can combat that to help improve quality of life as we get older.</p> <h2>Muscle loss and chronic disease</h2> <p>One of the most important parts of exercise programming, no matter who I am working with, is proper resistance training to build muscle strength. Some amount of age-related loss of muscle function is normal and inevitable. But by incorporating resistance training that is appropriate and safe at any ability level, you can slow down the rate of decline and even prevent some loss of muscle function.</p> <p>The medical term for a condition that involves <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afy169">age-related loss of muscle function and mass is sarcopenia</a>. Sarcopenia can begin as early as age 40, but it tends to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/01.mco.0000134362.76653.b2">more common in adults age 60 and older</a>. Sarcopenia is associated with a number of health issues such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glx245">increased risk of falling</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.123.064071">cardiovascular disease</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13103519">metabolic disease</a>, among others.</p> <p>In one of our team’s previous studies, we saw that otherwise healthy individuals with sarcopenia had issues <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jcsm.12932">delivering vital nutrients to muscle</a>. This could lead to greater likelihood of various diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes, and slow down recovery from exercise.</p> <p>Recent estimates suggest that sarcopenia affects <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2023.155533">10% to 16% of the elderly population worldwide</a>. But even if a person doesn’t have clinically diagnosed sarcopenia, they may still have some of the underlying symptoms that, if not dealt with, could lead to sarcopenia.</p> <h2>Strength training is key</h2> <p>So the question is, what can be done to reverse this decline?</p> <p>Recent evidence suggests that one of the key factors leading to sarcopenia is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glx245">low muscle strength</a>. In other words, combating or reversing sarcopenia, or both, may be best done with a proper resistance-training program that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02642-8">prioritizes improving strength</a>. In fact, the decline in muscle strength seems to <a href="https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.2009.28047">occur at a much faster rate</a> than the decline in muscle size, underscoring the importance of proper strength training as people age.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552839/original/file-20231009-26-epspie.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552839/original/file-20231009-26-epspie.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552839/original/file-20231009-26-epspie.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=638&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552839/original/file-20231009-26-epspie.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=638&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552839/original/file-20231009-26-epspie.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=638&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552839/original/file-20231009-26-epspie.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=802&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552839/original/file-20231009-26-epspie.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=802&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552839/original/file-20231009-26-epspie.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=802&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Chart showing the general pattern for changes in muscle strength and size across stage of life." /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Typical age-related changes in muscle strength and size with and without strength training.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Zachary Gillen</span></span></figcaption></figure> <p>Continuing to regularly strength train with moderate to heavy weights has been shown to be not only effective at combating the symptoms of sarcopenia but also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2018.09.011">very safe when done properly</a>. The best way to make sure you are strength training properly is to seek out guidance from a qualified individual such as a personal trainer or strength and conditioning specialist.</p> <p>Despite the clear benefits of strength training, it’s been shown that only about 13% of Americans age 50 and older do some form of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17572957/">strength training at least twice a week</a>.</p> <h2>Finding what works for you</h2> <p>So how does a person properly strength train as they age?</p> <p>The National Strength and Conditioning Association, a leading organization in advancing strength and conditioning around the world, states that for older adults, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003230">two to three days per week of strength training</a> can be incredibly helpful for maintaining healthy muscle and bone and combating a number of chronic conditions.</p> <p>The organization recommends that these workouts involve one to two exercises involving multiple joints per major muscle group, with six to 12 repetitions per set. These are done at an intensity of 50% to 85% of what’s known as one-repetition maximum – the most weight you could handle for a single repetition – with the exception of body weight exercises that use one’s own body weight as the resistance, such as pushups.</p> <p>I would also recommend resting for about two to three minutes between sets, or even up to five minutes if the set was challenging. For older adults, particularly those age 60 and older, the National Strength and Conditioning Association guidelines suggest that a program like this be performed two to three days per week, with 24 to 48 hours between sessions.</p> <p><iframe id="sGvo5" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/sGvo5/3/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <h2>Making life’s tasks lighter</h2> <p>The guidelines above are only one example out of many options, but they provide a framework that you can use to build your own program. However, I would highly recommend seeking out a professional in the field to give specific exercise programming advice that can be tailored to your own needs and goals as you age.</p> <p>Following such a program would give your muscles an excellent stimulus to enhance strength, while also allowing enough recovery, a very important consideration as people age. You might think it looks like a huge time commitment, but an exercise routine like this can be done in less than an hour. This means that in less than three hours of strength training per week you can help improve your muscle health and reduce the risk of getting sarcopenia and associated health issues.</p> <p>It’s also important to note that there is no one right way to do resistance training, and it needn’t involve traditional weight equipment. Group classes like Pilates and yoga or those that involve circuit training and work with resistance bands can all produce similar results. The key is to get out and exercise regularly, whatever that entails.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213131/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/zachary-gillen-1251178">Zachary Gillen</a>, Assistant Professor of Exercise Physiology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/mississippi-state-university-1970">Mississippi State University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/steep-physical-decline-with-age-is-not-inevitable-heres-how-strength-training-can-change-the-trajectory-213131">original article</a>.</em></p>

Caring

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4 things you can do today to improve bone strength

<p><em><strong>Dr Vincent is a world-renowned clinical nutritionist, food scientist and expert on antioxidants.</strong></em></p> <p>Bone health is an extremely important issue. While bones make up on average only 15 per cent of human body weight, they are the frame that supports our body. For people 60 and over, this is especially important because age-related bone loss is progressive and can lead to osteoporosis.</p> <p>As we get older, our bones tend to lose their strength, structure and density. The good news is there are lots of things we can do to slow this process and avoid osteoporosis.</p> <p>The issue of bone health has gained a lot of interest in recent years because we are all living longer but moving around less. The key to staying healthy is to keep moving. </p> <p>There are several causes and conditions that can result in bone density loss and/or osteoporosis.  This is why it is so important to discuss these issues with your health practitioners.</p> <p>The main causes include:</p> <ul> <li>Inactivity</li> <li>Aging</li> <li>Hormonal imbalances</li> <li>Certain use medications or chemicals such as steroids</li> <li>Emotional stress</li> <li>Nutritional deficiencies including bone building compounds such as vitamin D and calcium.</li> </ul> <p>It is never too late to give the much-needed attention to our bones, regardless of what age we are.</p> <p>Here are four things you can do to support your bone health.</p> <p><strong>1. Reduce your risk of falling</strong></p> <p>This may sound simple, but it is a crucial thing. One out of five falls causes a serious injury and more than 95 per cent of hip fractures are caused by falling.</p> <p>In older people, reducing risks of falling can be as easy as having your eyes checked. Having an annual eye check ensures that your eyeglasses are in line with your eye conditions.</p> <p>Older people tend to spend more time at home enjoying their familiar surrounds.  Making sure your home is a safe environment is critical.</p> <p>Getting rid of things you could trip over, adding grab bars inside and outside your tub or shower and next to the toilet, putting stable railings on both sides of stairs and making sure your home has lots of light are among the things you can do to increase the safety of your home.</p> <p><strong>2. Staying active and exercise</strong></p> <p>Exercise is vital at every age for healthy bones. It is so beneficial that it helps to prevent and treat osteoporosis. Being living tissues, bones respond to exercise by becoming stronger and more diverse exercise allows us to maintain muscle strength, coordination and balance which in turn helps to reduce the risk of falling.</p> <p>The best bone exercise is weight bearing or resistance training, basically exercises that force you to work against gravity. Examples include weight training, walking, hiking, tennis and even dancing!</p> <p>Simple activities such as gardening, walking the dog and cleaning are also great ways to remain active and exercise our bones.</p> <p>Remember it is important to always consult health or fitness professionals before starting a new exercise routine.</p> <p><strong>3. Healthy diet</strong></p> <p>Fresh food is the best source of our nutritional needs.</p> <p>Dairy, raw cultured dairy (kefir and yogurt), green leafy vegetables, wild caught fish are rich in calcium, magnesium, vitamin K, phosphorus, omega 3 essential fatty acid – all of which are vital for bone health.</p> <p>Having a healthy dose of sunshine also helps to boost the synthesis of vitamin D in our body, but always be cautious with excessive UV exposure.</p> <p>Some of us may need or prefer to take supplements to fulfil these nutritional needs. As the scientist who discovered the world's first breakthrough to extract activated phenolics from produce using only water, I do recommend taking activated phenolics on a daily basis to help to support our general health and wellbeing.</p> <p>On the contrary, excessive intake alcohol, sugar, caffeine and processed meat could be detrimental for our bone health.</p> <p><strong>4. Healthy mind</strong></p> <p>It goes without saying that a healthy mind helps to build a healthy body. We know that stress is one of the causes of bone density loss. Stress can cause hormonal imbalance, poor nutrients absorption and lack of physical activity. Stop worrying about the little things and focus on the important things.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

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Should your workout routine change as you age?

<p>We all know how hugely important exercise, movement and an active lifestyle are for our health and longevity.</p> <p>But even the most workout-honed bods are not immune to the ageing process, and for those of us who don't have a regular fitness regime, the changes Mother Time wreaks on our bodies are even more noticeable.</p> <p>"Unfortunately, we all age and the tell-tale signs cannot be stopped," says Simon Bennett, owner and head strength and conditioning coach at TRI-FIT Endurance Performance Centre on Sydney's Northern Beaches.</p> <p>"Our metabolism slows down leading to unwanted weight gain, we produce less testosterone leading to decreased libido and our energy and mood levels aren't what they once were. Our bodies become more susceptible to injuries and we spend more money on posture related treatment like chiropractic and osteopathic care. In our late years we are at high risk of muscular and bone degenerative diseases unless we exercise regularly."</p> <p>Bennett shares the most important inclusions and changes we should make to our exercise routines as we reach 40 and beyond.</p> <p><strong>Strength/ resistance training</strong></p> <p>It's usually during our mid-30s that we typically begin to lose muscle mass and function, with physically inactive people losing as much as three to five per cent of their muscle mass with every passing decade. All too commonly, this loss of muscle mass is replaced by fat, which is why resistance training is essential as we get older.</p> <p>"Strength training not only builds strong muscles, it also develops bone mineral density which will reduce bone related diseases like osteoporosis," explains Bennett. "Strength training will also help with testosterone production, something that's important for both males and females."</p> <p>Bennett advises that there's something for everyone when it comes to strength training, ranging from powerlifting and body building for those who really want to push themselves and lift heavy weight, to cross-fit and TRI-FIT classes "for those who enjoy lifting weights but also want more. Basic strength training is a large part of the program but they have a more functional and athletic approach."</p> <p>For those who prefer light weight lifting, Bennett recommends F45 circuit training and body pump classes, "and for those who simply don't want to lift any weights, then bodyweight strength training like TRX and callisthenic training are fantastic".</p> <p><strong>Yoga</strong></p> <p>As we age, the neuromuscular connections that help keep us upright slowly decline, resulting in poorer balance. But the good news is those nerve pathways can be kept in check or even reclaimed by specific daily attention.</p> <p>A good habit to get into is to practice standing on one leg like a stork each morning while you brush your teeth. From an exercise perspective, Bennett recommends yoga to "lengthen the muscles, improve joint mobility and stretch and strengthen all the tendons that attach your muscles to the bones".</p> <p>He advises, "Yoga comes in many styles, much like strength training, so find a local yoga centre and discuss what will suit your needs based on age, restrictions and goals."</p> <p><strong>Endurance/Cardiovascular training</strong></p> <p>Maintaining good cardiorespiratory health is vital, especially as we get older.</p> <p>"With a strong heart and lungs, we can rest assured that our vital organs are in good health," says Bennett. "Go for a run, swim some laps in the pool, surf, ride a bike, even a fast paced walk will elevate your heart rate enough to burn some kilojoules, improve blood circulation and strengthen the heart."</p> <p><strong>Conditioning/H.I.T.T Training</strong></p> <p>Keeping a handle on our weight (or avoiding developing handles in the first place!)  is notoriously more challenging once we get past 40, and Simon says the H.I.I.T revolution is the most time-efficient way to halt middle aged spread in its tracks.</p> <p>"H.I.I.T training style allows us to spike the heart rate to near max efforts in short sharp frequent bursts leaving our bodies to continue to burn kilojoules for up to 36 hours post exercise – more kilojoules burnt in less time basically. Now people can be in and out of as gym in under 45 minutes which suits the fast pace of modern life."</p> <p><strong>Foam rolling and mobility training</strong></p> <p>As we age, our tendons and muscles tend to get tighter, and our risk of injury – tendinitis, in particular – increases. Daily stretching is essential later in life, and foam rolling is a great addition to this.</p> <p>Explains Bennett, "You should spend at least 10 minutes prior to any exercise performing a variety of drills and movements using foam rollers, massage balls, broom handles and resistance bands.</p> <p>"These movements allow for greater range of motion in our joints, the release of tight and overactive muscles from day to day activities and the breakdown of any adhesions that occur in the fascia, the fibrous connective tissue that surrounds our muscles. If this is tight then the muscles can't be used efficiently, meaning added stress on tendons that will place you at a higher risk of soft tissue injuries."</p> <p>While maintaining a fitness regime throughout life is ideal, it's never too late to start a fitness program. Bennett has this advice for people who've had a long time between gym visits:</p> <p>If you have any illnesses or injuries that may inhibit you from physical training, see a physician to get medical clearance.</p> <p>Begin light and build into it. Start bodyweight training before advancing to more challenging styles of training.</p> <p>Ensure a variety of styles of exercise. Doing the same thing will lead to training plateaus so mix it up.</p> <p>How do you exercise in tune with your body? Let us know in the comments below.</p> <p><em>Written by Zoe Meunier. First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz.</span></strong></a></em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

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Empowerment, individual strength and the many facets of love: why I fell for Tina Turner

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/leigh-carriage-456522">Leigh Carriage</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-cross-university-1160">Southern Cross University</a></em></p> <p>For singers – amateur and professional alike – the name Tina Turner evokes instant reverence: Turner is a singer’s singer and perhaps the performer’s performer.</p> <p>A highly successful songwriter, the consummate dancer and fittingly ranked as one of the <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-artists-147446/">100 Greatest Artists of All Time</a> by Rolling Stone magazine, Turner was the ultimate entertainer.</p> <p>Upon hearing of her death, I was deeply saddened. I immediately recalled the intoxicating power and timbre of her voice, her mesmerising energy and her commanding performances.</p> <p>I started singing sections of songs such as <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2T5_seDNZE">Proud Mary</a></em>, <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9Lehkou2Do">River Deep Mountain High</a></em> and of course iconic original songs, such as <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I07249JX8w4">Nutbush City Limits</a></em>. This was an intimate, sentimental, nostalgic and danceable song celebrating Turner’s roots growing up in the small town of Nutbush, Tennessee.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Tina Turner was raw. She was powerful. She was unstoppable. And she was unapologetically herself—speaking and singing her truth through joy and pain; triumph and tragedy. Today we join fans around the world in honoring the Queen of Rock and Roll, and a star whose light will never… <a href="https://t.co/qXl2quZz1c">pic.twitter.com/qXl2quZz1c</a></p> <p>— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1661514993383120896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <h2>Fierce hard work</h2> <p>My first encounter with Turner’s brilliance and might was hearing her hits of the mid-1980s, with songs like Graham Lyle’s <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGpFcHTxjZs">What’s Love Got To Do With It</a></em>, Al Green’s <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rFB4nj_GRc">Let’s Stay Together</a></em> and – love it or hate it – the powerful rock ballad <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcm-tOGiva0">We Don’t Need Another Hero</a></em>, the theme song to <em>Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.</em></p> <p>Once introduced, I immersed myself in her extensive back catalogue, soaking in her early 1960s soul, funk and emerging rock tracks.</p> <p>Today, I flashed back to memories of the physical energy and technical focus and practice it took just attempting to sing any Turner songs in my 20s.</p> <p>The degree of difficulty required to perform as Turner did cannot be understated.</p> <p>To sing with such consistency in such high registers, belting out song after song live with impeccable pitch, breath control, fitness, articulation and rhythmic precision is one thing. To do all of this while dancing with intense pace to highly choreographed routines throughout each show is on a whole other level.</p> <p>Her performance practice exemplified fierce hard work – with an immense energy and vitality in live performance.</p> <p>Try singing any of her songs at a Karaoke bar. Very quickly you gain some insight into the technical demands her songs require.</p> <h2>Making songs her own</h2> <p>For every singer, selecting a repertoire to cover is an ongoing quest.</p> <p>In a sea of the world’s great songs, Turner selected songs she could make her own. She remodelled every song she sang - realigning them so much that we now think of them as hers first.</p> <p>There are so many examples. My favourites are Turner’s formidable versions of <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIPoC6JlP38">I Can’t Stand the Rain</a> </em>(originally by Ann Peebles), <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC5E8ie2pdM">The Best</a></em> (Bonnie Tyler) and <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4QnalIHlVc">Private Dancer</a></em> (Mark Knopfler).</p> <p>A great deal of the songs Turner was known for through the 1960s were covers. Turner’s forceful and expressive vocal delivery gave new life to these songs, realigning them with her uniquely identifiable sound and choice of vocal register, her phrasing choices and her punctuated rhythmic delivery.</p> <p>Turner is perhaps less known as a songwriter, but her diverse songwriting demonstrated her skill and thoughtful, well-crafted lyrics. On her 1972 album Feel Good, nine of the ten songs were written by Turner. From 1973 to 1977, Turner composed all the songs on each album.</p> <p>One of my favourites of her original songs is the power ballad <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l__zi3OtrQ0">Be Tender With Me Baby</a></em>. It speaks of a request for understanding, of her loneliness and vulnerability, sung with Turner’s intensity.</p> <p>Across her original songs and covers, Turner’s repertoire spoke of empowerment, individual strength and the many facets of love. Beyond performing, Turner represented inner strength, spiritual depth and resilience against adversity.</p> <p>In 1996, when Turner was 57, she recorded her ninth studio album, <em>Wildest Dreams</em>.</p> <p>One track, <em>Something Beautiful Remains</em>, may not be as familiar as many of her other hits, but it is the song I have kept returning to today. In the chorus, Turner’s lyrics are sadly perfectly fitting:</p> <blockquote> <p>For every life that fades<br />Something beautiful remains.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206395/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> </blockquote> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1uXLFtXpeFU?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/leigh-carriage-456522">Leigh Carriage</a>, Senior Lecturer in Music, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-cross-university-1160">Southern Cross University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/empowerment-individual-strength-and-the-many-facets-of-love-why-i-fell-for-tina-turner-206395">original article</a>.</em></p>

Music

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Am I too old to build muscle? What science says about sarcopenia and building strength later in life

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-scott-1258511">David Scott</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/robin-m-daly-19560">Robin M. Daly</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a></em></p> <p>Sarcopenia is the progressive and accelerated loss of muscle mass and strength as we age.</p> <p>The term was coined in the 1980s, and the condition has been recognised as a disease for less <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.5694/mja2.50432">than a decade</a>, but the concept is as old as time: use it or lose it.</p> <p>But what if you’re in your 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s? Is it “too late” to build muscle and fight sarcopenia? Here’s what the research says.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525756/original/file-20230511-19-34yuj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525756/original/file-20230511-19-34yuj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525756/original/file-20230511-19-34yuj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525756/original/file-20230511-19-34yuj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525756/original/file-20230511-19-34yuj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525756/original/file-20230511-19-34yuj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525756/original/file-20230511-19-34yuj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525756/original/file-20230511-19-34yuj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Exercise training during weight loss can also prevent bone loss.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Sarcopenia isn’t just unfortunate. It’s dangerous</h2> <p>All of us will start to gradually lose muscle from our mid-30s, but this loss accelerates in later years. For up to 30% of adults aged over 60, the declines are substantial enough to meet the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jcsm.12783">definition for sarcopenia</a>.</p> <p>Sarcopenia increases your risk of falls, fractures, hospitalisation, loss of independence and many other chronic diseases.</p> <p>However, people who are active in early life and maintain this as they age can delay or prevent the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jcsm.13218">onset of sarcopenia</a>.</p> <p>The good news is it’s never too late to make a start, even if you are already experiencing the debilitating effects of sarcopenia.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525520/original/file-20230511-29-5201jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525520/original/file-20230511-29-5201jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525520/original/file-20230511-29-5201jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525520/original/file-20230511-29-5201jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525520/original/file-20230511-29-5201jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525520/original/file-20230511-29-5201jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525520/original/file-20230511-29-5201jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525520/original/file-20230511-29-5201jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">It’s never too late to make a start.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>What the science says</h2> <p>Resistance training is the most effective way to build and strengthen muscle at all ages. That means things like:</p> <ul> <li> <p>lifting free weights like dumbbells</p> </li> <li> <p>using machine weights, like you find in a gym</p> </li> <li> <p>using resistance bands</p> </li> <li> <p>bodyweight exercises such as push-ups, squats, wall-sits or tricep dips.</p> </li> </ul> <p>It’s OK to start with even very light weights, or do modified, easier versions of bodyweight exercises (for example, you might do a shallow squat rather than a deep one, or a push-up against a wall or windowsill instead of on the floor). Something is always better than nothing.</p> <p>Aim to make the exercise harder over time. Lift progressively heavier weights or do increasingly harder versions of bodyweight or resistance band exercises. This is called progressive resistance training.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525565/original/file-20230511-27-1sxqpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525565/original/file-20230511-27-1sxqpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525565/original/file-20230511-27-1sxqpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525565/original/file-20230511-27-1sxqpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525565/original/file-20230511-27-1sxqpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525565/original/file-20230511-27-1sxqpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525565/original/file-20230511-27-1sxqpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525565/original/file-20230511-27-1sxqpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Aim to make the exercise harder over time.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure> <p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-020-01331-7?fbclid=IwAR06PPIz8cf2xZExNvrnlueQp0-7SWQwT1x0bUdnZrgTOqcyiAdTrpufTjU">Clinical trials</a> have consistently shown all adults – even very frail people over the age of 75 – can make significant gains in muscle mass and strength by doing progressive resistance training at least twice a week. The improvements can be seen in as little as eight weeks.</p> <p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2342214/">One seminal study</a> included ten frail, institutionalised 86–96 year olds who did a high-intensity progressive resistance training program.</p> <p>After just eight weeks, the average mid-thigh muscle area had increased by almost 10% (which is equivalent to the amount of muscle typically lost over a decade) and leg strength increased by about 180%.</p> <p>In other words, these older people were almost three times stronger at the end of the short training program than before.</p> <p>It really can be done. British-Swiss man <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGgoCm1hofM">Charles Eugster</a> (1919–2017), for example, took up progressive resistance training in his late 80s after noticing a decline in his muscle mass. He went on to become a <a href="https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/lessons-from-a-95-year-old-bodybuilder.html">bodybuilder</a>, and in 2012 gave a TEDx <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGgoCm1hofM">talk</a> titled “Why bodybuilding at age 93 is a great idea”.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525755/original/file-20230511-23-xwcq71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6689%2C4466&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525755/original/file-20230511-23-xwcq71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6689%2C4466&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525755/original/file-20230511-23-xwcq71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525755/original/file-20230511-23-xwcq71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525755/original/file-20230511-23-xwcq71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525755/original/file-20230511-23-xwcq71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525755/original/file-20230511-23-xwcq71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525755/original/file-20230511-23-xwcq71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Resistance training is the most effective way to build and strengthen muscle at all ages.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>What if my doctor has told me to lose weight?</h2> <p>Many older adults have obesity, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.</p> <p>They’re often told to lose weight, but any dieting (or other strategy aimed at weight loss) also usually causes muscle loss.</p> <p>Losing muscle mass in older age could increase the risk for many common chronic conditions. For example, muscle is crucial to keeping blood sugar levels under control, so excessive muscle loss could blunt the benefits of weight loss for people with type 2 diabetes.</p> <p>If you’re losing weight, it’s important to try to minimise muscle mass loss at the same time. How? Progressive resistance training.</p> <p>By combining progressive resistance training with weight loss, one study found the resulting muscle loss is <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29596307/">negligible</a>. (It’s also important that if you are dieting, you are still eating <a href="https://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614(14)00111-3/fulltext">enough protein</a>, so your body has the ingredients it needs to build new muscle).</p> <p>Exercise training during weight loss can also prevent <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254621000491">bone loss</a>, which reduces fracture risk in older people.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520175/original/file-20230411-26-v63lvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C19%2C4368%2C2877&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520175/original/file-20230411-26-v63lvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C19%2C4368%2C2877&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520175/original/file-20230411-26-v63lvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520175/original/file-20230411-26-v63lvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520175/original/file-20230411-26-v63lvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520175/original/file-20230411-26-v63lvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520175/original/file-20230411-26-v63lvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520175/original/file-20230411-26-v63lvh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">An accredited exercise professional can help design a program that suits you.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Aim for at least twice a week – more if you can</h2> <p>Whether or not you’re trying to lose weight, and regardless of whether you think you have sarcopenia, all older adults can benefit from strengthening their muscles.</p> <p>Even if getting to a gym or clinic is hard, there are plenty of resistance exercises you can do at home or outdoors that will help build strength.</p> <figure class="align-right zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525783/original/file-20230512-35478-3o1th8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525783/original/file-20230512-35478-3o1th8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525783/original/file-20230512-35478-3o1th8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525783/original/file-20230512-35478-3o1th8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525783/original/file-20230512-35478-3o1th8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525783/original/file-20230512-35478-3o1th8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525783/original/file-20230512-35478-3o1th8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525783/original/file-20230512-35478-3o1th8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" width="498" height="747" /></a><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <p>Talk to a health professional before starting a moderate to high intensity progressive resistance training program. An accredited exercise professional can help design a program that suits you.</p> <p>Generally, we should aim to do progressive resistance training at least <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12603-021-1665-8">twice a week</a>.</p> <p>Try to target 8–10 muscle groups, and start out at about 30–40% of your maximum effort before progressing over time to 70–80% of your maximum.</p> <p>As the name suggests, it is key to progressively increase the effort or challenge of your program so you can feel the improvements and achieve your goals.</p> <p>It’s never too late to start training for your fight against sarcopenia and loss of independence in older age. The health benefits will be worth it. As Socrates <a href="https://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/plato/theaetet.htm">said</a> in the 4th Century BC:</p> <blockquote> <p>is not the bodily habit spoiled by rest and idleness, but preserved for a long time by motion and exercise?<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203562/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-scott-1258511">David Scott</a>, Associate Professor (Research) and NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/robin-m-daly-19560">Robin M. Daly</a>, Professor of Exercise and Ageing, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a></em></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/am-i-too-old-to-build-muscle-what-science-says-about-sarcopenia-and-building-strength-later-in-life-203562">original article</a>.</p>

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"There is great strength in vulnerability": Grace Tame’s surprising, irreverent memoir has a message of hope

<p>Grace Tame’s <em>The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner</em> shifts expectations. It’s not a minute-to-minute backstage account of the 12 months Tame spent as Australian of the Year, or the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/aug/12/tasmanian-survivor-of-sexual-assault-wins-the-right-to-tell-her-story" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#LetHerSpeak campaign</a> or the March4Justice.</p> <p>It’s not wholly focused on her struggles with hostile elements in the commercial media or the former prime minister she calls “Scott” – which is only democratic after all, given “Scott” invariably called her “Grace”.</p> <p>The book presents a horrifying account of being groomed and sexually abused as a 15-year-old by her 58-year-old schoolteacher, but it’s also not entirely taken up with “that part of my story that has been magnified and scrutinised publicly”.</p> <p>What the book reveals is that while such events are “undoubtedly traumatic” they haven’t “defined” her “unfinished experience of life”.</p> <p>And this is the important message of hope it gives to survivors of child sexual abuse. Until very recently, this crime was diminished or largely ignored by a culture that has historically <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Child-Sexual-Abuse-Moral-Panic-or-State-of-Denial/Pilgrim/p/book/9781138578371" target="_blank" rel="noopener">labelled it a myth or moral panic</a>, thereby enabling abusers. Meanwhile, as Tame writes, “they [abusers] deny, they attack, and they cry victim, while attempting to cast [victims] as the offenders”.</p> <p>“Child abusers groom through isolation, fear and shame,” writes Tame. “Through the manipulation of our entire society. All of us, to some extent, have been groomed.”</p> <p>Ahead of publication, Tame deleted her Twitter account. “I am aware this book will draw varying responses,” she writes, “including brutal backlash”. Pre-emptively responding to trolls and detractors, Tame says that she doesn’t “work for critics” but for “the people who find themselves in our words” and are “empowered by them”.</p> <p>Instead, the book shares the larger story of Tame’s life in the hope that “my being vulnerable will permit the vulnerability of another”.</p> <h2>Mining for diamonds as an attitude to life</h2> <p>Unexpectedly, the memoir opens with the story of a man called Jorge – aged “67 or 76” – who Grace met in a ramshackle share house in Portugal at the age of 19. Jorge was “asset poor” but “story rich”. He had led “nine lives” in “seven different languages”, as a soccer player, a musician, a springboard diver, the former husband of a Jewish-American heiress and – like the figure in the book’s title – a diamond miner in Brazil. All that remained of these great adventures was an “overstuffed” chihuahua called Pirate and books of photographs.</p> <p>An older, “healthily jaded” Tame suspects the chameleon-like Jorge was probably a con artist but writes that this “layer of delicious irony” merely served to confirm in her mind the things Jorge taught her that had “genuine value” – that life is essentially about people, experiences, authenticity, and connection. “Raw. Real. Uncut.”</p> <p>Of course, it’s not Jorge but Tame herself who is the diamond miner in the book’s title. In this extended motif, diamond mining expresses an attitude to life.</p> <p>“Some things in life are ultimately what we make of them,” writes Tame, “… there are things we can and cannot control” but “our power resides in how we respond to each”.</p> <p>Inevitably, this sense of optimism is tempered with a warning. The “ninth life” of a cat is the point at which the creature becomes vulnerable.</p> <p>For feminists of my own generation, who were taught that you had to be stronger, and tougher, and smarter just to get by, the book surprisingly reveals that “there is great strength in vulnerability”. Being vulnerable, says Tame, is about remaining open to life.</p> <p>Tame writes about her aunts and cousins, about her parents’ divorce, her fight with anorexia, her neurodiversity, and the six years she spent living in the United States, where she moved aged 18. There’s her brief marriage to former Hollywood child star Spencer Breslin in 2017, with an Elvis-themed wedding, her friendship with actor John Cleese and his daughter Camilla, her work as an illustrator and indeed her brief stint working on a marijuana farm.</p> <p>She writes about partying in California, hanging out in New York, and experimenting with drugs, which she says she no longer does. She has strong views on everything from the politics of Austrian novelist and playwright Peter Handke to her visit to the house of Frida Kahlo’s husband Diego Rivera in Guanajuato, Mexico.</p> <p>The book is loosely chronological, but mostly follows the rhythms and shapes of Tame’s thoughts. It is held together by a strong, irreverent, irrepressible voice, and is enclosed within a cover illustration that she drew herself.</p> <h2>Growing up neurodiverse</h2> <p>Tame was born in 1994, in Rokeby, a working-class suburb of Hobart, growing up in the same street as her aunts, cousins and grandparents, surrounded by a boisterous crowd of relatives who taught her, “Solidarity. And lots of love.”</p> <p>She describes childhood days spent “climbing trees, jumping fences” and running in and out of cousin’s houses.</p> <p>But she also recollects her childhood as a time of instability, being carted back and forth between the houses of two amicably divorced parents, which was, she says in retrospect, too much for a neurodiverse child.</p> <p>“My mind sees time through the glass door of a front-loading washing machine on a never-ending spin cycle,” she writes. “I can pull out specific memories that look as clean as yesterday because at any given moment everything is churning at high speed in colour”.</p> <p>She quickly learnt “mimicking and masking”, the “survival strategies” of autistic women. Much later, she would find out that neurodiversity can also be a strength. Tame calls herself “the autistic artist who finds everyday socialising harder than calculus, but walking onto a stage as easy as kindergarten maths”.</p> <p>She is at pains to point out that although she has “seen some strife” – unlike the former prime minister’s characterisation of her as person who has had “<a href="https://7news.com.au/politics/pm-had-no-issue-with-grace-tame-meeting-c-5473752" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a terrible life</a>” – “on the whole” her life has been mostly “wonderful”.</p> <h2>Abuse</h2> <p>But in the background was “our family’s sixth spidery sense”, largely directed at divining the presence of huntsmen, which Tame learnt to carry out of the house “by the leg”. Aptly, this description foreshadows her encounter with the “rock spider” Nicolaas Bester, the serial sex offender lurking in the private Anglican girls’ school for which Tame’s mother, aspiring to a better education for her daughter, worked hard to pay the fees.</p> <p>Bester began preying on Tame at age 15 in “the very same year my mental health began to decline”. The grooming started in the classroom with Bester telling what he claimed were jokes. Once, about a student “obsessed with tubular objects”. At another time, about <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/rage-saved-my-life-in-the-end-grace-tame-on-not-backing-down-20220719-p5b2s7.html?collection=p5biok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a former student</a> who he claimed was “as easy as a McDonald’s drive-through”.</p> <p>Through “innocent, permissive laughter” students became acquainted with a “supposedly harmless man”. His “recycled racy comments were just part of his schtick, and they didn’t alarm our young inexperienced minds in the same way they might have adults”.</p> <p>Nobody suspected there was something fundamentally wrong in all this, alleging “he pushed the boundaries, that was all”.</p> <p>Bester soon began following Tame about, attempting to gain access by pretending to be her uncle at a medical facility where Tame was being treated, also turning up at the kiosk where she had a part-time job.</p> <p>Tame’s parents had two consecutive meetings with the school, asking them to put an end to Bester’s “inappropriate behaviour”. But Bester “coolly laid the groundwork for a narrative in which I was the supposed aggressor, and mentally ill one that he felt ‘sorry for’.” And the school, she writes, believed him. “This would, in fact, be his line of defence in court.”</p> <p>The police statement given by the school principal was, she argues, “perversely, almost as damning of the school as it was of him”.</p> <p>It revealed that “despite regular and consistent complaints from students, staff, parents and visitors to the institution” the school “allowed him to continue working”.</p> <p>Police found “videos of adults raping children on his computer”.</p> <p>Tame writes that after she disclosed the sexual abuse by Bester, the school sent her mother a bill for outstanding fees.</p> <p>Bester was sentenced to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-12/nicolaas-bester-sentenced-over-social-media-comments-child-abuse/7083524" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two years and 10 months in jail in 2011</a> for the abuse of Tame. Yet, writes Tame, he was surrounded by apologists. His church group invited him back to play the organ as soon as he was released. On social media, or simply standing on the street outside a nightclub, Tame was surrounded by a barrage of victim-blaming abuse.</p> <h2>Advocacy and the media</h2> <p>Over time, the media narrative around child sexual abuse has begun to shift, due to the public advocacy of countless men and women, including Tame. But the change is inconsistent and uneven.</p> <p>In 2018, Tame teamed up with Nina Funnell, a Walkley Award winning freelance journalist and sexual assault survivor who began the #LetHerSpeak campaign in partnership with Marque Lawyers and End Rape On Campus Australia. The campaign was aimed at overturning the gag clauses in Tasmanian and Northern Territory law. In 2019, Tame won a supreme court exemption to tell her harrowing story of being groomed by Bester.</p> <p>Advocacy takes its toll, she writes, in “the re-traumatisation that results from reliving the abuse.” It is predicated on an incessant “unpacking and processing”, with the reality of abuse “playing on a loop”.</p> <p>All the while Tame says she has been called everything from a “feminist hero of the fourth wave” to a “man-hater” and a “transgender child abuser”.</p> <p>The brief accounts Tame gives of her interactions with commercial television producers and journalists are far from flattering to the media. Though she looks strong, the media furore frequently left her “shaking”.</p> <blockquote> <p>I’d never had such intense panic attacks, coloured by flashbacks cut with criticisms so violent that all I could hope to do was knock myself out in the hopes of knocking them out of me.</p> </blockquote> <p>And there were, consequently, missed opportunities. The 2021 National Press Club address “in which I talked about how the media retraumatises survivors by not listening closely to the boundaries they set” was “overshadowed that day by a confected feud” between Tame and the former prime minister “that then spiralled and became an ongoing convenient media distraction used to dilute the work I did.”</p> <p>Other media encounters are slammed as “trauma pornography in disguise” and the “unethical, disingenuous gathering of vulnerable people for the purpose of entertainment”.</p> <p>Towards the end of the book Tame recounts the frenzied criticism generated by the so called “side-eye” moment, where she was photographed with then PM Morrison at this year’s morning tea for Australian of the Year recipients.</p> <p>In the wake of these photographs, she writes, her partner Max Heerey was “sent a barrage of text messages” including repeated messages from one journalist asking whether her “autism” had “something to do with” her frosty exchange with Morrison and if “I frowned because I was autistic”.</p> <p>At this point, Max informed the journalist that their questions were ableist and “incredibly offensive”.</p> <p>“I have no idea if it’s offensive or true or what but just wanted to ask as it’s a discussion being raised,” the journalist shot back, followed by a screenshot sampling an article citing autistic “so-called ‘social-deficits’”.</p> <p>“I said please don’t contact me again. This is all incredibly offensive,” Max repeated. “Grace is autistic but not stupid”.</p> <p>But the texts kept coming.</p> <p>Tame writes,</p> <blockquote> <p>I didn’t frown at the Prime Minister because I can’t control my face, because I’m disabled, because I have some kind of deficit, or because I need help. I didn’t frown at him because, in his words, ‘I’ve had a terrible life’’".</p> <p>I frowned at Scott Morrison deliberately because, in my opinion, he has done and assisted in objectively terrible things.“</p> </blockquote> <p>Without specifying what those things are, Tame writes, "No matter what your politics are, the harm that was done under his government was … not limited to survivors of domestic and sexual violence”.</p> <p>To have “smiled at him” would have been a lie.</p> <p>In place of confected outrage, which is “disturbingly skewed”, this memoir attempts to “bridge gaps in understanding” and “ignite a conversation”. It’s worth the “risk and pain”, Tame writes, because “evil thrives in silence”.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/there-is-great-strength-in-vulnerability-grace-tames-surprising-irreverent-memoir-has-a-message-of-hope-191074" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Images: National Press Club of Australia/Macmillan</em></p>

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6 major muscle groups you need to train to keep fit

<p dir="ltr">There is no question that strength is beauty. Not only will resistance training make you look toned, strong and beautiful, it is the key in the fight against aging. This is because adults lose muscle every decade of their life, which underlies all the perils of aging, osteoporosis, type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, unwanted weight gain and an increased susceptibility to illness and fall related injuries. Weight training can slow or even reverse this process.</p> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p dir="ltr">A muscle group is exactly what it sounds like: a group of muscles situated close together on your body that perform similar movements. You want to train all six major muscle groups for optimum health and strength and to keep your body symmetrical. Focusing on the 6 major muscle groups listed below will get you on track to your best body. You can complete this full body workout using half a dozen weight machines at the gym and this will provide you with efficient and effective results. 12 -15 repetitions x 3 sets for each machine.</p> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <ol> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Chest – Your chest is involved in every type of push movement that you do, like pushing a door open. Working your chest will strengthen your pectoral muscles, give your breasts a more lifted appearance and is also extremely important for your posture. The chest press machine is essential and probably the most commonly used machine for upper body strengthening. It also engages the arms and shoulders.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Back – Strong backs not only look good and are important for posture but are also needed for all pulling, lifting and carrying actions. Working both lower and upper back muscles will stabilise and protect the spine. A strong back therefore is required to perform daily tasks and is protective against injury. The lat pull down is the machine to use here. After the chest press it is one of the most recognised in the gym. It targets many muscles of the back, but most importantly the latissimus dorsi which is the largest back muscle. Like the chest machine it also incorporates the arms and shoulders. The second machine for your back is the seated cable row machine. It works all the muscles across your middle back and in addition uses the triceps and biceps as stabilisers.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Arms – Strong toned arms look amazing. Beyond aesthetics however, regular arm exercises are closely linked to longevity as they strengthen your heart, improve circulation and can generally reduce the risk of heart disease. The assisted pull up (or chin up) machine is a fabulous way to work your arms and you can target different areas with different grips. A neutral (palms facing each other) and narrow grip is a highly effective way to work biceps and triceps especially for women who are still building upper body strength.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Shoulders – The shoulders – or deltoids -are among the most important we use in daily life. Whether we are pushing, pulling or lifting things over our head, they always come in to play. Great shoulders also make us look strong and confident. The shoulder press machine improves shoulder size, strength, stability and mobility. It also extends these benefits to the tricep muscles in the arms.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Legs – Leg exercises are excellent because not only do they make our legs look toned and beautiful they improve your overall body fitness and flexibility. Leg workouts engage the major muscle groups of the body which support healthy movement patterns daily life. The leg press machine is so popular, you practically need a reservation to get a few sets in. It is a powerful compound lower body exercise that works your quads glutes and hamstrings.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Calves – Keeping the calves strong is extremely important because your calves propel you forward and absorb load with every step. You can use the Leg press machine to strengthen your calves by placing your toes and the balls of your feet on the lower part of the platform.</p> </li> </ol> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p dir="ltr">Becoming strong and toned isn’t nearly as complicated and difficult as you might think. One of the biggest myths about building muscle and strength is that you have to spend long hard hours in the gym. This is just not the case, you simply need to put your 6 major muscle groups under pressure with some heavy weights once to twice a week. This type of training will increase your muscle mass, literally transform your body and set you on the path to a healthier, stronger, more youthful life.</p> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p><strong>Lyndal Linkin, author of To Age or Not to Age, is a 56-year-old anti-aging expert who’s spent her lifetime learning about anti-aging solutions. A successful entrepreneur, corporate leader and mother, she uses her years of research and personal experience to explain the most effective methods so you can look and feel younger. Find out more at <a href="http://www.lyndallinkin.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.lyndallinkin.com.au</a> or Instagram: @lyndallinkin </strong></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

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If you cry while watching movies, it is probably a sign of your emotional strength

<p>You have probably found yourself weeping quietly, or even suddenly sobbing uncontrollably, while watching a movie. Common culprits include <em>Marley and Me, The Color Purple, Schindler’s List</em> and <em>The Lion King</em>.</p> <p>You may have tried to blubber discretely so your dry-eyed companions didn’t think you were a sook (and no doubt you had a sneaky look sideways to see if they were glassy-eyed too), or you may have boldly sobbed away.</p> <p>Why do we cry in movies? Is this a sign of emotional weakness (hence hiding it from your friends) or an indicator of strength – evidence of emotional intelligence?</p> <p>Good movies are carefully crafted to engage us and be deeply absorbing. They transport us into the world of their characters: to see as they see, feel as they feel, and even totally identify with a character in some cases. We know movies are not real, but we are so engrossed that we emotionally react as though they are.</p> <p>Some are based on true stories, and knowing this makes them even more potent. The emotional power of some movies is especially captivating: they’re not called tearjerkers for nothing.</p> <h2>The love hormone</h2> <p>Neuroscientist Paul Zak <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4445577/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has studied</a> the effects of compelling stories, showing watching them can cause the release of oxytocin.</p> <p>Oxytocin is best known for its role in childbirth and breast feeding, increasing contractions during labour and stimulating the milk ducts. It is also released in response to positive physical contact – hugging, kissing, sexual intimacy and even petting animals – as well as through positive social interactions.</p> <p>Consequently, it has been called the “<a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/love-hormone" target="_blank" rel="noopener">love hormone</a>”.</p> <p>As social animals, our survival depends on social bonding, and oxytocin is critical. It helps us to identify and attach with our essential caregivers and protective social groups.</p> <p>According to another neuroscientist, Robert Froemke, <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-neuro-102320-102847" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent research</a> shows oxytocin has an even broader impact and acts as a “volume dial”, amplifying brain activity related to whatever a person is currently experiencing.</p> <p>So, although oxytocin may be targeted biologically at ensuring strong social bonds, it also serves to enhance emotional responses.</p> <p>Crying in the movies is a sign that oxytocin has been triggered by the connections you feel due to vicarious social experience. Your attention is captured and emotions elicited by the movie’s story.</p> <p>Oxytocin is then associated with heightened feelings of empathy and compassion, further intensifying feelings of social connectedness and you pay even further attention to the social cues of the characters in the movie. Hence the sudden emotional outpour!</p> <h2>Empathy is a sign of strength</h2> <p>Empathy is a key component of emotional intelligence.</p> <p>Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and regulate your own emotions and to understand and manage the emotions of others.</p> <p>According to psychologist Daniel Goleman, empathy is one of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26329.Emotional_Intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five key</a> emotional intelligence characteristics, along with self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation and social skills.</p> <p>High emotional intelligence has <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2010.00334.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">been shown</a> to be associated with effective leadership, professional success and academic achievement, as well as better social and intimate relationships. It <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.05.029" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is linked to</a> with psychological and physical health and well-being, and greater emotional intelligence helps to deal with stress and conflict.</p> <p>Crying in response to a movie reveals high empathy, social awareness and connection – all aspects of emotional intelligence. As such, it is an indicator of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4445577/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">personal strength</a> rather than weakness.</p> <p>Sobbing openly may be a particular sign of strength, as it shows that a person is unafraid to display their emotional reaction to others.</p> <h2>Crying is not a sign of weakness</h2> <p>A reason why crying in movies has been viewed as a sign of emotional weakness is that crying, especially crying in response to the pain of others, is seen as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02288" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stereotypically</a> female behaviour.</p> <p>Add in that oxytocin, and its relationship with empathy and social bonding, is strongly associated with child-bearing, and the crying = female = weak connection is established.</p> <p>But there is nothing weak about demonstrating your emotional intelligence. Emotional crying is a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000342" target="_blank" rel="noopener">uniquely</a> human behaviour. Good movies embed us in another world, eliciting powerful emotions and triggering biological processes in our brain.</p> <p>Suddenly being awash in tears shows a strong empathy response. Blubber away and be proud of your emotional intelligence – and maybe search out tearjerker movies to check out the emotional response of your friends.</p> <p><em><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/if-you-cry-while-watching-movies-it-is-probably-a-sign-of-your-emotional-strength-182664" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></em></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

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5 tips to stay strong without leaving home

<p><span id="docs-internal-guid-7c8f59ae-7fff-8a9d-bd7f-7102b75b70ef">Exercise is a necessity that can not only be daunting to start, but costly to invest in. As we get older, exercise can become even more crucial, with strength training helping us combat osteoporosis and sarcopenia, or the wasting of muscle, which can affect everything from our joints and bone density to metabolism and mobility.</span></p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/06/donna-aston.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>The bestselling author and dietician has shared her tips for staying strong without leaving home. Image: Supplied</em></p> <p dir="ltr">But, exercise doesn’t have to break the bank and can be done without leaving home.</p> <p dir="ltr">To help you get started, nutritionist and bestselling author Donna Aston reveals her top 5 tips on how to stay strong without leaving home - no expensive gym memberships needed!</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>1. Body weight</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">We really don’t need any fancy, expensive gym equipment to give our muscles a great workout. Your body weight will suffice and a chair can come in handy. Body-weight squats to a chair (sit and stand), tricep dips on a chair, push-ups on the kitchen bench, plank holds on the floor .. the list is endless and super effective for strengthening muscles – anywhere, anytime.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong> 2. Resistance bands</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Some fabric ‘booty bands’ are a small investment with great return. There are many online resistance band workout videos (<a href="https://astonrx.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AstonRX.com</a>, Your Tube, etc.) with instruction on how to sculpt your body and activate specific muscle groups. They also serve as a great rehab tool for anyone with injuries. I always take a set with me when I travel. Consistency is key!</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>3. Online &amp; Apps</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">The current world of advanced technology means we all have access to thousands of Apps and online video exercise instruction. And it’s not just high intensity workouts. You can find many form of home exercise, including yoga, Pilates and body weight classes, and from beginners through to advanced.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>4. Use what you have</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">If you feel you’d like to add further resistance and variety to your body weight regime, you may be surprised what you can use as weights. When the first COVID lockdown hit, we had one client in her garage using a Seasol bottle as a kettlebell! Tinned food, bottled water, heavy books – a little imagination goes a long way!</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>5. Housework! </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Need some motivation for a Spring clean? Cleaning your home (vacuuming, polishing, sweeping, making beds, moving around the furniture, etc.) is actually great exercise!</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-641c9ce7-7fff-c178-3ceb-f13f8d6573eb"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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8 health problems that can be improved with strength training

<p><strong>Reduce fatigue in multiple sclerosis </strong></p> <p>When it comes to signs of MS, a central nervous system disease, about 80 per cent of people experience fatigue, bladder control issues, balance difficulties and limb tingling.</p> <p>To control symptoms, consider picking up weights.</p> <p>Compared to a control group, patients who underwent progressive resistance training for six months experienced favourable brain changes that could deter the progression of the disease, reports a study in the <em>Multiple Sclerosis Journal</em>.</p> <p>Patients who have MS experience faster-than-normal brain shrinkage, explain researchers in a press release.</p> <p>“Drugs can counter this development, but we saw a tendency that training further minimises brain shrinkage in patients already receiving medication. In addition, we saw that several smaller brain areas actually started to grow in response to training,” said Ulrik Dalgas, associate professor in the department of public health at Aarhus University in Denmark.</p> <p><strong>Reduce discomfort in low back pain</strong></p> <p><span>There are many reasons for back pain, and it’s really common. </span></p> <p><span>In fact, 80 per cent of people will feel the ache sometime in their lives. </span><span>But rather than resting to get better, you should move. </span></p> <p><span>In a small study published in </span><em>BMJ Open Sport &amp; Exercise Medicine</em><span>, low back pain sufferers who did three free-weight training sessions per week for 16 weeks experienced 72 and 76 per cent less pain and disability, respectively. </span></p> <p><span>They also reported an improved quality of life. The researchers note that staying inactive through back pain can lead to fear-avoidance behaviours, where you stiffen up in response to activity, thereby exacerbating the problem. </span></p> <p><span>Moving more, including lifting (and lifting heavy weights), helps you heal both physically and mentally.</span></p> <p><strong>Improve mobility in Parkinson's</strong></p> <p><span>Patients who have Parkinson’s, a neurodegenerative movement disorder, experience a worsening of motor skills, resulting in tremors and impaired movements. </span></p> <p><span>They also may experience early, easy-to-miss symptoms such as a reduced sense of smell and trouble with depression. </span></p> <p><span>One 2017 Italian review set out to examine 13 trials that analysed the role strength training can play in the disease. </span></p> <p><span>The researchers concluded that it could help improve physical symptoms as well as quality of life, though they note more studies are needed to work out if strength training is the preferred activity over others. </span></p> <p><span>Until that’s known, the weight room can be your friend.</span></p> <p><strong>Reduce bone loss in osteopenia</strong></p> <p><span>For strong bones throughout life, experts recommend load-bearing exercises from jogging to jumping to create adaptations in bones that builds them stronger. </span></p> <p><span>Be sure to get strength training in there, too. Women who were diagnosed with osteopenia (bone loss that can precede osteoporosis) were instructed on an exercise protocol, including resistance exercise using free weights and elastic bands. </span></p> <p><span>A 16-year follow-up showed that in order to increase bone mineral density, they had to exercise at least twice per week (about two hours), according to the study published in the journal <em>Bone</em>. </span></p> <p><span>Because getting people to start and stick to an exercise routine can be so tough, the researchers note that exercise consistency may be the most important factor in preserving bone mass.</span></p> <p><strong>Boost fitness in heart disease</strong></p> <p><span>To prevent heart disease, the American Heart Association recommends logging 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity five days per week. </span></p> <p><span>If you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease, it’s still important to break a sweat. </span></p> <p><span>One 2017 research review in the European <em>Journal of Preventive Cardiology</em> looked at 34 studies and concluded that resistance training improved aerobic fitness just as much as aerobic exercise, while improving lower and upper body strength. </span></p> <p><span>Other surprising heart-healthy habits include expressing gratitude and getting regular sleep.</span></p> <p><strong>Better breathing in COPD</strong></p> <p><span>If you’re dealing with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an incurable condition marked by difficulty breathing, you may think it’s safest to avoid the gym. </span></p> <p><span>But it may be just what you need. </span></p> <p><span>In fact, loss of muscle strength and weakness is common in patients, something researchers say drags down the quality of life. COPD patients who performed a combo of endurance and strength training (30 minutes of each per session, three times a week) improved muscle strength more than those doing endurance training or receiving medical treatment only, per a 2017 study.</span></p> <p><strong>Improve blood sugar management in type 2 diabetes</strong></p> <p><span>In prevention and management of type 2 diabetes, exercise is key. </span></p> <p><span>After all, it helps your muscles soak up glucose from your blood and use it for energy. </span></p> <p><span>While cardio helps your body manage insulin, strength training makes it more sensitive to it, explains the American Diabetes Association. </span></p> <p><span>What’s more, it also helps you build muscle, and more muscle mass not only burns more calories, but it can also improve glucose control, points out a study in Nutrition &amp; Metabolism. </span></p> <p><span>Y</span><span>our prescription? Both resistance and aerobic exercise will give you the well-rounded routine your body needs.</span></p> <p><strong>Turn down the volume on anxiety</strong></p> <p><span>Exercise is a known stress buster, but it can also have measurable effects if you suffer from anxiety. </span></p> <p><span>One study in <em>Frontiers in Psychology </em>found that performing a bout of resistance exercise of one rep max (where you lift the heaviest weight you can for one rep) is the most effective in lowering anxious feelings both after a single session and long-term practice. </span></p> <p><span>Though it isn’t quite clear why, strength training can drive down levels of the stress hormone cortisol, telling your stress system to simmer down.</span></p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article first appeared on <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/8-health-problems-that-can-be-improved-with-strength-training" target="_blank">Reader's Digest</a>. </em><span></span></p>

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Neurodiversity can be a workplace strength, if we make room for it

<p>Emma can recognise patterns within complex code. James can develop several different solutions when faced with complicated problems. But it is unlikely either will find a job where they can put their specialist skills to work — or any job, actually.</p> <p>Emma has dyslexia. James has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. These conditions mean communicating can be a challenge, particularly in a stressful situation such as a job interview. They may also find it difficult to work in a typical office environment with noise and bright lights.</p> <p>But often the significant challenges is other people assuming they will be less capable or difficult to work with.</p> <p>About 15-20% of the <a rel="noopener" href="https://academic.oup.com/bmb/article/135/1/108/5913187" target="_blank">global population</a> are “neurodiverse”. This term, coined by Australian <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.autismawareness.com.au/news-events/aupdate/in-conversation-with-judy-singer/" target="_blank">sociologist Judy Singer</a> in 1998, conveys <a rel="noopener" href="https://autismawarenesscentre.com/un-adopts-new-goals-disabilities/" target="_blank">the idea</a> that the neurological differences shaping how people think and interact are natural variations to the human genome. Neurodiversity therefore isn’t something to be “fixed” but understood and accommodated.</p> <p>But despite this understanding, and the gains made more generally in promoting workplace diversity, prejudices keep the employment prospects for neurodiverse individuals shockingly low.</p> <p>The cost is personal — denying individuals the chance to do meaningful work — as well as social, sending individuals to the dole queue. It also means workplaces are failing to benefit from highly valuable employees, and missing the opportunity to become better organisations in the process.</p> <p><strong>What neurodiversity covers</strong></p> <p>Neurodiversity is often referred to as an ‘invisible disability’ and covers a range of conditions. The most common are:</p> <ul> <li> <p><strong>Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder</strong> (or ADHD) manifests as inattention, distractability and impulsivity. It affects about <a rel="noopener" href="https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/economics/articles/social-economic-costs-adhd-Australia.html" target="_blank">4% of children and 3% of adults</a>.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Autism Spectrum Disorder</strong> (or ASD) typically involves degrees of difficulty in communicating with others and sensory overload. About <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.autism-society.org/what-is/facts-and-statistics/" target="_blank">1% of the global population</a> is estimated to be on the spectrum, with higher rates being diagnosed among children.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Dyslexia</strong> involves difficulties with reading and spelling. There is no agreed diagnosis. Estimates of its prevalence range from 3% to 20% (with <a rel="noopener" href="https://dyslexiaassociation.org.au/dyslexia-in-australia/" target="_blank">10-15%</a> commonly cited).</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Dyspraxia</strong> involves challenges with coordinating physical movements, including muscles for speaking. About 2% of the population are severely affected, with <a rel="noopener" href="https://adc.bmj.com/content/archdischild/92/6/534.full.pdf?casa_token=s2n80xJNuhAAAAAA:kzF2QsFQRlR_rmpi80YkV9N8Lp8YT9bIXb1cwOEbaiZUm3f5KfRO4xPk8_F2YoXm6-bM7rHANPkqIQ" target="_blank">6-10%</a> estimated to be affected to some degree.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Dyscalculia</strong> involves challenges with numbers. It affects <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4461157/" target="_blank">up to 10%</a> of the population, with <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dyslexia.uk.net/specific-learning-difficulties/dyscalculia/" target="_blank">3-6%</a> commonly cited.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Tourette syndrome</strong> causes involuntary physical and vocal “tics”. It affects an estimated <a href="https://tourette.org/spectrum-tourette-syndrome-tic-disorders-consensus-scientific-advisors-tourette-association-america/">0.6% of the population</a>.</p> </li> </ul> <p><strong>High unemployment</strong></p> <p>The capabilities of neurodivergent people can vary considerably from severely challenged to gifted. Some are nonverbal and fully reliant on care givers. Others have special abilities in things such as <a rel="noopener" href="https://hbr.org/2017/05/neurodiversity-as-a-competitive-advantage" target="_blank">pattern recognition, memory or mathematics</a>.</p> <p>Yet even those with exceptional talents find it hard to get and hold a job. While unemployment estimates are imprecise, they suggest these conditions are the least accepted in the working world.</p> <p>For autistic adults aged 16-64, for example, UK statistics suggest <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/disability/articles/outcomesfordisabledpeopleintheuk/2020" target="_blank">78% are unemployed</a>. This is the highest unemployment rate of any group, compared with 48% for all disabled people and 19% for all adults.</p> <p>Australian statistics put the unemployment rate for people with autism <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/disability/disability-ageing-and-carers-australia-summary-findings/latest-release">at 34%</a>. That’s still more than three times the unemployment rate of 10% for people with disabilities and almost eight times the 4.6% rate for people without disabilities.</p> <p><strong>Supporting neurodiversity at work</strong></p> <p>One problem, as Joanna Szulc and her fellow researchers at the University of Huddersfield <a rel="noopener" href="https://pure.hud.ac.uk/en/publications/amo-perspectives-on-the-well-being-of-neurodivergent-human-capita" target="_blank">have put it</a>, is “management practices frequently overlook the relationship between the above-average human capital of neurodivergent employees, their subjective well-being in the workplace and performance outcomes”.</p> <p>In other words, with understanding colleagues and a flexible work culture, neurodiverse individuals can reach their potential and be recognised as highly valuable employees.</p> <p>One case study demonstrating this is professional services giant Ernst and Young, which globally employs close to 300,000 people.</p> <p>In 2016 it established its first “<a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ey.com/en_us/diversity-inclusiveness/how-neurodiversity-is-driving-innovation-from-unexpected-places" target="_blank">Neurodiversity Center of Excellence</a>” as part of a pilot program to offer jobs to neurodiverse candidates.</p> <p>The company says it “considered business metrics only” in evaluating the program. It concluded the neurodiverse employees were comparable to neurotypical staff in work quality, efficiency and productivity. The bonus was “the neurodiverse employees excelled at innovation”.</p> <p>Australia’s Department of Defence has employed high-performing autistic individuals in its <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.defence.gov.au/annualreports/16-17/Features/CyberCapabilityTalentAutism.asp" target="_blank">cyber security</a> work. Their strengths for this work include “a remarkable eye for detail; accuracy and consistency; a logical and analytical approach to detecting irregularities; pattern-matching skills; and a high tolerance for repetitive mental tasks”.</p> <p>These lessons are being taken on board by others. In July, Google’s cloud computing division announced its <a rel="noopener" href="https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/inside-google-cloud/google-cloud-launches-a-career-program-for-people-with-autism" target="_blank">Autism Career Program</a>, which includes training up to 500 managers “to work effectively and empathetically with autistic candidates”.</p> <p>We all vary naturally. By understanding and encouraging neurodiverse individuals to be fully engaged in society, we will all reap the rewards.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/164859/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/miriam-moeller-357407" target="_blank">Miriam Moeller</a>, Senior Lecturer, International Business, <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805" target="_blank">The University of Queensland</a>; <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dana-l-ott-1252533" target="_blank">Dana L. Ott</a>, Lecturer, International Management, and <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-russo-1252532" target="_blank">Emily Russo</a>, Industry Fellow, <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805" target="_blank">The University of Queensland</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/neurodiversity-can-be-a-workplace-strength-if-we-make-room-for-it-164859" target="_blank">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: <span class="attribution"><span class="source">igor kisselev/Shutterstock</span></span> </em></p>

Mind

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"Sign of strength": First look at Prince Harry's mental health series

<p>The first trailer for Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey's mental health series has been released.</p> <p>The series is called<span> </span><em>The Me You Can't See</em><span> </span>and has both Prince Harry and Oprah sharing about their mental health struggles.</p> <p>One moment in particular for Prince Harry was harrowing as he walked behind his mother Princess Diana's coffin in a funeral procession.</p> <p>In the trailer, Prince Harry says: "To make that decision to receive help is not a sign of weakness. In today's world more than ever, it is a sign of strength."</p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dWevopoBmAE"></iframe></div> <div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>"What words have you heard around mental health? Crazy? To make that decision to receive help is not a sign of weakness. In today's world more than ever, it is a sign of strength," Prince Harry continued.</p> <p>"The results of this year will be felt for decades, the kids the families, husbands, wives everybody."</p> <p>Prince Harry also had a poignant interview with actor Dax Sheppard, where he spoke about his decision to leave the monarchy after seeing "what it did to my mum".</p> <p>"In my early 20s, it was a case of, 'I don't want this job. I don't want to be here, I don't want to be doing this, look what it did to my mum. How am I ever going to settle down, have a wife and a family when I know, that it's going to happen again?'</p> <p>"Because I know, I've seen behind the curtain. I've seen the business model, I know how the operation runs and how it works, and I don't want to be a part of this."</p> </div> </div> </div>

Caring

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Johnny Ruffo shares emotional update on his battle with brain cancer

<p>Former<span> </span><em>Home and Away</em><span> </span>star Johnny Ruffo has shared some positive news regarding his brain cancer fight on Instagram.</p> <p>The post consists of side by side images of his brain scans, which were taken at the beginning and end of his journey with brain cancer.</p> <p>“Exactly two years ago versus today,” the caption reads.</p> <p>“So glad to have beaten this horrible disease. Thank you for all the support!”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B024J95FYgW/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B024J95FYgW/" target="_blank">Exactly two years ago versus today, So glad to have beaten this horrible disease. Thankyou for all the support! 🙌🏽🧠 #fuckcancer #braincancer</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/johnny_ruffo/" target="_blank"> Johnny Ruffo</a> (@johnny_ruffo) on Aug 7, 2019 at 2:18am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The beloved Aussie opened up to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.who.com.au/johnny-ruffo-two-years-on-from-cancer-diagnosis" target="_blank">WHO</a> about his progress in January.</p> <p>“I'm going really good. My next scan is in three weeks and provided that's all clear then I'm in the clear completely.”</p> <p>Ruffo added, “That will be my last scan for now and then I've got to get another one every three months – you've got to keep checking up on it.”</p> <p>He discovered the tumour in his brain after his girlfriend Tahnee Sims insisted on taking him to the hospital after he had a headache that just wouldn’t go away.</p> <p>He told Who Are You podcast host Pete Timbs about how it happened.</p> <p>"I was just at home and I had a headache, but everyone has headaches and you never think much of it," Ruffo recalled.</p> <p>"It had been ongoing and it just got worse and worse. It got to about 4 or 5 in the afternoon and I couldn't speak, I couldn't communicate with [Tahnee] at all."</p> <p>Two years after the devastating diagnosis, Ruffo is working on exciting new projects, including the recent release of his single <em>Broken Glass</em>.</p> <p>He performed the song on <em>The Morning Show</em>.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BmIl6SDBVYj/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BmIl6SDBVYj/" target="_blank">Today is exactly a year since i was rushed to hospital to have an emergency operation to remove a brain tumour, it has been a crazy ride and im not quite finished yet but i want to share some snaps of the past year and say thank you to everyone who has been there for me and supported me throughout this time 😃 #braincancer #fuckcancer</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/johnny_ruffo/" target="_blank"> Johnny Ruffo</a> (@johnny_ruffo) on Aug 6, 2018 at 3:34am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"It's loosely about my experiences in the past two or three years – and about being down and out – not necessarily about cancer, but about anything like depression or losing a loved one,” he said.</p> <p>"I really want people to connect with it and interpret it in their own way – because everyone goes through struggles."</p>

TV

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The benefits of weekly strength workouts

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Strength training often gets a bad rep. For many people, they picture pumping iron in the gym around other hulks of people.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, strength training is nothing to be feared. An encouraging Finnish study has found that older people greatly benefit from just one muscle-building session a week.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Researchers from the University of Jyväskylä recruited 92 people aged 65 to 75 who didn’t do any regular exercise but are otherwise healthy and split them into four groups.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One group underwent one strength-training session a week for six months, another did two sessions a week of strength training a week for six months and a third did three sessions of strength training a week for six months.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The fourth group, or some would call “the lucky ones”, did no strength training at all to act as a control for the study.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Under the supervision of personal trainers, the participants performed a roster of classic exercises, such as leg, chest and shoulder presses, rows, pulldowns, pushups and bicep curls.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Depending on the exercise, they aimed to complete between two to five sets and four to 12 repetitions.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At the end of the study, the researchers tested how much strength training had improved markers of metabolic syndrome, which is fat around the abdomen, high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar as well as inflammation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Unsurprisingly, the strength training had a positive impact.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, what was surprising about the study was that the extra strength training didn’t appear to confer extra metabolic or inflammation benefits.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"The individuals that were borderline for metabolic health issues improved most from strength training, and there was no greater benefit from performing training three times per week rather than one time per week," said study co-author Dr Simon Walker to </span><a href="https://coach.nine.com.au/2019/03/01/15/59/resistance-training-benefits-over-65s"><span style="font-weight: 400;">9Honey Coach</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Walker’s study notes only a third of over-65s meet the aerobic guidelines, which is at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week. 17 per cent meet the strength guidelines, which is muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days a week.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, he has some theories as to why this is the case.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"[It] requires travel to the gym, paying membership fees, feeling comfortable in that environment, having the knowledge or skill to perform various exercises, being able to select certain program variables — exercises, reps, sets, rest intervals, et cetera — acceptance of training-induced discomfort such as muscle soreness, and perhaps also overcoming stereotypes of gym culture," said Walker.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you’re uncomfortable in a gym, he advises you to just keep at it.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Gyms are not just for bodybuilders," he said. "There is a huge variety in the types of workouts available, and it doesn't matter if you lift 10 or 100kg, so long as you are trying to improve what you can do compared to the previous occasion.”</span></p>

Family & Pets

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How to find strength in tough times

<p><span>There is an old saying – a cliché even – that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. And this seems to be true when it comes to those who have survived tragedies.</span></p> <p><span>From the parents who lost their child in a horrifying horse accident, to the young man whose brother committed suicide, to the middle-aged woman who was held-up and raped at knifepoint, there can be strength in adversity.</span></p> <p><span>Susan was in her early 30s when she was held up by a knife-wielding man in a balaclava at her local railway station, then bound, gagged and raped in her car. It was a truly horrifying experience, but she says that the actual incident seemed surreal at the time. Normality in the weeks after the attack was harder to adjust to. <br /><br />Now 54, she says that the attack ended up framing who she became and what she achieved afterwards.<br /><br />“In some ways it helped to give me perspective,” she says. “I was working in a fairly superficial industry and people spent a lot of time gossiping about each other. After the attack it just seemed pointless. I had faced death and survived! Those petty grievances seemed so silly. I decided I wanted to make a difference with my life and I started doing lots of volunteer work. I was a voluntary counsellor for about 15 years afterwards.”<br /><br />Susan says that one person she met through her recovery process told her that most “great” people in history had encountered a life-threatening experience in their formative years – from Winston Churchill to Nelson Mandela, to Kerry Packer and Marie Curie – even Agatha Christie. This resonated with her.<br /><br />“This man had survived a horrific ocean storm on his yacht and almost drowned,” she says. “He said that surviving almost certain death changed him and made him feel like an outsider; and a little different to everyone else. It made him realise that life was short and he was stronger than he thought.<br /><br />“I decided then that I needed to be strong, to rise above my experience and to grow as a person. I didn’t want the person who attacked me to win.” <br /><br />Juliana Waugh was in her 40s when her daughter Sarah was tragically killed by fall from a horse while on a TAFE course in the NSW countryside. Understandably devastated by Sarah’s death, she and her husband Mark spent the next seven years fighting to change the laws around horses and inexperienced riders, a battle they eventually won.<br /><br />NSW now has a new Code of Practice to reduce work-related horse injuries, which came into effect on the February 1 2017.<br /> <br />Called the “Code of Practice for managing Risks when new or inexperienced riders or handlers interact with horses in the Workplace”, it is the first of its kind in Australia. <br /><br />“I knew I could never save Sarah but I truly believed that if I didn't fight on and do something – bring change that would be lasting – I was not a good mother because now I knew what was wrong I felt it was up to me,” says Juliana. “I was compelled so no other child would die like Sarah did.”<br /><br />Marshall Dunn’s brother Mitchell committed suicide in 2002 at the age of 26, a month before his own 21st birthday. The next few years were difficult and unbearably sad, but ultimately a period of growth and insight. <br /><br />Now a life coach and author, Marshall wrote a book about the process of coming to terms with Mitchell’s death, published in the form of the letters he wrote to his dead brother while he was grieving. Called <a href="http://t.dgm-au.com/c/185116/69171/1880?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Fletters-to-mitch-marshall-dunn%2Fprod9780998080901.html"><em>Letters to Mitch</em></a>, it takes readers through Marshall’s journey after his brother’s suicide and his path to healing.<br /><br />As he says in the introduction of the book, he now feels that Mitch “gave me the opportunity of a lifetime – the opportunity to know myself, something I might not have done if he hadn’t passed. These days, it gives me great pleasure to write, coach, speak, and connect with people from all over the world as I help them peel back the layers of their own suffering.” <br /><br />Marshall says that he hopes that sharing his story will help others to cope with “whatever curveball that life has thrown at you”. He is now completing his second book and has plans for a “self-help” novel.<br /><br />“There is an invitation there to question your place in the world and the gifts you have and how you want to live your life,” he says. </span></p> <p><span>“When you have an event like that that brings you to your knees, questions are going to come up and it is really going to be up to the individual and the choice they make. Whether they want to keep going down the path that that may not be serving the highest values and priorities or if they want to muster their courage and go in the direction that and investigate their inner landscape and start to heal areas of their life that need attention.” </span></p> <p><span>Need help? Call <a href="https://www.lifeline.org.au/">Lifeline Australia</a> on 13 11 14 or visit <a href="http://www.thecompassionatefriends.org.au/">Compassionate Friends</a>.</span></p> <p><span>How have you coped with grief and adversity? Share your story in the comments section below.</span></p> <p><em><span>Written by Lynne Testoni. Republished with permission of </span></em><span><a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/lifestyle/wyza-life/strength-through-adversity.aspx"><em>Wyza</em></a><em>.</em></span></p>

Body

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How I found strength on my long walk to recovery

<p>On the phone, her voice is calm, clear and full of positivity. You wouldn’t guess that six years ago, Kathleen Jordan was lying in a hospital bed at Royal Melbourne Hospital after suffering a major right haemorrhagic stroke – one of the most severe and deadly forms of stroke.</p> <p>“It was a major bleed,” Kathleen explains, “In fact, one doctor said they’d never seen such a big bleed in anyone that had survived.”</p> <p>The doctors had warned her family to prepare for the fact that she may end up in an aged care ward for the rest of her life, or worse, she could be in a permanent vegetative state.</p> <p>“They actually said to my daughters that they should probably consider an NFR. An NFR means a ‘not-for-resuscitation’ order, but the girls said, ‘No, that’s not gonna happen. She’s going to be fine.’”</p> <p>And Kathleen proved her daughters right. “I’m back doing all the things I used to do. I see my grandchildren, I go to the ballet and the opera, I see my friends, I’m living in the most wonderful retirement complex in Carlton … and I’ve got lots and lots of friends,” she says. “A lot of it is good and I’m very grateful for the life I’ve got.”</p> <p>Prior to the incident, Kathleen led a busy life, running her own leadership coaching business which sent her travelling around Australia and across the world. By contrast, having to spend almost two years recovering in hospital was a huge adjustment.</p> <p>Stroke is one of Australia’s biggest killers and a leading cause of disability. While Kathleen says her blood pressure was under control and there was no clear cause for the stroke, she recalls her doctor warning her to take it easy.</p> <p>“My doctor had been saying to me, ‘You need to slow down a bit, you’re doing a lot.’ And I would always say, ‘But I’m loving what I’m doing.’ I guess it’s when your body is in resolves with your mind really.”</p> <p>Sharon McGowan, CEO of the National Stroke Foundation, says 80 per cent of strokes can be prevented. “The advice is to know your blood pressure and maintain it within normal range, eat well, keep a healthy weight, don’t smoke, keep blood pressure down, exercise regularly and keep alcohol consumption to a minimum.”</p> <p>“Stroke doesn’t discriminate. It can happen to anyone at any age, however risk factors do increase with age,” she adds.</p> <p><strong>Recovering after a stroke</strong><br />For Kathleen, the haemorrhagic stroke resulted in partial paralysis on the left side of her body. She is unable to use her left hand and will have to continue doing physiotherapy, probably for the rest of her life.</p> <p>“Every single day is a struggle day, but I’m not going to give up that struggle because – even six years later – I’m still making improvements,” says Kathleen.</p> <p>“It’s still very hard. Some silly things are difficult, like I was trying to get something out of a package before – and trying to do it with one hand. I was just getting very cross because I couldn’t do it.”</p> <p>The operation to stop the significant bleed in her brain damaged some neurons, sometimes causing Kathleen to search for words when speaking – pausing mid-sentence or often repeating herself.</p> <p>“It’s called aphasia,” explains Kathleen. “However, when I say that to my friends, they all just laugh and say, ‘But we all have trouble finding words!’”</p> <p><strong>Overcoming adversity</strong><br />Kathleen’s resolve and tenacity following her recovery is inspiring, despite her initial fears of being unable to live a normal life again.</p> <p>“I had to just rely on thinking about [my] strengths, and every time I made a little bit of progress, my family and my friends [would] help me celebrate that progress.</p> <p>“For a long time, I couldn’t really walk or sit up without falling over but, with physio and determination, I am now walking around my apartment.”</p> <p>Kathleen actually set in place what she calls her ‘Hope Team’, made up of her close friends and family members. “Whenever I was feeling low, I could ring one of the people in my Hope Team and say, ‘Help me, what do I need to do?’ and they would very quickly give me some encouragement. So, my Hope Team helped me tremendously. They just wanted to support me, even more than what was perhaps expected of them.”</p> <p>In her book, <span><em><a href="http://t.dgm-au.com/c/185116/69171/1880?u=https://www.booktopia.com.au/standing-up--kathleen-with-steggall-vicki-jordan/prod9781925384024.html">Standing Up! My Story of Hope, Advocacy &amp; Survival after Stroke</a></em></span>, Kathleen shares the tools that helped her progress during her stroke journey, and how she achieved resilience and happiness by reframing issues.</p> <p>“I wrote the book for stroke victims and their loved ones. I want to give people hope that they too can recover from stroke, from other illness, by really focusing their minds ... [with] the belief that you can.</p> <p>“Have hope that you can recover and work hard on your physio,” she suggests. “Surround yourself with positive people – perhaps create a ‘Hope Team’ that will help you feel strong and focussed on your recovery.”</p> <p>While the road to recovery can be an uphill battle, there are platforms for the Australian stroke community to discuss and seek support. The <a href="http://www.enableme.org.au/">enableme</a> website is a good place to start. It provides a forum for stroke survivors, carers and loved ones to share their experiences, set recovery goals and gain further knowledge about stroke.</p> <p>“Setting personal recovery goals and self-directed rehabilitation continues to play an important role in Kathleen’s journey after stroke,” says Sharon McGowan of the Stroke Foundation. “[She] is a true inspiration and her experience demonstrates the determination, vital support and services stroke survivors need to live well after stroke. Kathleen shows that there is life after stroke.”</p> <p>Although Kathleen has been able to return to semi-normality, she will have carers for the rest of her life. “Sometimes I got a bit miserable about that,” says Kathleen. “And then I thought, ‘Kathleen, just be grateful for the fact there are carers available, and that they want to do a good job and look after you.’ So that made me feel a lot better. Rather than feeling miserable, just think, ‘What have you got?’”</p> <p>“I am just so happy that my life is back on an even keel,” she adds. “I can’t do everything I used to do – for instance, I can’t drive a car anymore, but I’ve got people who look after [me] and who care for me. I’m just blessed really.”</p> <p>Have you had to overcome a major trauma in your life? How did you find the strength?</p> <p><em>Written by Maria Angela Parajo. Republished with permission of <span><a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/lifestyle/wyza-life/how-i-found-strength-on-my-long-walk-to-recovery.aspx">Wyza.com.au</a></span>.</em></p>

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