David Minton goes to Repose in London. Photo: Repose, London.
David Minton has embarked on a journey to optimum health, highlighting the potential for self-care and personal responsibility
AUK Parliamentary Committee on End of Life Care estimated the cost of delivering this at between £1.8 and £4.5 billion per annum and after helping extend my mother’s life of independence until she was 97 and my father-in-law to 101, I know firsthand how personal investment in health saves the government time and money. Here’s my personal journey from anxiety to aspiration so far.
1. HEALTHY MOVEMENT
Patterns of physical activity, strength, power, speed, acceleration, flexibility, agility and functional movement have a direct effect on bone density, mental ability, V02 max and, therefore, active ageing. I must thank Richard Brennan from Hoste Health for this insight as I work towards my goal of maintaining healthy movement.
Hugely knowledgeable both in the medical and exercise worlds. Brennan tells me that 77 of the new Clinical Exercise Physiologists being appointed by the health service have been certified, with a further 200 on the way. They start on the National Health Service Grade 5 pay scale.
>>> As the health service forges ahead in training people to this high-level of expertise, what’s the fitness certification equivalent? of expertise, what’s the fitness certification equivalent?
2. BONE HEALTH
Gary Rhodes and Iain Murray at Performance Health Systems (PHS) introduced me to Steven Bartlett and Vishal Amin at Until in London, where PHS did my bone screening using the portable Echolight diagnostic system (www.echolightmedical.com).
I now know my bone density T score is -1.7 and my fragility scores for hips is 52.1 while my spine is an age-defying 39.8. To help improve these scores I’m working on ‘force’ – pull, push and twist to help in the development of stronger bones. Thankfully my fracture risk assessment is low.
A look at National Joint Registry data and current costs shows that bone screening could save the UK’s health service an estimated £5.6 billion over the next ten years.
>>> Do you know your T Score?
3. PROSTATE HEALTH
One of my cycling buddies runs the John Black Foundation which was established to support medical research into prostate cancer. He recommends during our annual blood tests that we ask for a PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) number.
Although breast, bowl, and cervical cancers all have screening programmes, prostate cancer does not and this simple blood test could save the NHS over £1 billion over five years.
Two sporting celebrities, Garry Lineker and Olympian cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, 48 – who went public recently with his terminal prostate cancer diagnosis – have both called for routine testing to be introduced.
My annual PSA numbers have been 2.0, 2.1, 1.7, 1.9, which are all low for my age.
>>> Do you know your PSA? If you’re over 50 you should.
4. POSTURAL HEALTH
Cycling and sitting at computers are not posture-friendly so supported movements have become part of my programme.
Aerial fitness by Antigravity has been pushing my personal boundaries in the safe hands of Nuno Campos at Repose in Kensington High Street.
Antigravity has been educating trainers on aerial yoga and fitness since 2007 and as I discovered, it’s great for stretching muscles while supporting the body.
Although a late adopter of Pilates I now practice reformer one-to-one with Lucy Raetz-O’Connell. I’m an avid convert to the precise movements and muscle engagement. No wonder it’s one of the fastest growing studio concepts in the world.
In the past twelve months I’ve also experienced reformer at 180 The Strand, The Island, Cat and Cow, Sentire, Pilates Lab, Ayla Recoleta, Level Out, Body Lab and Third Space, with all this rounded out by a trip to Hitchin, UK for the launch of reformer at Everyone Active and a flight to Berlin for Les Mills Live where I took three of the six new Les Mills’ Pilates programmes.
>>> Do you include postural health in your routine? If not, I highly recommend it.