Age old question of fitness and health

Aug 1 2003 By Nicholas Craig, The Journal

Bob Hope serves to show just how long a career can last. The papers have been full of his century of one-liners - including many which highlight his remarkable age and stamina - such as ``I do benefits for all religions. I'd hate to blow the hereafter on a technicality."

In this century more of us will work well past official retirement age than ever before, and some of us will go on until we drop. The Government's proposal to back a European Directive to end mandatory retirement ages appears to address ageism in the workplace head-on.

But the DTI's consultation paper is in no way a justification of the current pensions crisis, which will affect many thousands of us, and for which there appears to be little hope of a satisfactory solution.

The dreams of long, leisurely retirements are now fading as people come to terms with much reduced nest eggs from company and personal pension funds.

We're growing older as a nation. By 2020, the number of people in their 40s, 50s and 60s will triple. For the first time in the history of the developed world, older people will soon outnumber the younger population.

Employers' attempts to address ageism in the workplace are meeting with sporadic success. Outside of work however, ageism is active, particularly in the Lycra-clad world of fitness.

To keep going we need to keep fit and mobile. I'm a firm believer in the physical and mental benefits of sport.

However, the fitness industry is still resolutely geared to the younger end of the market. The 20s are the decade of choice for gym managers. As age increases, so does the need to address health issues such as arthritis and medications.

Older adults, however, are a growing and potentially lucrative market. I'd like to see our huge range of health clubs cater for the 50 and 60 pluses with a range of classes and activities.

Exercise is for life, and is hugely rewarding, whatever your age or ability. As golfer Bob Hope once said: "If you watch a game, it's fun. If you play it, it's recreation. If you work at it, it's golf."