Physical activity across our life course

In this animation, our educator this week Michael Trenell, Professor of Metabolism and Lifestyle Medicine at Newcastle University, explores how our changing environment has encouraged increasingly sedentary behaviour and explains the detrimental impacts that this can have on our musculoskeletal health.

The last 200 years has seen a profound change in life expectancy and a child born today has a one-in-three chance of living to be a hundred. However, these gains in life expectancy have not been matched by gains in health expectancy, and not everybody will reach old age in a healthy state.

Remaining active as we age is vital for keeping our muscles, joints and bones strong enough to withstand the normal knocks of everyday living. But with so many things around us aimed at reducing our physical activity, from escalators and lifts, to cars and desks, fitting physical activity into our daily lives can be a challenge.

Is there anything that you, your family or your friends currently do to try and incorporate more physical activity into day-to-day life?