Bowling for physical activity
By Rachel Halleen

Ageing is the natural process of growing older and refers to the physical, psychological and social changes we experience. Unfortunately, as age increases so does the incidence of chronic disease, including increased risk of diabetes, stroke and heart disease, among others. Regular physical activity has been associated with preventing and reversing the effects of these chronic diseases.

No matter your age, weight, health problems or abilities, you should try and maintain some form of physical activity most days.

Physical inactivity, that being not doing enough exercise,

Flexibility

Some people are naturally extremely flexible whereas others struggle to touch their knees. Flexibility is the ability of a joint or series of joints to move through an unrestricted and pain free range of motion. Your flexibility depends on various factors.

What factors influence flexibility?

Connective tissue

Connective tissue is a term given to several different tissues of the body that connect, support and help bind other tissues in the body. Connective tissue can further be broken down into three categories: loose connective tissue, dense connective tissue, and specialized connective tissue. Dense connective tissue

Overweight and Obesity in Children
By Rachel Halleen (AEP)

Did you know in 2017-18, 24% of children aged 5-14 were overweight or obese? That’s nearly 1 in 4 children carrying excessive amounts of body fat. Whilst the proportion of children being overweight or obese has remained relatively stable between 2007-08 (23%) and 2017-18 (24%), these figures are still alarming.

Implications of overweight and obesity in children

Perhaps we could blame modern technology and increased screen-time nowadays, or the availability of convenience and fast foods that influence poor dietary choices increasing energy consumption in children.