A free online health and wellbeing programme has been launched to help older people to stay fit and well throughout their retirement.
This initiative has been launched by home equity release specialist Home Plus, and was inspired by the company ethos, ‘retirement is for living’.
The programme, called BOlder Fitness & Wellbeing, has been designed with the needs and abilities of older people in mind and draws upon the expertise of Home Plus’s wellness partner, Fitvision.
Home Plus works exclusively with over 55s and is aiming to equip this age cohort with the necessary tools to look after all aspects of their health, acknowledging the importance of both mental and physical health. The programme encourages people to ‘not just be Older, but be BOlder’.
The new resource is freely available on the Home Plus website and social media channels. Four quick tip videos, between two and four minutes in length, will be released each month, followed by a 15 to 20 minute full workout video. The short videos will focus on various aspects of healthy eating, exercise, stretching, and overall wellbeing.
The longer workout videos will cater for people of all abilities and will cover exercises that can be completed from a standing position or seated in a chair. Over the next few months, the programme aims to guide over 55s on a journey to regain their strength and confidence and to embrace exercise at home. The programme has been designed to enable participants to progress with upper and lower body workouts as new content is released each month.
“Through our work with over 55s, we have heard about how the pandemic has affected older people, as they have missed out on exercise, socialisation, and other aspects of their daily routines, and how fitness levels and wellness have been impacted as a result," said Ian Higgins, CEO of Home Plus. "Wellbeing is part of the DNA at Home Plus, for our staff and our customers, so we are delighted to bring this free programme to the community with our wellness partner Fitvision."
Mark O’Reilly, founder of Fitvision, added: "Research has shown the increased benefits to both mental and physical health of older adults who consistently partake in wellbeing practices. Activities such as exercise, meditation, and positive changes to our nutrition can aid in increasing life satisfaction and self esteem. Yet with so much information out there it can be difficult to know where to start. We are very excited at Fitvision to partner with Home Plus to provide the tools that will help participants to improve their personal wellbeing and fitness levels."
To find out more and view the content online, see www.plus.ie/bolder
