Health

Most health advice assumes you’re already healthy. This one starts from where you actually are.

The fitness industry is full of people with six-pack abs telling you to “just join a gym” and “push through the pain.” They’ve never spent a week in hospital. They’ve never lost the ability to stand up from a chair. They’ve never had to learn how to walk properly again.

I have.

This section is for people who need to get moving - not because you want to look good in a mirror, but because you want to get off the floor when you fall, keep up with your grandkids, and stay independent.

Start here:

Just Start →

Then: OK, I did the Arm Thing. Now What? →

Then: Don’t Fall →

Then: Get Off the Floor (When You Can’t Kneel) →

Then: Move Your Body →

Then: Strength After 60 →

Then: Seven Supplements in Six Days - The Label Test →

Then: How’s Your Balance, Really? Three One-Minute Tests → - Falls Prevention Awareness Week is coming (Sept 21-25). These three tests tell you where you stand.

Then: The Grip Test - the Strength Check Your Doctor Never Runs → - Falls risk is not just balance. Your grip strength tells you more than your annual checkup does - here is the one-minute test.

Then: Fall-Proof Your Home → - A room-by-room walkthrough that finds the fall hazards in your home.

Then: Four Minutes a Day: The Shortest Strength Routine → - Four exercises, thirty seconds each - the smallest routine that counts.

Then: The Pills That Make You Fall: The Medication Check Before Falls Week → - The four drug classes that raise fall risk - and how to check yours.

Also this month: The One-Afternoon Autumn Checklist → - Before the heat goes on: one afternoon prevents winter’s costliest emergencies.

Also this month: The Emergency Kit When You’re Not 30 Anymore → - September is Preparedness Month. Most kit lists skip your pills, your glasses, and your plan - this one starts there.

Also this month: The Fall Shot List → - Which vaccines to ask for this autumn, when to get them, and what Medicare actually pays.

Free download: Daily Exercise Checklist → - Print this and tick off each exercise every morning.

Just Start

Before routines, before targets, before any of that. Just get out of your chair.

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OK, I Did the Arm Thing. Now What?

Still standing. Still no gym. Here's what I do next.

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Don't Fall

The most important thing you can learn after 60. One simple exercise, two minutes a day.

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Get Off the Floor (When You Can't Kneel)

The toe lean stops you falling. This is what you do when it doesn't. No kneeling required.

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Move Your Body

Walking, swimming, cycling, rowing - and one we left out on purpose.

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Strength After 60: The Two Exercises That Cover Almost Everything

Two exercises - one push, one squat - that keep you strong and independent.

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Seven Supplements in Six Days: The Label Test That Catches Junk Before You Buy

FDA flagged seven products in six days. How to spot junk before you buy.

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How's Your Balance, Really? Three Tests You Can Do in the Kitchen

Three one-minute tests that tell you where your balance really stands.

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The One-Afternoon Autumn Checklist - What to Do Before the Heat Goes On

One afternoon prevents winter's costliest emergencies. Here is the list.

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Fall-Proof Your Home: The One-Afternoon Walkthrough

A room-by-room walkthrough that finds the fall hazards in your home.

Read more →

The Grip Test - the Strength Check Your Doctor Never Runs

A ten-second grip test, plus two exercises that rebuild hand strength.

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Four Minutes a Day: The Shortest Strength Routine the Research Just Backed

Four exercises, thirty seconds each - the smallest routine that counts.

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The Pills That Make You Fall: The Medication Check Before Falls Week

The four drug classes that raise fall risk - and how to check yours.

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The Emergency Kit When You're Not 30 Anymore - What Changes After 60

Most kit lists skip your pills, your glasses, and your plan. Here is yours.

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The Fall Shot List - Which Vaccines, When, and What Medicare Pays

Which fall shots to ask for, when to get them, and what Medicare pays.

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