A group of retirees in Heaton Mersey have shown it's never too late to get fit.

Fitness enthusiasts - mostly in their 70s and 80s - have taken up weekly exercise classes, a gardening club, and a walking group at The Woodlands, a local retirement village.

Bess, aged 79, a homeowner at The Woodlands said: "I've always been a sporty person and I thought I'd stay healthy and fit for the rest of my life. Now that I'm approaching my 80s, I have some health conditions that I never expected. If anything, it's more important than ever to build some exercise into your regular routine in later life. It's really good for your physical health and it's also good fun."

According to a recent peer-reviewed study from the University of Cambridge, an active lifestyle can improve the overall quality of life for adults over the age of 60, as well as reducing the risk of a number of diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.

ARCO, the independent body that sets standards for retirement communities, similarly found that homeowners experience a 75% increase in the amount of exercise they do when they move to a retirement community, and their mental health and wellbeing improves with a 24% decrease in anxiety symptoms.

Alexandra Johnson, Sales and Marketing Director for Adlington Retirement Living said: "Getting active is not just about adding years to your life, it's about improving your quality of life too. The Cambridge study suggested that [...] being more physically active improves muscle strength which allows older adults to remain independent for longer.

"It also highlighted how depression and anxiety are linked to quality of life, and that they can be improved by being more active and less sedentary too.

"The benefits of exercise are wide ranging physically and mentally and it's never too late to start."

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