University Project-Exercise, need YOUR help!!

Ellie: I have completed the survey. I'm sure you are aware that many of us at the maturer end of the spectrum exercise with hobbies like walking, hiking and jogging [me], as well physical activities like gardening, DIY and dancing. I've seen an outdoor exercise area [maybe it was in Dulwich Park] but it looked very uninviting, especially in the rain, and more likely to attract younger people. I would have thought it more effective for a local council to provide exercise classes for retired people than exercise equipment outside.

PS: You stray into Grumpyland when you register for Gransnet. The inhabitants are, though, mostly friendly and polite - except sometimes to Grandads

Jane , your comment about the Chinese made me smile .

When we last in the U.S , we saw a group of Chinese doing Tai Chi in the carpark before they boarded their bus .

Thought it rather nice .

I think you meant petallus when you said "Hi JO5"

It's a poor world if we can't give some help to a student trying help us!

It all adds interest too.

Granny 23,

Thank you for your feedback, this is exactly what I'm trying to highlight, in that just because the government are issuing these guidelines, it is impractical for any normal person to be recording their 'daily exercise' when that could be anything from walking to the shops to going up stairs. This is what I want to address within my project

You're not clogging forums!

It's fine with us. (filled it in)

Was that reply intended for me? Don't know what you are referring to if it was.

I'm sorry for spamming your forum, I was just really struggling to get information from the general public, I tried contacting my local AGE UK charity but they refused to hold an interview with me. Since putting this up I have had a huge amount of feedback which is very beneficial to my work. I'm very sorry and didn't want to be clogging forums, but I had to find a way to get information from a large amount of people. Thank you for your time

jO5, Hi!

I wasn't aware that there was also, it was only when doing research that I discovered these 'weekly requirements' from the NHS, I wanted to keep that question as a simple yes or no, purely because I suspected very few people had, just to highlight how the information they provide isn't well publicised.

That's the trouble Granny23. I've been trying to step up the walking, but the ironing is piling up! And I'm too tired when I get home to tackle anything but Gransnetting!

Can't win.

My 92 yo Uncle boasts that he does more exercise in his care home than I do which may well be true but then he does no shopping, washing, ironing, hoovering, changing beds, cooking, growing fruit and veg or collecting, sawing and chopping logs. Neither does he spend at least two days a week chasing after Grandchildren, do his own decorating and DIY nor even his clothes and Christmas shopping (I do that for him). Wish I had some energy left over to do tai chi, or movement to music.

This is obviously written tongue in cheek but serves to illustrate that counting up time spent doing organised exercise or sport does not give an accurate tally of activity levels.

We're getting a lot of these requests recently. How do we know if GNHQ have authorised theme.
Has this site become a guinea pig site?

Filled it in but not sure of the definition of a local park. However as there's an open space with trees and the odd bench, maintained by the local council, and I walk there often I dignified it with the appellation of a park.

gracesmum !

I think one of the oficial recommendations by the government is to cycle more, especially past policemen whom one addresses as "f***ing plebs" if they fail to bow, scrape and open gates.

Survey was a little frustrating to complete. For one thing I don't have a local park.

Secondly although I am aware of government guidelines for the general population, I had no idea there were specific guidelines for 50 plus.

Ellie , speaking as someone who (until recently) used to design surveys, whilst I appreciate that you have taken care not to make yours too long (that can be very off putting!) I do feel that not all questions need to be a yes or no option. To give more choices, for example "do you use your local park often/sometimes/never" or if the equipment was there would you use it definitely/possibly/no (these are just rough examples, by the way) could make your data more robust.

I fully appreciate that you may possibly be having to do your own data analysis, therefore simple is always favoured, but the validity of any data must be considered if it is going to be used to draw conclusions.

Sorry, hope I don't sound "preachy", do feel free to pm me if you think it might help.

I have done it but it was very short.

I have filled it in too, but I can't quite see myself exercising en masse with other oldies in the park
It seems more an oriental thing to do. When we lived in Hongkong there was a little park at the bottom of the garden where elderly Chinese would congregate to do their Tai Chi, often accompanied by their budgie in a little bamboo cage

NfkDumpling:
Thank you for your feedback, as stated above its hugely appreciated! Your comments are useful and add another dimension to my thinking about this project; however I am not aiming this survey at different social groups (i.e: students, unemployed, employed, retired, disabled etc…) but rather at people of different age ranges.

Deep apologies, did not mean to offend anyone but I purely put the label of ‘elderly’ as I was originally comparing it to younger generations, rather than basing it on specific age ranges. Later on in my research I am planning on zoning in on specific age groups; but as stated this is purely preliminary research.

That's a very brief survey!

It may be better to aim your research at retired people rather than elderly. The elderly have usually been retired a while and often have varying disabilities. They may be quite fit but be physically unabled.

I don't think I'm elderly yet either, but I'll pretend I am and do the survey.

I'm not 'elderly'!