The increasingly fragile financial state of the NHS doesn't bode well for the future care of our ageing population. So it is fortunate that research says the need for more social care isn't inevitable.

英國國民健康體系的財務狀況越來越糟，對于未來關懷老齡化人口來說，這并不是一個好兆頭。幸運的是，研究表明，更多的社會關懷需求是可以避免的。

NICE stated in 2024 that "disability, dementia and frailty can be prevented or delayed".

英國國家衛生與保健研究所于2024年表示，"殘疾、癡呆和身體虛弱是可以預防或延遲的"。

This remarkable statement wasn't noticed at the time. It hinges on keeping people able to manage their daily living by washing, dressing, feeding themselves and shopping. How could we achieve this elusive aim? Simple. By keeping people fit as they get older. Just because you get old needn't mean you lose fitness.

當時人們并沒有留意這一了不起的聲明。它的著眼點在于讓人們洗衣、穿衣、自己吃飯和購物來維持他們管理日常生活的能力。如何實現這一界限模糊的目標呢？很簡單。讓老年人保持身體健康。因為年齡增長并不意味著健康衰退。

The problem is that people with long-term medical conditions often mistakenly believe that exercise will make things worse. This is not true, and they need to improve the four aspects of fitness: strength, stamina, suppleness and skill.

問題是長期患病的人往往錯誤的以為鍛煉只會讓他們的身體狀況更糟。事實并非如此，他們需要鍛煉這四個方面：力量、耐力、柔韌和技巧。

Evidence is growing that maintaining these components of fitness improves cognitive ability and reduces the risk of dementia, not only in midlife but also in the 70s and 80s. The physical, mental, and social benefits of exercise can help enable people to live more independently and more autonomously. And strength and balance training cuts the risk of falls.

越來越多的證據表明，保持這四個方面的健康有助于提高中年人和七八十歲老人的認知能力、降低他們患癡呆的風險。鍛煉帶來的身心健康和社會益處有助于人們更獨立、更自主的生活。而力量和平衡訓練則降低了人們跌倒的風險。

The good news is that at any age and with any combination of health problems, exercise provides, in the words of an important report from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, "the miracle cure."

好消息是，在任何年齡段和各種各樣的健康問題中，引用皇家醫學院在一次重要報告中的話來說，鍛煉將"奇跡般地治療"一切。

Exercise may reverse the decline and keep a person above the threshold for needing social care.

鍛煉可以扭轉衰退，讓人們不用被社會關懷。

People in their 70s with below average ability (measured as "chair rise" time) who improve this by 25% to the average speed of people in their 60s, reverse a decade of decline. Ten years! There are real improvements in older people's "up and go" times when exercise ranging from walking to high intensity is started as an intervention. Best of all, those who are the most frail benefit the most.

低于平均能力（測量的是他們從椅子上站起來的時間）的70多歲老人，他們從椅子上站起來的時間比60多歲時快了25%，這些人的衰老時間延緩了10年。10年啊！當老年人開始鍛煉時（從走路到高強度的鍛煉不等），他們"起立行走"的時間真的有所提高。最重要的是，那些身體最虛的人獲益最多。

We tend to think exercise is for the young while older people should sit back and relax. But we all need physical activity, defined as movement using our muscles that burns calories, including gardening and walking. Exercise is just planned, structured, and repetitive physical activity.

我們傾向于認為鍛煉是年輕人的事兒，老年人就應該坐著休息。但我們都需要身體活動，這種活動被定義為運動我們的肌肉、燃燒卡路里，包括園藝和走路。鍛煉只是一種有計劃、有結構的重復性身體活動。

The increasingly fragile financial state of the NHS doesn't bode well for the future care of our ageing population. So it is fortunate that research says the need for more social care isn't inevitable.

英國國民健康體系的財務狀況越來越糟，對于未來關懷老齡化人口來說，這并不是一個好兆頭。幸運的是，研究表明，更多的社會關懷需求是可以避免的。

NICE stated in 2024 that "disability, dementia and frailty can be prevented or delayed".

英國國家衛生與保健研究所于2024年表示，"殘疾、癡呆和身體虛弱是可以預防或延遲的"。

This remarkable statement wasn't noticed at the time. It hinges on keeping people able to manage their daily living by washing, dressing, feeding themselves and shopping. How could we achieve this elusive aim? Simple. By keeping people fit as they get older. Just because you get old needn't mean you lose fitness.

當時人們并沒有留意這一了不起的聲明。它的著眼點在于讓人們洗衣、穿衣、自己吃飯和購物來維持他們管理日常生活的能力。如何實現這一界限模糊的目標呢？很簡單。讓老年人保持身體健康。因為年齡增長并不意味著健康衰退。

The problem is that people with long-term medical conditions often mistakenly believe that exercise will make things worse. This is not true, and they need to improve the four aspects of fitness: strength, stamina, suppleness and skill.

問題是長期患病的人往往錯誤的以為鍛煉只會讓他們的身體狀況更糟。事實并非如此，他們需要鍛煉這四個方面：力量、耐力、柔韌和技巧。

Evidence is growing that maintaining these components of fitness improves cognitive ability and reduces the risk of dementia, not only in midlife but also in the 70s and 80s. The physical, mental, and social benefits of exercise can help enable people to live more independently and more autonomously. And strength and balance training cuts the risk of falls.

越來越多的證據表明，保持這四個方面的健康有助于提高中年人和七八十歲老人的認知能力、降低他們患癡呆的風險。鍛煉帶來的身心健康和社會益處有助于人們更獨立、更自主的生活。而力量和平衡訓練則降低了人們跌倒的風險。

The good news is that at any age and with any combination of health problems, exercise provides, in the words of an important report from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, "the miracle cure."

好消息是，在任何年齡段和各種各樣的健康問題中，引用皇家醫學院在一次重要報告中的話來說，鍛煉將"奇跡般地治療"一切。

Exercise may reverse the decline and keep a person above the threshold for needing social care.

鍛煉可以扭轉衰退，讓人們不用被社會關懷。

People in their 70s with below average ability (measured as "chair rise" time) who improve this by 25% to the average speed of people in their 60s, reverse a decade of decline. Ten years! There are real improvements in older people's "up and go" times when exercise ranging from walking to high intensity is started as an intervention. Best of all, those who are the most frail benefit the most.

低于平均能力（測量的是他們從椅子上站起來的時間）的70多歲老人，他們從椅子上站起來的時間比60多歲時快了25%，這些人的衰老時間延緩了10年。10年啊！當老年人開始鍛煉時（從走路到高強度的鍛煉不等），他們"起立行走"的時間真的有所提高。最重要的是，那些身體最虛的人獲益最多。

We tend to think exercise is for the young while older people should sit back and relax. But we all need physical activity, defined as movement using our muscles that burns calories, including gardening and walking. Exercise is just planned, structured, and repetitive physical activity.

我們傾向于認為鍛煉是年輕人的事兒，老年人就應該坐著休息。但我們都需要身體活動，這種活動被定義為運動我們的肌肉、燃燒卡路里，包括園藝和走路。鍛煉只是一種有計劃、有結構的重復性身體活動。