Unlock the secrets to remaining fit, active and mobile as you age, and look forward to a healthier and more vibrant future. Over-fifties specialist physiotherapist Will Harlow shows you how. Unlock the secrets to remaining fit, active and mobile as you age, and look forward to a healthier and more vibrant future.This updated and expanded illustrated edition of the word-of-mouth bestseller provides everything you need to know in order to stay fit, healthy, active and mobile after fifty. This book is for people who know there is still so much living to do after fifty. Life expectancy rises every year, but while many people live to a wonderful age in numerical terms, many of us experience health and mobility issues that can mean our quality of life declines. Conventional advice is that pills and surgery are the best answers. But physiotherapist and over-fifties health specialist Will Harlow passionately believes that living with pain as we get older is not inevitable. Thriving Beyond Fifty will help people overcome painful problems, avoid unnecessary surgeries, and get back to living their active lives. We automatically assume that a 25-year-old should be able to lift a suitcase or pick up a small child-but why do we accept that only a handful of 80-year-olds can do the same? Of course, there's no denying the fact that muscles atrophy and lose strength as we age, and some of our joints will show signs of wear and tear, but these problems alone don't automatically determine whether or not we will be capable of performing physical tasks as we age. Will explains the fundamentals of strength, mobility and ageing, and shows you how to challenge the 'inevitable' process of age-related deterioration. With chapters that divide the body into its respective parts, it's easy to pick the sections of the book that are most relevant to you. You'll learn: How to identify problem areas in your body - and how to fix them. The best stretches and exercises to ensure mobility, flexibility and strength for years to come. Why 'take rest and painkillers' is often unhelpful - and what to do instead. How to ward off problems usually associated with age, including inflammation, back pain and arthritic aches and pains, even when your friends and family have told you to just accept them. How to tell if a problem really is just a result of your age - or whether you have the power to resolve it. How the media has lied to you about certain health supplements - and which ones can actually make a dramatic difference. The keys to living an independent, pain-free, active life in your fifties and beyond.Your health is your greatest asset. We only get one chance at living a long, healthy, comfortable life. This book will give you the tools to improve yours.