We're still young enough to...and so are you!

Keep doing the things you enjoy – and challenge yourself to do more too. That’s the call to action of a new public health campaign launched by Norfolk County Council.

- Norfolk County Council.

“Oh, we do like Tai Chi beside the seaside . . . and we’re still young enough to do it!”

That was the cry from the 60 men and women, aged 50 and above, who met at sunrise on Gorleston beach to take part in a special exercise session to launch a new Norfolk County Council campaign. ‘Still young enough to…’ will celebrate Norfolk’s older residents – from retirement onwards, and aims to highlight how much is going on around the county that we can get involved with.

The campaign – which will be featuring in Let’s Talk during the coming months – hopes to encourage the county’s residents to be proud of their ‘later years’ and will show how, by staying healthy, active and involved, you can push back frailty, and live a full and independent life.

The special Tai Chi Qigong launch event was a great way to do this – Tai Chi can help build muscle strength, improve balance and boost mental health . . . all-important as you get older. The session was led by one of the UK’s leading practitioners, Norfolk-based Deniz Paradot of IQ for Health, who is backing the campaign alongside partners from public health, sports bodies, adult learning and the voluntary sector.

Deniz says of the people who took part in the sunrise session on the sand: “They are ambassadors, demonstrating that it’s never too late to try something new.”

Among them was 71-year-old Barry Hall, from Fleggburgh, near Great Yarmouth. Barry keeps fit and healthy with daily dog walking and regular trips to his allotment. He explains: “For me it’s about making my hobbies and interests work for my health. The Tai Chi event has given me the chance to try out something different that I certainly wouldn’t have done before.

“Growing older is all in the mind, keeping my mind and body active now is surely going to help me in the years to come.”