Fitness regime causes octogenarian to no longer need a hip replacement operation

An older resident at Belong Atherton in Manchester has been told his hip replacement operation is no longer necessary after taking part in a fitness regime which has dramatically improved his health.

Malcolm Loveless was told that he would need to have a hip replacement after experiencing severe pain that left him struggling to even tie his shoe laces.

After moving with his wife in a Belong apartment, Mr Loveless was persuaded to embark on a personal fitness regime by one of Belong Atherton’s fitness instructors, and along with many other residents, has regained his independence due to his improved mobility.

Mr Loveless described how regular exercise has improved his life and said: “The difference that regular exercise has made to my life is incredible. When I first started going to the sessions, I thought that they were too much, but Gilmour said to me that there was no gain without pain, and he was right.

“Every session the pain became a little less, and now I’m more mobile than I’ve been in years. My wife and I live on a first floor apartment and I never use the lift anymore, I can manage the stairs no problem.”

Not needing his walking stick anymore, Mr Loveless has been informed by doctors that his scheduled hip replacement will no longer be necessary thanks to the six months he has dedicated to improving his fitness.

The added benefits of keeping healthy include improved balance and coordination, as well as benefits to sleeping pattern and memory.

His personalised exercise programme involved activities to keep him fit and toned his muscles.

Julie Washington, general manager at Belong Atherton, said: “It’s amazing to watch residents regaining increased levels of independence through our progressive exercise programme. It can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that exercise is for young people, but the truth is that exercise becomes more important the older you get, not less. Promoting the opportunity to keep fit is a real priority at Belong, because we see proof of the benefits every day.”