{"id":47983,"date":"2025-09-28T03:08:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T03:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/47983\/"},"modified":"2025-09-28T03:08:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T03:08:18","slug":"how-you-can-banish-frozen-shoulder-and-the-other-aches-of-ageing-with-these-six-simple-exercises-as-designed-by-the-coach-who-fixed-ruth-langsfords-pains-and-kept-kylie-minogue-in-shape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/47983\/","title":{"rendered":"How YOU can banish frozen shoulder and the other aches of ageing with these six simple exercises – as designed by the coach who fixed Ruth Langsford’s pains and kept Kylie Minogue in shape"},"content":{"rendered":"

In your 60s, now-or-never alarm bells start ringing when it comes to fitness. Will I still be able to get off the sofa in ten years\u2019 time? I don\u2019t want to be a frail OAP \u2013 especially as I\u2019ll still be working into my 80s (negligible pension).<\/p>\n

I swim three times a week, do Pilates and walk 12,000 steps a day. The problem is, women like me don\u2019t get out of breath enough to raise our heart rate. After hating the gym for 30 years, I found one I liked but after two years it closed \u2013 so I\u2019m very conscious I\u2019ve stopped doing the hated squats and thrusts.<\/p>\n

Offered the chance to meet osteopath and fitness coach James Davies, I jumped at it. David Beckham<\/a> says he\u2019s \u2018incredible\u2019. Joe Wicks<\/a> describes him as his body coach. Davies spends much of his life darting around treating the rich and famous, from Kylie Minogue<\/a> to Ruth Langsford<\/a> (he fixed her frozen shoulder). He always sees clients in their homes, so has a chance to look at how they eat, sleep and sit on the sofa.<\/p>\n

Davies, 38, also previously worked as an official therapist for the Team GB<\/a> Olympics squad, treating athletics superstars such as Mo Farah<\/a> and his idol, Linford Christie. Davies\u2019 bestselling book, Body: Effective Tools To Heal Pain, Restore Health And Prevent Injury*, offers advice to those without a celebrity osteopath on speed dial.<\/p>\n

\"Liz <\/p>\n

Liz Hoggard is put through her paces by James Davies, who says you can sidestep a hip replacement with gentle strengthening and mobility exercises<\/p>\n

He passionately believes that pain is not an automatic part of ageing. Yes, we get wear and tear and are more prone to injuries, worn cartilage and joint problems, but so often it\u2019s due to lazy posture, slouching or working muscles incorrectly. He\u2019s shocked that it\u2019s the norm to assume you need a knee or hip replacement when so many conditions can be treated with gentle strengthening and mobility exercises.<\/p>\n

\u2018You need to keep mobile because as we go beyond 60, if you have a fall, you don\u2019t want to break a bone,\u2019 he explains. \u2018You want to be strong. I have clients in their 80s and 90s who are working \u2013 among them actor\u00a0David Jason<\/a>, 85 \u2013 and others in their 60s still making action films. Actors are becoming more like athletes.\u2019<\/p>\n

When I visit Davies\u2019 Surrey studio \u2013 a light, airy space with an electromagnetic treatment bed and life-size anatomical skeleton \u2013 he exudes positivity. He wants to help us future-proof our bodies against chronic problems caused by habits such as sitting at screens and craning over phones.<\/p>\n

\u2018People are scared to move,\u2019 he says. \u2018Or they try to fast-track their fitness by lifting weights, but they don\u2019t know how to move their bodies.\u2019 Pain can arise from inactivity: we have to get everything pumping on a daily basis, as this affects our circulation and regulates the body. We also need to develop cognitive flexibility, he says. \u2018The body always finds the easy route and gets into bad habits. The brain goes, \u201cI\u2019m not used to this movement. I\u2019m going to seize up\u201d.\u2019<\/p>\n

He picks up that I pulled a hamstring two years ago and it\u2019s made my right hip weaker. \u2018Over time we form imbalances,\u2019 he says, \u2018so you\u2019ve had to move your back and bum more to compensate. Your back is tight, but if you start doing my exercises [see below] you will get looser, which will give you confidence.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"David <\/p>\n

David Beckham with James Davies, whom he calls ‘incredible’<\/p>\n

With three kids under 12, Davies understands life-juggling. But he has a mantra: \u2018There are 144 x ten minutes in a day. You just need to exercise for one of those ten minutes. And that can be a mix of strength, mobility, balance \u2013 you set the rules.\u2019<\/p>\n

You can start with just ten minutes a day, but ideally you\u2019d build up to doing two or three ten-minute blocks. Our body craves variety of movement, Davies explains. \u2018We should be like Julie Andrews in The Sound Of Music, jumping and skipping along, but we don\u2019t skip any more.\u2019<\/p>\n

I try to summon up my inner Julie Andrews when he asks me to do six exercises to assess flexibility, strength and balance. I only pass four. I can do a plank (with light swearing) but not a press-up. So he breaks it up into stages. I find the overhead squat impossible, but Davies teaches me to do it against the wall and slide down \u2013 success. His \u2018leg out and balance\u2019 exercise defeats me because my coordination is poor. But we video it and I later master it at home.<\/p>\n

I find jumping on the spot a bit mortifying, but Davies teaches me how: with my back straight, landing with slightly bent knees so I have to make more effort to jump up again. \u2018Do ten of those every day,\u2019 he tells me. \u2018It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re out of breath.\u2019<\/p>\n

All the exercises can be done at home. \u2018Don\u2019t do them all in one go, or it will be overwhelming,\u2019 Davies advises. \u2018Try one out before work. Pace yourself and find out how quickly you recover from it.\u2019<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also a fan of getting outdoors: \u2018Go to the park for a 12-minute run or power-walk and see how much distance you can cover. If you can do 2.1km, excellent; 1.8km to 2.1km is good. But even less than 1.5km, you don\u2019t need to feel ashamed.\u2019<\/p>\n

He is for reward as well as effort: \u2018We\u2019re all Formula 1 drivers rushing around. We need pit stops. I\u2019ll have an ice bath or sauna. I get a massage every month. It works for me, but I want to get people to think for themselves.\u2019<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a difference between pain and discomfort, he stresses. It should never hurt. But if you\u2019ve had previous surgeries, are limited in movement or have a sharp pain, stop the exercise and seek guidance.<\/p>\n

Then \u2013 bliss \u2013 I get a treatment. An hour after he has massaged muscles, clicked joints and used acupuncture and cupping (to rid the body of toxins), I\u2019m moving freely.<\/p>\n

\u2018You have a blockage above your hip, Davies tells me. \u2018Old injuries can lie dormant.\u2019 He recommends exercises that strengthen my quad muscles (at the front of the thigh, above the knee) and advises that I lie in bed with the soles of my feet pressed together, in a diamond shape, hands above my head. \u2018It will rest the pelvis, open the hips.\u2019<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the joy of a coach who is also an osteopath. Davies understands what his exercises do to the body. As he puts it, \u2018People may have a trainer who looks beautiful, from an aesthetic point of view, but so often they have really poor knowledge of the human body.\u2019<\/p>\n

THE ONLY 6 EXERCISES YOU NEED IN YOUR 60S\u00a0by James Davies<\/p>\n

If at first you don\u2019t succeed, don\u2019t be hard on yourself: you can always adapt and work up to the full movement over time\u00a0<\/p>\n

1. Single-leg stand to sit<\/p>\n

This challenges balance and hip and knee strength, as well as how you engage your core. Stand in front of a chair with a high seat or extra cushion, arms to the side or on your waist. Lift your left foot, squat as close to the chair as you can and sit for a two-second pause. Rise again and repeat with the right foot. You can do it slowly, and come up, then test it again. It\u2019s a good workout as it really challenges your quads. Aim for ten on each side.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" 2. Floor to stand<\/p>\n

While we should all be able to get up off the floor and sit down again, even 20-somethings can find it hard, hence this exercise. Stand comfortably, feet flat and space around you. Without leaning on anything, cross your legs and sink to a sitting position on the floor. Now try to get back up again. Put both hands on the floor to steady you, and push up using a swinging action to propel you forward. Try five reps, without favouring one side: muscles and joints should work as a team.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" 3. Overhead squat<\/p>\n

This tests shoulder flexibility, the relationship between back and hips and whether you can lift up using the strength of your thighs. Sink low and raise your hands over your head, pelvis down, back straight. Engaging your core while trying not to tilt forwards, push up again to standing. If it\u2019s too hard, slide to a squat against a wall, holding in your abs. Raise your hands against the wall, heels always down. Keep the position for two seconds then use your muscles to get back up. Go for ten reps.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" 4. Standing elbow to knee<\/p>\n

Reach your left arm straight out in front of you and your right leg straight back. Then bend your arm and leg, drawing them in until your elbow touches your knee. Repeat on the other side. This move challenges your balance and strengthens your abs, hips and lower back. Aim for ten reps on each side. If you can\u2019t quite get elbow to knee, touch with your forearm or hand instead, keeping the movement slow, steady and controlled.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" 5. Sit and reach<\/p>\n

This is a flexibility test for hamstring and lower-back flexibility. Sit with your legs fully extended, feet 10-12 inches apart. With your palms facing down and your hands overlapping, reach forward as far as possible, keeping your knees extended and back straight. Can you touch your shins? Toes? Beyond the toes (the ultimate goal of this exercise)? Perform the movement two or three times, maintaining each reach briefly and breathing steadily.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" 6. Leg out and balance<\/p>\n

While standing, raise one leg and hold it out in front, to the side or behind you, balancing on the other leg. Look straight ahead and hold the position for up to a minute, then repeat on the other side. This strengthens your core, thighs and quads, improving balance and stability. At your own pace, aim to complete two to three holds per side. Try reducing hand support or closing your eyes as you progress, for an added challenge.<\/p>\n

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