New book, Built to Last After 50, reveals how to regain control, mobility, and confidence as you age

According to AgeUK’s 2025 GP Patient Survey, 3 out of 5 people (59%) aged 55-64 say their long-term condition or illness reduces their ability to carry out day-to-day activities. When they do choose to seek help, many are given painkillers and a generic printout of exercises that don’t fit their life - followed by the all-too-familiar phrase: “Come back in six months.” That moment can feel dismissive and demoralising, like the pain doesn’t matter or that their independence and their future aren’t urgent enough to fix right now.

For chartered physiotherapist and founder of award-winning physiotherapy clinic Urban Body, Phil Evans, it doesn’t have to be this way. Pain and stiffness are not inevitable parts of aging; they are signs to take action. This is the galvanising call-to-action of his new book, Built to Last After 50: The truth about arthritis, strength, and staying independent (Rethink Press), empowering individuals in their fifties, sixties, and beyond to invest in their movement and strength so they can enjoy the freedom of living life on their own terms.

Evans started his over twenty-year career in elite sport, working with top rugby players, professional cricketers, and Olympic athletes. It is these very same strategies used to keep elite performers at the top of their game that can help over-50s stay active, independent, and free from painkillers. For too long, these have been locked away in the world of sport, leaving everyday people waiting, guessing, and losing hope.

Rather than trends, hacks, or miracle fixes, Built to Last After 50 cuts through the noise with clear, practical guidance to help readers understand arthritis, ageing, and muscle loss - and crucially, what they can do about it. Structured across ten accessible chapters, Evans explores everything from identifying the root cause of pain and challenging common misconceptions about arthritis, to the hidden costs of painkillers and stress, and how to rebuild mobility, capacity, and mindset. At its core, Evans shows readers “wear and tear” isn’t the endgame, and that with the right plan, it can be slowed, stopped, or even reversed.

Importantly, the book challenges the most damaging myths about age, which often fuel fear, avoidance, and unrealistic goals. Instead, Evans advocates that this isn’t a one-time fix or one-size-fits-all, but a proactive roadmap to get off the pain merry-go-round with natural, science-backed ways to reduce discomfort and restore strength.

Underscored throughout is the importance of recovery through Evans’ “The Recovery Triangle” - sleep, hydration, and daily movement - alongside insights into factors that become increasingly important with age, such as hormones, circulation, and resting heart rate. The book explores a range of recovery tools, from simple methods like ice baths and saunas to more advanced options like neuromuscular stimulation, red light therapy, and hyperbaric oxygen.

Built to Last After 50 is the ideal read for anyone over fifty who wants to move from coping and struggling to regaining control, mobility, and confidence. Whether a grandparent who wants to stay playful, the retired professional who wants to keep travelling and enjoying life, or a health-conscious individual who refuses to settle for just putting up with it, the goal isn’t perfection, it’s resilience.

Built to Last After 50: The truth about arthritis, strength, and staying independent is available to buy on Amazon and in all good bookshops from 16th June 2026.

For press enquiries, please contact the Press Team on +441603 743 363 or email [email protected].

About the author:

Phil Evans is a chartered physiotherapist with twenty years’ experience of helping people move better, get stronger, and stay independent as they age. He began his career working in elite sport, supporting professional rugby players, international cricketers, and Olympic and Commonwealth athletes, where performance and long-term resilience were non-negotiable. Alongside that world, Phil saw a very different reality playing out every day in general healthcare. People over fifty with joint pain, stiffness, or arthritis were often given painkillers, vague advice, or long waits for surgery, with little explanation and even less confidence. That gap is why Phil founded Urban Body, a physiotherapy clinic based in Solihull, UK. There, he and his team work primarily with adults over fifty who want to stay active, capable, and independent, combining straightforward evidence-based physiotherapy with advanced rehabilitation technologies traditionally reserved for elite sport, always guided by what helps people move and live better in the real world.

Quote:

“No matter what group you’re in, whether you push through and pretend nothing’s wrong, let the pain dictate what you can and can’t do, or say no to things you once loved, there’s a way forward. This book will show you how to move from coping and struggling to finally regaining control, mobility, and confidence.” - Phil Evans, chartered physiotherapist and founder of Urban Body