YOUTHFULNESS--Fit At Any Age
Not only is it never too late to get fit, but it's never more important to make fitness a priority than it is as we mature. Many of the common complaints associated with the aging process, joint stiffness, weight gain, fatigue, loss of bone mass, among others – can be prevented by adopting a regular plan of physical fitness. Keeping your muscles conditioned and your heart strong and efficient can offset these minor complaints and may help reduce your risk for more serious conditions like hypertension, heart disease, and circulatory problems.

Fit Heart. As we age, the heart muscle becomes more fatty and less muscular. The insides of the blood vessels narrow, and elastic-like fibers inside the arteries begin to stiffen. To keep your heart in condition, heart-strengthening aerobic exercise is of primary importance. But, many mature adults find the idea of prancing to and fro in a skin-tight leotard, or running a 4-minute mile a bit too much to ask in return for improved cardiovascular fitness. Fortunately, you don't have to do either to condition your heart and lungs. Walking is one of the best cardiovascular conditioners, and can be done by almost anyone regardless of age or physical condition. The key to successful walking is to walk briskly enough to keep your heart beating in its Target Heart Range (THR) for at least 20-30 minutes. (Your THR is the safest range of heartbeats per minute during exercise.) While many factors like your overall health and medical history can affect your best THR, a basic guideline is to subtract your age from 220 and multiply the answer by 60% and again by 80%. The two numbers will give you the low and high ends of your Target Heart Range. Remember to start slowly and gradually build up your pace until you can exercise comfortably within your THR.

Fit Muscles. Muscles make us move and support our entire skeleton. As we age, muscles tend to lose mass and weaken which can lead to poor posture and limited range of motion. To prevent this from happening, it is helpful to do muscular conditioning and flexibility exercises.

Muscles grow stronger by working against progressively increased resistance. That means that the more "demand" you place on a muscle over period of time, the larger and stronger it will grow to meet that demand. Exercises such as bent-knee sit-ups, leg-lifts, and standard push-ups are all resistance or muscle-strengthening exercises.

Muscles stay flexible by doing gentle stretching exercises on a regular basis. Like an unused rubber band, unused muscles can become stiff and tight. By gently stretching your muscles throughout the day, you can remain limber and improve your ability to move through a wide range of motion.