Once upon a time, a hundred plus years ago life was full of physical activity for our ancestors. Transportation consisted of walking on your own two feet, or if you were lucky you rode a horse. Farming was the main occupation and required hard physical labor from dawn to dusk. Household chores like washing, cooking, cleaning and shopping were all serious workouts. There was absolutely no need for anyone to add in some intentional exercise into their lives.

The Industrial Revolution came along and radically changed our occupations and lifestyles. Machines started doing the hard jobs, at work and at home, and when radio, television, movies, computers and video games came along to fill the extra free time, we were only too happy to take a seat and a load off our feet.

Without the physical "work" to maintain strength, our bodies pay the price and we begin a long slow downward run of muscle and bone loss of between 300-500 grams per year starting in the mid 30's. This muscle tissue loss causes a corresponding drop in metabolism (the rate the body burns fuel) and body fat is accumulated often padding the area masking the loss so it is rarely noticed.

This change in body composition (ratio of lean muscle tissue to body fat) not only lowers the metabolic rate but siphons away our strength, drains our energy levels and weakens our immune system exposing us to disease and illness.

The good news is there's an antidote that is now well known and well proven. Strength training exercise can reverse muscle and bone loss and make our bodies work better and become leaner. When challenged by strength training exercise, the body is stimulated to produce growth hormone, a hormone that has been shown to slow the aging process.

Your muscles, bones and other cells in your body will have good reason to renew themselves as they are being challenged to stay strong, sweeping away old, degenerated cells and tissue. This allows the rejuvenation and rebuilding of new tissue that is younger, stronger, and healthier.

Strength training exercise is such a powerful age eraser it can improve the quality of your life at any age or any physical condition you may be in It is no longer thought of as only a hobby of youth, but a lifetime method of keeping your strength and fitness which gets even more important as you get older. Whether you are 40 or 60 years old you can reclaim your youth by gaining strength and building muscle as fast as a 21 year old. It is quite possible to become 100 to 150 % stronger in just a few months of this special exercise regime.

The basic premise of strength training is to use resistance to make muscles work harder than they are accustomed to working in everyday activities, and provides more health benefits than any other exercise or activity. You will be preventing or slowing degenerative changes, rebuilding damaged tissue, restoring lost function, and helping the immune system fight disease.

What priority are you giving your health and well-being? Remember that if you are strong, fit, well and happy with yourself this will benefit others too. Every child deserves a happy parent; every boss would rather have a fit employee and every person appreciates a vital and vibrant spouse or partner in life.

Resolve to reserve the time for strength training exercise. Whatever your current condition, you can choose to be building strength and fitness and put life back into living, or letting it slip away. It is up to you alone to decide how you will live, which path will you choose?