It is said that with age comes wisdom which is a benefit of life experience but on the flip side unfortunately, as we get older we lose muscle strength and vital bone density. These are the very same muscles and bones that hold our skeleton together, keep us upright, sturdy and allow us to move. Any deterioration in these parts that form our chassis will result in making our entire life much more difficult.



As the birthdays come and go we get stiff, lose our balance and appear to shrink somewhat. Things that used to move freely suddenly start to hurt, and if it hurts to move we don't. We say to ourselves "Man I sure am getting older". But maybe instead we should be saying "Man I sure am getting lazy".

The evidence continues to mount about the importance of muscle building and maintaining exercise especially once we get past 30 years of age. Yet many people do not bother thinking that proper exercise is an 'optional extra' something we do if we 'have time' or it fits into our busy lives.

Yet without it we are doomed to live a miserable last third of our life. Most people would not wish to be a burden upon family and friends yet they do nothing to stop this downward slide from happening. Go and have a look around a nursing home. Most of the residents are not there because they are ill. They are there because they are too frail and weak to take care of themselves.

They have not done anything to stop the downward spiral of muscle and bone loss that happens after the mid 20's at a rate of 300-500 grams per year if nothing is done to stop it. After age 60 years this rate doubles eventually rendering its victim unable to function at a most basic level of self care.

Proper exercise is not an 'option' it is a necessity in our modern lives. We no longer do anything that even vaguely resembles physical 'work' anymore. It has all been removed thanks to technology and mechanization. How are we supposed to stay strong and healthy? We spend most of our days sitting, while our life slides by taking with it our strength, vitality, energy, vigor, our get up and go and our zest for living.

This is not the normal course of aging; it is the normal course of inactivity and living a sedentary lifestyle for years or even decades previously. The consequences are enormous with a slowing metabolism (the body's engine), a decline in strength and aerobic capacity, an increase in body fat, a reduced blood sugar tolerance and a continuing loss of muscle tissue and bone density.

The biggest blow is the weakening of the immune system and the risk of succumbing to a serious modern day lifestyle disease such as one of the 'big three' heart disease, cancer or diabetes.

Surely these negative signs cannot be ignored. Yet the older people get the less physically active they become. Wouldn't it be easier to buy some training clothes and go and buy a membership at your local gym and get stuck into a strength training program?

Why would anyone want to risk this downward spiral of premature aging destroying that very precious last 20-30 years of ones life? It is beyond comprehension how this can be justified. It is so simple to turn this situation around, reverse this dreadful process and stay strong and vital throughout your life so your health span matches your lifespan.

Make a decision today to get started. Seek the help of a fitness professional so that you get set up properly with your program. It must be safe and effective, your progress monitored and your program updated regularly for best results.

Don't muck around with this, every day that passes puts you further away from the goal of living life fully, squeezing every tiny bit of enjoyment from it. You need strength and energy for this, not feebleness and frailty. Make the change today.