It is a shame that only 8 percent of adults participate in a proper exercise program and many people just don't even bother to get started as it has all become so complicated with all of the conflicting information.

This is unfortunate because most chronic diseases, conditions and disabilities develop insidiously over many decades, and are preventable by staying physically strong and fit. As it relates to quality of life in the later years of life, the benefits of proper exercise are simply too great to miss out on.

People can mistakenly believe they are healthy if they are not overweight. But what they fail to take into account is the loss of muscle tissue that is happening unseen throughout their body from the mid 20's onwards. This loss amounts to 300-500 grams per year which is a large amount over a 10 year period. This siphons the life force from a person, robbing them of their functional strength and eventually leaving them as helpless as a baby.

So even though the bathroom scales may stay the same, muscle tissue loss and an increase of body fat is likely to be simmering away below the surface unless you are working hard to keep that muscle. And there is only one way to do this ? a proper exercise program that contains at least 60 percent strength training exercise to reverse this unhealthy body composition (muscle/fat ratio).

The reason that it is important to reduce body fat is because high levels have been implicated in at least 35 diseases and conditions among them the 'big three' heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Regardless of what you weigh you can still have an above normal body fat percentage which can lead to future health problems.

Along with the physical benefits of exercise it is important that we consider our brain health as well. Being the control center of our entire body we want it to hold out and function properly for our whole life span. Although exercise is usually promoted for improved strength and endurance, weight loss and better heart health, there is growing evidence that regular physical activity helps ward off mental declines as people age.

Researchers have discovered that the more a person exercises, the greater the protection for the brain. People with the highest and most vigorous activity levels were half as likely as inactive individuals to develop Alzheimer's and were around 40% less likely to suffer any dementia or mental impairment.

When you partake in proper exercise, you think better, concentrate better, and your memory will be better. Exercise boosts blood flow to the brain, and boosts growth factors in the brain that actually helps grow neurons so you can keep your marbles no matter how long you live.

So there, you now have a few good reasons why you should be exercising each week. And along with all of the physical benefits exercise will help you look and feel younger as well. The ultimate objective for any one of us to achieve is to get the most from our life experience and having a strong, lean and healthy body and a flexible and positive mind will help us to do that.