People often have the wrong impression that an exercise program is to make the outside of the body look better by firming, slimming and trimming it. But that is only a very small part of what exercise can do. It is now considered essential for protection from disease and to ensure a better quality of life so that your health-span matches your life-span.

Previously we used to believe that as people got older it was expected that they become sedentary and uninterested in the world around them. It is a shame that society encourages people to 'slow down' and 'take it easy' as if they do any vigorous activity or exert themselves in any way that might break or fall to bits.

Now the opposite is recommended to hold off the downward spiral of accelerated and premature aging that a lack of strength maintaining activity and a no exercise lifestyle causes. When you are inactive you lose precious muscle tissue, your metabolism (your body's engine) slows, you gain body fat and you become at a much greater risk of becoming a victim of a chronic life threatening disease.

As each year passes your body needs more self health care than when you were younger.

It is not a time to get lazy and complacent but a time to get stuck in and spend time each day performing your exercise program and preparing and eating as much unprocessed, whole, high quality food as possible..

People who take the time to do this can knock 20 years off the functioning of their body systems and organs. A proper exercise program that contains strength training exercise puts one of the major risk factors in heart disease, into reverse - the otherwise inevitable increase of body fat.

We are not talking about weight problems here, just the simple fact that as you age, you lose muscle tissue, and it is replaced by flabby fat. So it is not surprising that physically active people - regardless of their biological ages - have lower rates of heart disease and are less vulnerable to stroke and diabetes along with at least 30 other illnesses and conditions.

Laboratory research gives further support to the importance of exercise as a cancer fighter with increased killer-cell ability to attack stray cancer cells and tumors. Exercise is your only defense, and it can go a long way toward reversing the muscle loss that leaves you weak and at risk. A major reason to have a proper exercise program in place is to steel your defenses against diseases that kill.

The program recommended is one that contains at least 60% strength training exercise that will stimulate the hormones that will keep you youthful and strong. The balance of your program should be interval training which is short bursts of all out activity alternated with recovery periods. An example of this would be 10 seconds of sprinting followed by 30 seconds to one minute of walking repeated 8-12 times once or twice each week.

Don't look to recreational activities like walking or gardening to rebuild lost muscle tissue and strength, anti aging or disease proofing benefits. That is not going to happen with low intensity, long, slow, repetitive activities that are not considered part of a proper exercise program. Spend your precious time on an exercise program that produces results and have a fitness professional set it up and monitor it for you.

Your level of strength is the absolute foundation of your health as being strong enables you to have more energy and vitality along with more youthfulness no matter what your age. Being stronger and fitter will increase the number of years we can expect to live and regular exercise will add quality to those years making you feel better physically, mentally and emotionally.