There is an old saying 'you are only as old as you feel' and science has now confirmed that there is a lot we all can do to slow down or even reverse to some extent the toll the years take on your body and your health.
We are all keen to have a long lifespan which is how many years you live, but more importantly perhaps is your health span - the period of your life when you are fully functional and able to perform everyday tasks for yourself.
This is what most of us want surely, not just more years in our life but vital, strong, healthy, well, independent, energetic and enjoyable years.
We have known for at least 15 years that to slow the aging process and keep strong and vital we must do regular consistent muscle building and maintaining activity.
The loss of muscle tissue is the number one bio marker of aging and influences the speed at which we age and the state of our health more than any other factor.
Many of us fear the aging process having witnessed the frailty and disability of our grandparents and maybe our parents as they spent 10-20 years in what we now know as a 'disability zone'.
This can be recognized when your functional capacity is low, when you simply no longer have the strength to easily walk several miles, climb stairs with ease, carry heavy bags of groceries, lift and carry a child or when you can't stretch up and get something from a top shelf.
Eventually even getting out of a chair becomes impossible.
This is not caused by the passing years but by years (even decades) of not doing enough strength maintaining activity.
As they get older most people slip into a sedentary way of living.
They sit around, fail to exert themselves and allow themselves to be waited upon by others hastening the loss of muscle tissue.
This allows the insidious weakening of the entire structures of the body.
As this downward spiral of health continues and worsens it becomes a good excuse for continuing the pattern of immobility.
Any wonder we fear aging when we think for a moment about any frail elderly people we may know or have known.
Mostly they are not suffering from any serious chronic disease yet for years they have been dependent on others.
They spend all day sitting and barely have the strength to get up into a standing position only to shuffle along tentatively when they do stand and attempt to walk.
All that is actually wrong with them is the fact they have lost so much muscle tissue.
You can see their flesh literally drooping without the support of muscle tissue underneath.
It is so sad to see this as their minds are often nimble and alert but their bodies have rusted out like a piece of old machinery.
Yet it is so easy to prevent this problem.
A proper exercise program that contains mostly strength training exercise performed 2-3 times each week is a small price to pay to avoid going down the road to the 'disability zone'.
Make up your mind this is not going to happen to you.
Get some help from a fitness professional in setting up your program so you get the best possible start on the journey.
You will feel the wonder of increased strength and vitality within just a few weeks which will have you questioning how you could have been missing out for so long on an increased quality of life you can scarcely imagine.