Are some of us settling for less than we should with our health? For most of us we consider ourselves healthy if we get to forty or fifty or more and there is no sign of disease or illness. We might be thinking ’so far so good, I am doing okay’ with a sense of relief. But should we expect more from our health than simply “not being sick”?
We have heard that physical activity is important for our bodies but six out of ten adults do not do enough proper exercise so it is fairly obvious that they do not realize its importance. Many people think it is some luxury ‘optional extra’.Because you may be enjoying good health at present you may be taking it for granted. But if you are unlucky enough to have had a serious illness or injury, you never take your health for granted again and realize how important it really is to achieving all of the things in life that you would like to do travel, sports, hobbies, family or new career.Although some aspects of our health are not under our control, there are many things we can do to protect and guard the body we have been given. There is no getting around it, without proper exercise that works the muscular system on a regular basis all of the essential elements of functional fitness will decline as we get older. But it is not doing enough muscle building and maintaining activity that is to blame not the passing years. We used to think it was a natural and inevitable result of the ‘aging process’ but research has now well proved it to be the result of a sedentary lifestyle.Proper exercise becomes critical as we age to keep our body and mind functioning at a level that allows us to take care of ourselves and stay well right until the final event. But there simply is not enough vigorous activity in our lives anymore for us to stay healthy. The human body has to have the stimulation of movement to release ‘growth and repair’ hormones that keep us well and youthful. Without these hormones we age at a premature and an accelerated rate which is not something surely that we would wish upon ourselves.We all must take responsibility for our own health and wellbeing and not just leave it up to someone else to take care of us when our level of strength and fitness deteriorates to the point where we can’t even manage the simply tasks of day to day living. People aged over 100 years can run a marathon so there really is no excuse for not being able to get out of a chair unassisted which is what you will witness in nursing homes all over the world. The only thing wrong with a lot of these people is years, decades or a lifetime of sedentary living and we all have to pay the enormous price for this.Mere movement, or ‘any exercise is good enough’, is not really sufficient if you truly wish to be prepared for your later years. A strength training program set up by a fitness professional is what is needed to come anywhere close to getting the muscular system in a healthy and conditioned state to improve and maintain your health. Your muscles will respond whether they are 70 year old muscles or 30 year old muscles, the years make no difference to them. They do not know how old they are but they do know when they are not being used and kept strong.It is important that you think of your exercise program as medicine that is both healing and preventative and is the self health care that will regenerate and renew the body, mind and spirit. This will most certainly add years to your life and life to your years.
Do you want to discover the secret to rejuvenating your body and improving the quality of your life? Download my free ebook “Ive Found the Fountain of Youth- Let Me Show You Too!” here: Reverse Aging For Free Fitness Report here Fitness Weight Loss Carolyn Hansen is a certified fitness expert and fitness center owner who coaches clients to look and feel younger.
