As people get older many believe it is a time to slow down and take it easy.
They feel they have earned the right after spending forty or more years in the work force.
It was different for our ancestors who every day had to perform hard manual labor to be productive, often farming the land or other hard physical tasks.
A 'retirement' period of rest was encouraged as one got older and was considered a fair reward for this hard work.
This old fashioned belief still carries on today even though we not longer do any 'hard work'.
Our modern day lives have had every bit of physical activity stripped from them to make our lives comfortable and convenient.
The idea of 20 or more years of 'taking it easy' is a very dangerous one as rest is the last thing the aging human body needs.
Without the stimulation of vigorous activity our body has no way of remaining healthy as it is this movement that triggers the release of 'growth and repair' hormones that renew, and replace old and worn out cells and tissues rather than letting them decay and grow prematurely old.
If we sit around and fail to exert ourselves we are buying a one way ticket into the 'disability zone'.
This is a period toward the end of a human life when one can no longer take care of themselves through disuse.
Unused muscle tissue has been shed leaving flesh literally drooping without the support of firm tissue underneath and strength has dwindled away to the point even getting up from a chair is difficult if not impossible for some.
Quality of life is not longer present in the 'disability zone' as one becomes increasingly dependent on others as physical function continues to decline.
The mind can remain sharp, alert and nimble but the body has rusted out like a piece of old machinery.
The 'health span' no longer is running parallel with the 'life span'.
What you do and don't do on a daily basis has a great bearing on the risk of entering the disability zone in your later years.
Your lifestyle particularly in the exercise and nutrition areas will come home to roost and will dictate how long, when and even if you move into this zone at all.
One of the guaranteed ways to be propelled into this zone is to avoid muscle building and maintaining exercise through the adult years.
The sedentary nature of our work lives today (mainly seated) and our leisure activities staring at a screen of some sort (seated) means that we have to take steps and practice intentional exercise to ensure that we keep our moving parts moving.
This is not a luxury or an optional extra or 'If I have time I'll do it".
It is a non negotiable necessity if you wish to have a vital, strong, independent, energetic, healthy and well last third of life.
This intentional exercise program should be made up of mainly strength training exercise to work your muscles so that your body is being told it needs to stay strong and healthy.
No other type of activity is going to cut the mustard here.
All the walking, jogging, cycling or any other type of repetitive low intensity activity in the world is not going to build and maintain your muscle tissue.
So, put your time and energy into a program that is effective and will get you the right results as quickly as possible.
A fitness professional will help you set up your program and teach you how to do the exercises correctly and how much intensity (degree of effort required) is needed to achieve success.
We have all seen older people in a frail and sad state that have lost their vitality and oomph.
If you do not wish to have this happen to you it will require some action and effort on your part in the years before you get old to make your body does not pass its prime before you do.