This past spring I dusted off my running shoes yet again and began running.  I don’t particularly enjoy running.  I don’t enjoy sweating.  I don’t even do it to lose weight or look better.

I feel better when I exercise.  Maybe not when I am actually doing it, but overall I notice that my mood improves and I feel more energetic and strong.

According to a recent study:

 Regular participation in aerobics, strength training and balance and flexibility exercises can delay and may even prevent a life-limiting loss of physical abilities into one’s 90s and beyond.

The ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) recommends that healthy adults up to the age of 65 do moderate aerobic activity 30 minutes per day, five days a week.  The 30 minutes can also be broken up into ten minute intervals  as you try to build up your endurance.

I remember a long time ago reading a magazine article about a group of women who lost a bunch a weight.  They did it by doing a combination of walking and running.  Walking for four minutes then running for one minute, alternating this for half an hour.

Researchers say that people should not wait until they are old to begin exercising.  It is important to begin while you are healthy and still fit.   All the more reason to encourage our children to make exercising a habit and a way of life.