By adulthood hopefully exercise is part of your routine. Taking time out for heart-pounding exercise is just what the body needs to strengthen bones and muscles and prevent future illness. Try stomach crunches, push-ups and leg lifts for strength building, and add walking, jogging or cycling two or three miles four days a week for aerobic activity. If you're just jumping back from an exercise hiatus, remember to start off slowly before building up to more rigorous workouts. Keeping weight under control may become tougher as metabolism declines.
Women are especially at risk for osteoporosis after menopause.
Now is the perfect time to combat those chronic illnesses through exercising and discarding bad habits such as smoking or excessive eating and drinking. The decisions you make now will impact the rest of your life, and may even affect your lifespan. Moderate weight-lifting increases calcium and helps prevent osteoporosis. Strengthen muscles, avoid fractures and ease arthiritic pain by walking, jogging or swimming at least three days a week for 30 minutes. Senior centers also offer a variety of activities from dancing to yoga.