Let's begin at the beginning of the fitness regimen " ideally, it should start when you are in your twenties as this is the time when one is most enthusiastic about looking good, being fit and being absolutely muscle-toned. But even while all this enthusiasm is fine, one should also look at the long-term broader picture which goes far beyond just looking good. Consider your body a bank vault that stores up all the benefits of your good work you have done in your early age. This is when your exercise regimen can build up strong bones which will help prevent osteoporosis in later life.  

Even while you pay attention to exercising your body, see that you are simultaneously conscious about your diet. This is the period in your life when you will be tempted to indulge in junk food " and bad eating habits now will definitely haunt you in your later life by making you predisposed to hypertension and diabetes " so dangerous are the long term effects of poor eating habits. 

Thirties to Forties.... 

So you have turned thirty, and true to what all health pundits have said, you have reached a plateau in your attempts to lose weight. It is not that you will hit this state the day you celebrate your thirtieth birthday! It is a fact that sometime during the thirties, our metabolism begins to slow down " in simple terms this means that even while you are eating the same amount of calories, you will find yourself putting on weight. Your body is losing muscle mass and no longer uses up all those calories to maintain weight, so the excess gets stored in the body as fat. What you now have to do to compensate is to increase your target in order to burn those extra calories " this way you can keep your weight in check and avoid putting on weight round your midriff in order to reduce the risk of heart disease. Be regular in exercising your body, avoid the temptation to become a couch potato, and help your body face the stress of daily life. 

The challenge of the Forties and Fifties.... 

In your forties? This is a period when you feel satisfied with your life, when you feel secure and well settled. This accounts for the mental peace that most middle aged people experience, but are you aware of the major physiological changes that are going on in your body? 

Take the skin, for instance. Surely you notice a reduction in the elasticity, in the texture of your skin and muscle. And oh God! Is that an increase in inches round the hitherto slim waist? And what about those internal changes that we cannot see? Did you know that the skeleton starts to shrink at this stage and that the capacity of the heart and lungs start to decline? God forbid if you have let yourself go and have a thickened waistline! That means diabetes and risk of stroke are imminent. 

However, there is still hope. With regular planned exercise combined with a healthy and nutritious diet one can slow the inevitable ageing process. Women in particular have to build up their strength for the menopause years ahead and this is the time when they have to make lifestyle changes in order to minimize the effects of menopause. Exercising regularly can prevent early death in postmenopausal women. 

The Fifties to the Sixties

You have touched fifty and are still leading a sedentary life, munching the wrong foods while sitting wide-eyed in front of the saas-bahu serials. Hear those alarm bells? Are you aware of the fact that half the physical decline associated with ageing is all due to the lack of exercise? Br prepared for a host of ailments " less flexibility, less coordination between muscles, increased risk of diabetes and stroke problems, high blood pressure and also mood swings. Risk of early death looms large. Exercise should begin at least in your forties if you want to prevent dementia in later age. Don't immediately jump into fast and furious exercise " always take activity at your own pace and take professional advice before you begin. 

Into the sixties....

Now the emphasis is on keeping your mind active along with your body. Actually, proper planned physical activity will take care of both. Go for regular, brisk walks. This will keep your heart pumping at a healthy rate and with the increased flow of blood into the brain, the ability to process and assimilate knowledge and the capacity to make informed decisions. Concentration improves by leaps and bounds. With guidance from a trainer, work out with weights as this will help prevent the onset of osteoporosis with improved bone strength. A trainer is important if one is to prevent damage to the joints while weight training. 

In addition to all we have said above, remember to maintain correct posture at all times and see that the body retains its flexibility so that risk of injury from even daily tasks like climbing stairs can be avoided. The greatest benefit which one can derive over the ages with regular exercise and caring for the body,  is of course the good it does to your self esteem which arises from your increased energy levels and the fact that you look fitter and younger than your biological age. 
 

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