How to stay fit at any age

I'm sure you already know that living an active, healthy lifestyle will prevent many health complications throughout your life. But did you know that it only takes 150 minutes of physical activity per week to stay fit?

That's just two-and-a-half hours per week! And as little as 20 to 30 minutes per day!!

The best part is that you can do this all in as little as 2 to 10-minutes at a time to experience the full benefits of exercising. For more info, just check out my article on exercise snacking to read up on the benefits of fitting in tidbits of physical activity throughout your day!

This is why it is so important to find a combination of low impact exercises, simple strength training workouts, and any type of cardio that works for you that you can implement and enjoy, daily.

Having fun with it is honestly your absolute best bet to help you maintain a healthy, happy body at any age.

If this feels at all intimidating, think about starting with what you love. Do you like walking your pup? What about dancing in your kitchen while you cook? Or playing a quick game of golf? Going for a nice swim? Zumba? Salsa? Cross country skiing? Check out a full list of fun ideas for you to try at the bottom of this page.

Whatever it is that inspires you to get going and keeps you looking forwards to next time, start there!

Then, be sure to give yourself a goal: perhaps you want to evolve your walk into a jog? Check out my article on how to improve your cardio endurance by alternating walking with jogging.

It's also important to incorporate a bit of strength-training and flexibility activities, such as yoga and Tai Chi, into your weekly routine. Check out one of my 10-minute Yoga videos if you'd like to try a simple routine to help you improve your flexibility.

So while 8 in 10 cases of heart disease and stroke are preventable through regular physical activity, it is also important for you to focus on muscle and bone-strengthening exercises to enhance your balance. Combined, this will all help you prevent potentially fatal falls in your golden years.

Strength training will help increase both muscle mass and bone density, while flexibility excises will help you enhance your core strength and overall balance.

Check out this 10-minute strength training workout video I made to help you see just how easy it is to stay in shape!

Remember, staying physically active while having fun is the key to aging gracefully. Keeping your joints and muscles strong and limber in order to keep you healthy, sturdy and avoid injury is the ultimate goal.

Need some more ideas for fun exercises? Here's a nice list of fun activities for you to try:

Golf Yoga Pilates Zumba Rowing Dancing Swimming Stair climbing Step aerobics Elliptical machine

Water aerobics Jumping jack Pushups Walking Skating Cycling Skiing Squats Planks Lunges