For many of us when we think of being old, our images are often ones of frailty, weakness and unhappiness. We fear aging, and as a result rather than looking forward to growing old we dread each extra candle on our birthday cake. Rather than seeing our later years as a time of growth, change, creativity, new careers, travel, hobbies, and good health we worry that our health will impair our lives so much that living a long time might be more of a curse than a blessing.

In the last century, another 30 years of life expectancy has been added to our lives. For some these years are not a time for happiness and wellbeing. Although people are living longer in the industrialized world, they are also getting chronically ill at an earlier age. Although modern medicine can prolong life, it seems far less able to promote healthy aging.

For many people the downward spiral of declining health, the muscle and joint pain and the subsequent disability is happening at younger and younger ages - thirties, forties, fifties. For most of us exercise is something we should do, but we choose not to, continuing to live sedentary and inactive lifestyles. We can live like this for many years, even decades while experiencing a gradual and barely noticeable decline in overall health and physical functioning.

The most dramatic declines due to aging are in muscle strength which starts in the mid 30's. You will lose around 3 kilos of muscle tissue per decade unless you start taking active steps to keep your strength and fitness. That change in body composition (muscle/fat ratio) not only saps strength; it also lowers the metabolic rate (rate the body burns fuel) allowing excess body fat to accumulate and exposes us to greater risk of major life threatening diseases.

Recent research proves that much of the functional decline typically associated with aging is, in fact, the result of disuse and can be reversed through an effective program of strength training exercise.

This important finding suggests that we must not think of ourselves as helpless captives of the aging process. Instead, a golden opportunity exists to prevent a huge portion of functional decline through lifelong programs of proper exercise. To be effective and maintain our abilities and to significantly reverse incapacity we must start strength training at ages 40, 50, 60 and beyond. This is not about pining for or trying to reclaim lost youth, being strong and fit means being able to do the things that you want and need to do.

If your attitude is an obstacle in getting started with your exercise program are you willing to change it? The common myths and negative ideas about exercise for older people such as "the older you get the less exercise you need" or "I get enough exercise" even when they do no exercise must be eliminated. Older people also exaggerate the risks involved in vigorous exercise, underrate their own abilities and capacities, and overrate the benefits of light and sporadic exercise.

To recover and rebuild lost strength, muscle tissue and bone density strength training exercise is the only effective means of achieving this. Decades of losses can be reversed after only a few months of strength training.

You have a choice about how you wish to use the extra years modern medicine has given you. You could surrender to the downward spiral...and become doddering, frail and feeble or you can take control, get active, grow strong, energetic and picture yourself swimming, laughing and delighting in the modern world. The choice is yours.