People in the baby boomer age group - born between 1946 and 1964 are redefining expectations about aging. They are becoming more aware of the importance of regular and proper exercise for remaining youthful and vital and staying disease free. Building and maintaining strength is one of the healthiest things one can do for healthy aging.

However, in today's fast paced society, many people spend much of their time trying to accumulate self wealth instead of self health. They lose their focus on what is really important because, in the long run, it is health that ultimately determines how long one stays employed in the workforce, and how well one is able to enjoy those retirement years.

It is a sobering thought, that you work all those years and have done what you think is everything right, but in the end your body fails you. You may not be able to play lots of golf like you thought you would. Or you may not be able to take those overseas trips you always dreamed of. Play golf, swim, hike, exercise and work around the house - maybe? Or even if you don't plan to be particularly active in retirement, will your retirement years be upset by chronic back or hip pain, or a nagging disability that demands much of your time, money and attention.

A stiff, hurting body becomes an intrusion in our lives. If it hurts every time you go up or down stairs, or have to bend down to pick something up off the floor it siphons away your life energy. Even if retirement is still years or decades away, it's useful to ask the question: Am I doing what I can to assure a functional future for myself?

Just as we prepare for our financial future, are we doing what we can to plan and prepare for our muscle strength and joint future? What we are all after is a healthy, functional body that doesn't hurt, one that allows us to easily participate in a variety of activities, one that allows us to do all the things we enjoy and want to do for as long as possible.

Without strength building exercise, all of these essential elements of functional fitness will decline as we get older. But don't blame aging as it is not the piling on of the years that are to blame but our inactive or sedentary lifestyles. We know this for a fact now, but we used to believe that declining strength and health was a natural and inevitable result of the "aging process". The simple fact is, the older you become the more you need to exercise.

The Answer - What we need to do, we need to stay strong. The strength of our muscles is what holds us up supporting our spine and protecting our joints. There is no substitute for restoring and maintaining muscular strength, as our level of strength equals our level of health. And we need to keep it that way right throughout our life.

In fact, you can and should be able to not only maintain but also improve your physical abilities across the course of your lifetime. You can be stronger and fitter in your forties, fifties, sixties and even seventies than you are/were in your twenties and thirties.

No matter what stage you are at in life, if you don't make your exercise regime a priority in your life, it doesn't happen consistently and you won't get the results. Making your strength and fitness a priority has benefits that affect all areas of our lives, at all stages of life. The payoff of an active lifestyle is certainly well worth the outlay of time, effort and money. Ask anyone who is active.