Our bodies were designed to move. Many health problems are related to inactivity including hypertension, heart disease, pulmonary problems, back pain, and more.

So what do we do to keep active? How much activity is enough?

Recent clinical studies have shown that just walking as little as thirty minutes a day can go a long way to increasing your health as well as reducing and maintaining your weight.

Another surprising result of the studies was that it doesn't have to all be done at once. You can split it up into two fifteen minute sessions for example.

Depending on your level of fitness you may only be able to start with a brief walk of five or ten minutes. Don't be discouraged, I once knew someone who could barely walk to the end of their driveway when they began and a few months later they were walking over four miles a day! I know an elderly man who walks to his local grocery store everyday and the round trip distance is nearly five miles. He is 92 years old! That should motivate you.

Bicycling is another great activity and for people with hip or knee problems that may cause too much pain when walking long distances riding a bike can be an excellent substitute. It should be noted however that since you are removing the weight bearing benefit that you get from walking you will have to bike longer than you would walk to obtain the same health benefit and also biking does not help to prevent against osteoporosis like walking can.

Another great activity is swimming and I see more and more seniors taking up this activity due to the fact that it is easy on the joints. Swimming is a great calorie burner and very good for promoting flexibility as well. Once again, just beware that it is a non weight bearing exercise and you should still include some form of weight bearing exercise to keep your bones healthy.

My personal favorite is weight training although I do all of the activities we have talked about here. Weight training when done properly will give you the best overall benefit and it has even been shown in studies that even people over the age of 75 can increase muscle mass and flexibility very quickly on a weight training program.

Don't wait, go to your doctor and have a check up and have him make sure it is okay for you to exercise and get started on the road to better health today.