Are you a little bit, or maybe a lot, past middle age? Or will you be soon? Well, there's good news. People who are getting up in years have the brightest outlook for improvement of all age groups when they begin an exercise program. New discoveries of the benefits of exercise, even in the elderly, are coming in thick and fast.

In fact, may of the infirmities of age are caused not by the aging process but by inactive lifestyles. This means that you can reverse many of the effects of aging. Exercise can push back your functional age 10 to 25 years. Which signs of "aging" would you like to reverse?

• decreased endurance
• stiff muscle joints
• fatigue
• increased blood pressure
• loss of muscle strength
• increased body fat
• fragile bones

Start Slowly

If you're beginning an exercise program, ask your doctor or fitness professional for guidelines on how much exercise is safe for you. The safest exercise to start out with is walking. Keep these pointers in mind:

• While vigorous exercise is usually desirable, even exercising at 35 percent of you maximum capacity give benefits.
• When doing strength training, stay with low-resistance, high-repetition training. For instance, in weight training, lift smaller weights more often.
• Be extra careful to avoid overtraining. The resulting injuries could put an end to your exercise program.
• Exercise at the lower end of your target heart range. (If you're breathing so hard you can't talk, you're exercising too hard).

Note: If you experience difficulty breathing or chest pains while exercising, stop immediately and consult your healthcare provider.