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Everyone can benefit from some type of exercise. It doesn't matter how old, how unfit, how overweight or underweight, how coordinated or experienced you are. I once was traveling and started talking to a couple who were the perfect picture of health: about seventy-five years old, with lean bodies, clear, sparkling eyes, and rosy cheeks. I asked them what kind of exercise they did, and they told me they didn't do any. But how, I wondered, could they be in such outstanding condition without any exercise? Finally they admitted that they walk five miles every day—but they didn't consider that to be exercise, because they enjoyed it so much. Every step forward counts. The more you do, the more you can do. Aging is not a disease. In fact many of the physical changes we blame on "aging" are a direct result of inactivity. Physical discomfort seemed inevitable because we rarely exercised—certainly not as we got older. That perception has changed. It's no longer considered dangerous for even the very elderly to improve their strength greatly with exercise. You don't have to win a race to be physically fit. Your fitness level is not measured by your speed or how big your muscles are but by the soundness of your cardiovascular system, how strong your muscles are, how flexible you are, and how much body fat you have. Nor do you need to exercise every day to reap the benefits. Here's what exercise can do for you: • Lower your risk for nearly every disease, from colds to cancer • Strengthen your heart and lungs • Lower your blood pressure • Keep your weight down • Maintain and even increase bone density • Strengthen your immune system • Lower the percentage of body fat • Increase the "good" HDL cholesterol and decrease the "bad" LDL cholesterol • Relieve stress and tension • Reduce the chances of lower-back problems • Change the shape of your body • Increase your range of motion • Improve reflexes, memory, and coordination • Improve your sex life • Stimulate the release of endorphins, which give your body a natural "high" feeling of euphoria • Relieve depression • Change your self-image and self-esteem • Lengthen your life
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