Move it...and don't stop.

I'm going to get a little Preachy McPreachster. I have seen end results and they're not pretty.

Ready? Here goes: No matter how old you are, exercise. Exercise right now and don't stop....EVER.

No doubt about it, getting old kind of sucks. Some things you can't prevent. Some things you can. But here's something I have seen personally - IF YOU GET UP AND MOVE AROUND, YOU'LL BE BETTER OFF WHEN YOU'RE OLD.

Caring for my 81 year old parents these past 3 months I've seen, up close, the effects of no exercise (my Dad) and moderate exercise (my Mom.) Despite the fact that Mom has had both a hip and knee replacement, along with a few other unearned maladies, she's in pretty darn good shape. She's happier and much more vibrant.

Dad chooses to move very little. I have to beg him to take a short walk and even that, for him, is agonizing. I've told him time and time and time again: GET UP AND MOVE AROUND. YOU WILL FEEL BETTER. He chooses not to listen and, therefore, he chooses to be unhappy and miserable.

Everyone has seen the studies that show that exercise prevents aging. The truth is, we are all going to age, but I'm here to tell you that it really, really, REALLY does matter how you age. What you do or don't do now - if you're 20, 30, 40, 50 or 60 - will pay off when you're 80. And I'm not talking about running marathons or working out like a mad person. I'm talking about REGULAR, moderate exercise. It all counts and it all adds up.

And if you have kids or plan to have kids or have family and care about them at all, make that your motivation. Because eventually, your kids or somebody in your family will, in some way, be caring for you.  The less you move now, the harder you make it for them down the road. That's right. You can choose not to exercise at all and think that it effects only you, but eventually somebody else will have to pay for your sedentary lifestyle.

Here's an idea. Think of life as a game. He/She who has the most points, wins. Points are given for exercise. The less points you have, the worse you feel, in the end. Got it? OK, then move it.

That's it.

*Steps off soapbox.*