Doctors will tell you aging is not an excuse to stop getting fit.

Dr. Patrick Healy, Co-Medical Director of St. Vincent Hospital's Institute on Aging, says that as seniors we need to stay on top of our health to fight off disease. "There's so much information out there about what you can do to postpone some of these diseases that formerly you thought were normal aging."

The truth is, we're living longer, so doctors say we need to live better.

• People born in 1900 had a 50% chance of living to 47 and today, we have a 50/50 chance of living to 77. You can live that being active and fit and healthy or you can live it being sedentary, disease-ridden and hurting.
• Moderate daily physical activity can reduce substantially the risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers, such as colon cancer. Daily physical activity helps to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, helps prevent or retard osteoporosis, and helps reduce obesity, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and symptoms of arthritis.
• Osteoporosis is a serious medical condition in which bones become dangerously thin, brittle and susceptible to fracture. More than 28 million Americans suffer from bone loss -- one out of every three women over the age of 40. Bone loss begins as early as age 35 and then accelerates after menopause.
  

The good news is that osteoporosis is a preventable and treatable disease. Research has found that exercise can have positive effects on bone density. Just as a muscle gets stronger and bigger the more you use it, a bone becomes stronger and denser when you place demands on it.

• Two types of exercises are important for building and maintaining bone mass and density: weight-bearing and resistance exercises. We also recommend stretching and balance work to improve flexibility and coordination.

This page can help you find the interesting links about fitness, sport and exercises for seniors, articles and other services focused on senior's fitness and active lifestyle.

• Activekarma.com - Features articles and tools for those over 40.
• Advice for the Aging Athlete - Informative article, authored by William G. Raasch, MD, Director of the Division of Sports Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin and Froedtert Hospital.
• AgeFit - Senior fitness services for the older adult community.
• Alexander Technique and Aging Well - How this century-old method of stress reduction can help seniors.
• American Senior Fitness Association - Provides senior specific fitness training, certification and resources for exercise professionals who serve older adults as well as fitness information and tips for mature exercisers.
• Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine and Science: Aging and Exercise - A comprehensive and somewhat technical article on the physiological changes associated with human aging and the positive role that exercise can play.
• Execise is the ELIXIR of LIFE - Fitness for seniors.
• Fit Senior Online Catalog - Fitness, sports, gymnastic, aerobic equipment, as well as cycles, treadmills and related products and prices.
• Fitness Past Fifty - Provides information to help mature adults stay fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
• Michigan Senior Olympics - Information about this program which promotes healthy lifestyles by organizing state games, sports competitions, fitness, and wellness programs for individuals over 50.
• Extreme Body Workout - Nutrition and Fitness over 50
• New Mexico Senior Olympics - Information on their annual state games and events held throughout the year. Includes a quarterly newsletter, results, events, records and senior profiles.
• Older Women And Fitness - Brief summary of research conducted by an undisclosed source on the importance of exercise for the older woman.
• Over 50 Magazine - Middle Tennessee Edition of a bi-monthly publication.
• Senior Health, from About.com - Links, articles, and information on senior health and fitness.
• Senior-Fitness.com - Offers information on stretching and exercises to maintain balance and prevent falls among seniors.
• Silver Sneakers - Fitness programs for seniors working in conjunction with health plans.  
• Sport, Exercise & Fitness -information on sports, exercise, and fitness that may be of interest to senior citizens.
• T'ai Chi - Kung Fu Alliance - Providing professional, certified instruction in Yang Style T'ai Chi and Northern Shaolin Kung Fu. Specializing in the Beginner Senior T'ai Chi Student.
• Walk Tall - Exercise program for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.