Exercise is good for people of all ages. It helps lower blood pressure, reduces the risks for falls and serious injuries, and slows the body's loss of muscle and bone mass.

First decide how you can make exercise a priority. One idea: Put your workout on the calendar just like any other appointment.

"Physical activity has been engineered out of our daily lives," laments an expert on preventing disease. "We used to rake leaves by hand and walk to the market. Now we have leaf blowers and take the car everywhere." So here is a list of 10 reasons why you should make physical activity a part of your everyday life.

Some weight gain is unavoidable, because as the body ages, body fat increases as lean muscle mass and bone mass decrease. Body weight increases until you reach age 60, when it begins to decline.

The best reason for you to exercise as an older adult is to improve your quality of life and help you maintain your independence.

The experts who tell us we need more exercise agree on one thing. Doing something, they say, is better than doing nothing.

Weight lifting is one of the fastest-growing U.S. fitness activities. And the American Heart Association recently threw its weight behind weight lifting, too.

If you try to exercise by yourself, you'll generally come up with any excuse not to do it. With volunteering, you are involved with a group where you have to make a commitment. You're not going to let the group down.

When you exercise, you gain more strength and flexibility. Your mood will improve, and you'll be able to think better.

Older adults are learning tai chi to improve their balance and reduce their risk of falling. Tai chi offers an aerobic benefit, too.

Older adults who want to improve their physical health are turning to warm-water exercise.

If you don’t have the time or money to meet with a trainer, just hire yourself to get the job done.