I hope these facts don’t ruin your day: A man’s aerobic capacity begins to decline at age 25 at a rate of 1 percent a year. At age 25 or 30, muscular strength begins to decline 1 to 2 percent per year. Generally, between 25 and 50 years of age you can expect to lose a half pound of muscle and gain one pound of fat per year. Bone loss in men begins around age 25 and declines about 3 percent per decade. This bone loss leads to fractures in old age.

 

Now for the good news: Research shows that the aging process can be slowed with a well-rounded exercise program. It will increase or stabilize muscle mass and bone density—and decrease body fat. Even if you’re 53 or 76 years old and have never really exercised, you can stop the “deconditioning spiral” and enjoy the benefits of exercise. But the greatest motivation to stay in shape is simple: It’s the will of God.

 

Your first step to fitness is to review the basics of a good workout. Your sessions should include aerobic exercise, stretching activities and strength exercise. Here’s how:

 

1. The warm-up. Start with five to 10 minutes of low-intensity exercise, such as walking, stationary cycling and light calisthenics. This will help increase muscle temperature and blood flow in preparation for the more intense work to follow.

 

2. Resistance training should be performed for a minimum of 20 minutes per workout. Strengthening exercises should be performed two or three times per week and include all major muscle groups. This can generally be accomplished by using 10 to 12 exercises: the bench press, shoulder press or raises, lat pulls, rowing exercise, triceps extension, arm curls, leg press leg extension and curls, toe raises sit-ups and back extensions.

 

These exercises can be performed with free weights or resistance machines, such as Nautilus equipment. The resistance or load should be set in such a way as to allow eight to 12 repetitions. When 12 repetitions are accomplished, five or 10 pounds of weight can be added for your next workout. One to three sets of each exercise is sufficient.

 

3. Aerobic or endurance training should be performed for 20 to 60 minutes per day, three to five days per week. As your aerobic fitness improves, you may want to increase the duration or intensity of the training. Start out exercising at a comfortable pace for 20 minutes. Once this can be accomplished with minimal effort, add five minutes to your workout time. From this point you may wish to add five minutes every two or three weeks until you reach your desired exercise duration.

 

One of the biggest mistakes is forcing yourself to perform an exercise you do not like. This will quickly turn your exercise training into drudgery. Aerobic training can be accomplished by running, walking, swimming, bicycling (stationary or road), dancing, stepping, cross-country skiing, water exercise and many game activities.

 

4. The cool down. All training sessions should end with 10 minutes cool-down, such as slow walking or cycling. Stretching to improve flexibility also should be included. Most experts agree that flexibility work should be performed after the body is sufficiently warmed-up to get the greatest results.

 

Before you begin a rigorous exercise routine, it’s a good idea to have a physical examination.

 

When it comes to motivation to keep exercising, there’s nothing like visible results. Right now, make a note of your weight, body-fat percentage and pulse rate. Measure your waist, chest and biceps. Then take all the measurements again after eight weeks of exercise. You may be surprised at how fast you see results, especially if you combine exercise with a nutritious, low-fat diet.

 

Many of us don’t have time for long daily workouts, and that’s OK. But working for a reasonable level of fitness will make a big difference in your health and appearance. Let’s work to please God by being a good steward of the body He created for us.