Nearly everyone is aware of the kind of problems that aging can bring: slower metabolism, less endurance, stiff joints, bone loss, and muscle loss. Some of us will also face more serious challenges, such as problems with balance. But senior fitness can go a long way toward keeping these problems to a minimum as we age.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that exercising is important to your overall health. If you’re someone who has never had a regular exercise routine and you’re finding it difficult to get motivated, here are some senior fitness tips that might help:

#1: Senior Fitness Can Begin At Any Age

No one is ever too old to benefit from a fitness routine. The purpose of exercise can be to improve your physical condition, or it can be to simply maintain the mobility you currently have. As the saying goes, “if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.”

For an elderly person with limited mobility, exercise might only consist of gentle movements done from a sitting position. The point is to begin from where you are right now, wherever that happens to be.

#2: Choose Exercises That You Enjoy

When many people hear the word ‘exercise’ they automatically picture being forced to do boring, repetitive movements. But any activity that increases endurance is excellent for a senior fitness routine. For you, a workout might be swimming, or gardening, or taking your dog for a brisk walk every day. As long as you do it regularly, any activity that gets you moving qualifies as a workout. Because if it’s something you enjoy doing, you’re a lot more likely to keep doing on a regular basis.

#3: Exercise Doesn’t Need To Hurt To Be Effective

Exercise should challenge you, but it should never be painful. That’s especially true when it comes to senior fitness, because even a small injury can cause complications that will set you back. A good rule of thumb is to make enough effort that you get your heart rate up, but never exercise so strenuously that you have a difficult time carrying on a conversation.

Even a simple activity like stretching should be done with attention. And that’s true for everyone, not just senior citizens. Before you begin stretching, warm up your muscles for a few minutes by doing some broad exercises such as walking in place, while slowly raising and lowering your arms. And then, when you begin stretching, never strain your muscles so far that you feel pain. Do your stretches slowly and never ‘bounce’.

The secret to a successful workout regimen is to start where you’re at right now, whatever fitness level that happens to be. However gently and slowly you begin, as long as a senior fitness routine is done regularly it will gradually increase endurance and flexibility.

#4: Modify Exercises For Your Fitness Level

If you’ve been fairly active all your life and you’re still in good physical condition, then of course there’s no reason why you should slow down just because your driver’s license says you’re a senior citizen. But what if you’ve lead a fairly sedentary life, and you want to begin an exercise routine when you’re middle-aged or older? In that case, you’ll probably need to start out by modifying standard exercises to suit your current fitness level.

Here’s an example: if you’re very out of shape, a good place to start exercising is in the morning before you even get out of bed. The old fashioned ‘bicycle’ exercise is easy to do, and it strengthens your abdominal muscles. If you find it difficult to perform the exercise with both legs in the air at the same time, then simply raise one leg at a time and alternate. Just because you can’t do a standard exercise the in ‘standard’ way doesn’t mean you can’t include it in your senior fitness regimen.

A large number of people will experience lower back pain during their life, especially as they get older. Any exercise that helps to strengthen your abdominal muscles will help take the pressure off your lower back. If you have chronic back pain, talk to your doctor about other exercises you can do that will strengthen your abdomen without injuring your back.

#5: Senior Fitness Is Anti-Aging Medicine!

We’d all like a fast fix to the problems of aging, and as a society we spend billions each year on pills, potions, injections and cosmetic surgery. But the fact is, regular physical exercise is probably the single most important thing you can do to age gracefully and keep feeling youthful.

A well planned senior fitness routine helps us maintain the ability to perform the things we enjoy, and to accomplish our daily tasks. And as long as we can do those things, then we can remain independent well into our golden years.

Choose your foods to make sure you’re getting enough of the following vitamins and minerals:

· B-Vitamins – Seniors need to be sure they eat lots of foods with B-vitamins. Vitamin-B12 isn’t found in plants, but you can get it in your diet if you eat fortified breakfast cereals. Tuna, lean beef, chicken and eggs also provide vitamin-B12, but if you don’t eat enough of these foods, be sure to take a supplement.

Vitamin-B6 is also an important vitamin for seniors. B6 vitamins can be found in foods that provide protein such as pork, fish and chicken. Again, fortified cereals can be a great source of vitamin B-6. Bananas, spinach, wheat germ and bran are among other sources for vitamin B6.

· Vitamin-A – Cantaloupe, carrots, Brussels sprouts, peppers and most colorful plant products are rich in beta-carotene, which provides vitamin-A. Fish liver oil, eggs and fortified milk are also abundant in vitamin-A. If you don’t think you’re getting enough vitamin-A in your diet, talk to your doctor before taking a supplement as it can form toxic levels in your body.

· Folic Acid – A synthetic form of folate, folic acid can be found in foods such as fortified cereal, enriched breads and some grains. Foods containing folate are bananas, asparagus, turnip greens, spinach wheat germ and orange juice.

· Riboflavin – Milk, yogurt, eggs and whole grains are rich in riboflavin. Milk should be purchased in cardboard cartons rather than glass or plastic containers because it loses much of the vitamin from exposure to light. Other food sources high in riboflavin are asparagus, turkey, almonds and chicken thighs.

Some other vitamins that should be included in the foods seniors should be eating are vitamins C, D and E and choline. Eating a diet that’s balanced with these vitamins and minerals is best, but if it’s difficult for you to eat a balanced diet on a regular basis, talk to your doctor about supplements.

As you age, it’s important to fill up with foods that contain vitamins and minerals that will help us to maintain a healthy immune system and provide you with the best caloric intake rather than foods rich in sugar, fat and not much else. Eating right can help us age gracefully and live longer.