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“If 50 feels this bad, I can’t even imagine 60,” my husband commented the other day, rising from the bed with a moan.

We all assume that growing older means aches and pains, and to some degree that may be true. Old injuries never seem to go away, but haunt us wit greater frequency as we mature. But not all of ‘normal aging’ is normal, at least not from a physical stand point.

We all know about exercise. It promotes health and well-being. But many of us don’t know about the effect of positive relationships with other people. This combination will change unhealthy lives, giving those of us who are already well into the aging process a revitalized body and mind, and changing the course for those not quite as old.

New research concludes that cells don’t age. They grow or they decay, depending on messages created by our lifestyles. Our bodies make an entirely new set of cells every three months, giving us a chance to literally reprogram our bodies, good news for those of us in the Baby Boomer bracket. We can ‘reboot’, so to speak, by becoming more active. During exercise, our muscles release chemicals which instruct our cells to grow. It’s when we become inactive that our muscles give the message to decay, and our cells oblige.

I can hear you sigh now. Exercise, you think. Another article telling me to get off my butt.

Fear not, for while this is another article telling you to get off your butt, the projected activity level is not so bad. Walking for an hour per day, five days per week will have dramatic effects on your body. An hour may sound like a lot of time to dedicate, but we give an hour to TV without even thinking about the elapsed time. Give it to yourself and your loved ones for a change. The TV won’t miss you.

Try this walking exercise routine. Warm up for five minutes by walking with a friend. The warm up should be a casual walking speed, one where you can argue politics, sip on a water or sing praise to the morning without difficulty. Then Kick it up and walk at a quick but comfortable pace for five minutes. This doesn’t mean you are too active to talk, but the singing and political debate should be impossible. Next, push yourself even more. For five minutes, walk like there’s no tomorrow, limiting your conversation to ‘yes’ and ‘no’ responses. Of course, since your walking buddy will be keeping the same speed, don’t expect much from him or her. Take a one minute break, doing one of the ‘resting exercises’ listed below in this short interval. Repeat the routine four times, for a total of 49 minutes. Take the last eleven minutes of the hour to return to the casual, you-can-sing-if-you-want-to pace from your warm up.

Exercise isn’t the only thing that promotes good, healthy cell generation. An ancient proverb states, ‘A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.‘ (Proverbs 17:22) Science is proving it true. Studies have shown that people who volunteer or feel and act on purpose in their lives have half the mortality of those who do not. People involved in an active religious life tend to live about four times longer than those who don’t.  

Stress shortens lives, a fact that’s been a constant headline on those grocery store cashier-line magazines that we’ve all looked at from time to time. Stress can cause a myriad of ailments, from belly fat to heart disease to depression (for more see http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15843196). But the simple act of caring for someone else pulls us out of our daily concerns, focuses us on someone else and gives us an outlet that will reduce our stress level. You can find places to volunteer that will fit your time-frame and interests. The Literacy Council, the Boys and Girls Club, your local elementary school or nursing home  are all great places to start, but if you need more ideas, visit http://www.volunteermatch.org/.

It’s a one-two knockout; exercise and caring. By combining the physical and mental components of these two activities, we can encourage our cells to grow, slowing down the aging process and giving us the key to the fountain of youth. It might even make rising our of bed a little bit easier.

‘Resting Exercises’

Stand on one foot for thirty seconds, change feet and stand on the other for the rest of the minute.

Punch the sky for thirty seconds, then punch out in front of you for thirty.

Do the Windmill, just like in junior high. Keep your abs tight and buns tucked.

Stretch up, hands above your head. Slowly lean sideways, stretching as far to the right as you can. Repeat to the left.

Raise your right knee up and to the side, raise your left hand to the sky. Repeat, alternating sides, for one minute.

Lunge-walk by lunging forward with your right foot about 2 feet in front of your left. Bring the left knee forward and up towards your chest, then repeat with the left foot in front and right in back. Use your arms to help balance, or hold onto your walking buddy, taking turns with this exercise. (Increase your rest so that you each get one full minute.)

Squat with knees and hips bent, fingers laced behind your head. Do ‘the Twist’ as you rise and lower your body from standing to squatting position for one minute. Again, keep abs and buttocks as tight as possible.