Way back in the 1970s and ‘80s, you and the rest of your generation began noticing minor changes in your physical body. Not enough to worry about, but just enough to remind you that you could no longer pass for a teen. The Baby Boomer generation was only like every other—it would gradually age and grow old, despite its protestations. Fitness icons of the day like Jane Fonda and James Fixx stepped in and blazed a trail for those particularly conscientious among you who were willing to do whatever it took to prolong your youth and vigor.

Accordingly, fitness centers sprung up everywhere and were drawing abundant memberships that promised healthy, hard bodies like Jane’s and Jim’s. Aerobics, yoga, lifting weights, running the mile, and countless other fitness systems had become the topic of conversation at all the right parties. If you weren’t knocking yourself out in the pursuit of “buns of steel,” you were accused of being a “couch potato.”   

But time has passed and so has the furor over fitness. The average American is now at least 30 pounds overweight and dangerously sedentary. In light of your own advancing years, you need to ask yourself what you are doing to stem the tide of time and the deterioration of your health—and you’d better be prepared with a good answer. Not only do you owe it to yourself to keep your body functioning at its optimum level, but you would do well to remind yourself you are infinitely sexier when you are slim, trim, filled with energy, clarity, a sense of purpose, and a bright disposition. People are more attracted to you, and you to them. Furthermore, by being in shape you increase your odds for a longer, more vigorous life in which to achieve all those things you’ve been putting off for years.

Simple rules for staying fit

With easy access these days to information on how to preserve your health, there is no excuse not to be fully aware of the basics—which, in part, are as follows: 

1.      Get an annual checkup with your doctor of choice.

2.      Call him/her about any unusual symptom that persists or seems acute.

3.      Exercise at least 20 minutes a day and five or more days out of the week. You’re not training for the Olympics, and you don’t have to do any of the huff-and-puff hardcore stuff in order to add years to your life. Just walking up and down stairs for seven minutes a day is enough to pay back your heart for all the beatings it’s taken for you over the years—and without any appreciation from you, by the way.

4.      Here’s something you already know—at least, intellectually. STOP SMOKING. It’s bad for your health and for that of everyone around you. If you don’t believe me, ask your doctor to take an x-ray of your lungs, and then frame it. It’s worth taking a long, hard look at every time you have a craving for nicotine. Don’t be surprised if it turns you against cigarettes for all time when you see your lungs looking like two slices of burned toast.

5.      Don’t drink or use meds to excess unless recommended by your physician. One drink on the average a couple or so times a week won’t hurt you as long as the rest of your health is good—and it even might help. But whether you are male or female—moderation is the key that walks you through that golden door of longevity. Hold onto that thought for dear life. Your life.

6.      Keep your stress level to a minimum every moment of every day. Getting angry or frustrated, sad or mad, doesn’t go an inch toward solving your problem, so find another—more logical—way to deal with it. It’s all in your head, anyway. Mark Twain wisely said, “Man is as happy as he makes up his mind to be.” The same, of course, applies to women.

7.      Be appreciative for everything good in your life, and for the less-than-good be grateful for the opportunity it gives you to learn an important life lesson. Most important, make a practice of giving and receiving love. Love begets love, and it makes live worth the living. Corny though it sounds, you know it’s the absolute truth.

8.      Think yourself healthy. You are what you eat and drink. Find a nutritional expert and stick to his or her regimen. If that one doesn’t work for you, find another that does. The day you spend giving in to unhealthy habits is one day less you have to raise your health to its maximum potential.

9.      Sleep seven or eight hours of sound sleep a night in a completely dark room.

10.  Think yourself ageless. You are what you think.

Yes, this is just a short list of things you can do (or avoid) to improve your physical and mental condition, enhance your lifestyle, and feel empowered in the process. Do not take my recommendations as professional advice. Consult with your physician and any expert in the field before making any decisions regarding your health.  

But from my perspective, one thing appears to be clear: A healthy body is sexy. A sexy body is healthy. At any age.