And four new studies–all published in Archives of Internal Medicine–show that one of the best ways to fight Father Time is by keeping yourself fit.

In short, the studies found that:

• The sooner you start, the better: A long-term study found that women who were exercising at the age of 60 were healthier and had a lower risk of chronic diseases as well as physical and cognitive impairment when they reached 70. They were also less likely to have had heart surgery.
• Working your body saves your mind: Adults over 55 who exercised had a much lower risk of developing cognitive impairment. The harder they worked out, the lower that risk.
• Fitness keeps you focused: Senior women who exercised with resistance training had improved mental focus and conflict resolution skills. And naturally, they had better muscles, too.
• Sweating strengthens your bones: Women who exercised had higher bone density in the spine and hip and a 66 percent lower risk of falling. Those who did take a tumble had half the risk of bone fracture than those who did no exercise. These studies affirm what we already know–exercise can help you stay in shape, live longer, boost your energy levels and fight heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, obesity and cancer.

I’ve told you about the importance of fitness before… and I hope you’ve taken it to heart and started your own workout plan if you weren’t already getting some steady movement.

But if you haven’t, you can start today, and you don’t need to spend a dime on a gym or sign up for the Senior Olympics. You can transform any fun activity into exercise… turn that daily walk in the park into a brisk stroll. Then, convert that stroll into a daily jog.

Even making love can be considered exercise… as long as you can do it for 20 to 30 minutes a day, every day (and if that’s part of your daily routine, I salute you).

Try biking, hiking, or dancing.