Haven't times changed? Could you imagine our fathers or mothers picking up a couple of dumbbells and doing some biceps curls or doing a set of pushups? It did not happen back then. There was much more activity in their lives than there is ours now. Back then people still did manual labor and did a lot of things by hand rather than by machine or electrical appliances. Now-a-days our lives have become much more sedentary and inactive. It is no surprise that people over the age of 45 spend as much as 80 percent of their day sitting down. This inactivity accelerates the aging process and causes us to lose precious muscle tissue at a faster rate than we should.When we lose muscle mass we lose bone mass as well. It is the pulling of the muscles that are attached to the bones that keep them strong and healthy. These losses of muscle and bone mass are the number one bio-marker of the aging process. Yet it can easily be slowed and even reversed by doing the right type of muscle building and maintaining activity.If there ever was or is a Fountain of Youth strength training exercise is it. When muscles are challenged with this type of exercise they stimulate the release of 'growth and repair' hormones that will make you younger. Not just a little bit younger but a whole lot younger in every way. When the process of growth occurs at cellular level it spreads through out the entire body strengthening and boosting all the body's systems and processes.One of the most profound is the strengthening of the immune system to give protection from nasty modern day killer diseases that stalk us. The muscular system is often called the engine of the body. Up to 50 percent of our body weight is made up with our muscle tissue which is highly active tissue. Any loss not only weakens our body but reduces the power and functioning of our metabolism which is the rate we process and burn fuel.We drop down from a grunty V-8 to a V4 then finally in old age a motor scooter with losses of up to half our muscle mass. But that is only if you do nothing to stop it. You have the choice about how you are going to age. You can be climbing a mountain at 80 or sitting in some nursing home somewhere having someone else feed and dress you because you no longer have the strength to do it yourself. No-one else is responsible for this and no-one else can do it for you. So, you must be you that take action and get yourself started on a proper strength training exercise program. Get some help from a fitness professional and invest some time and a little money into getting the best possible start. If there is a magic formula for staying youthful at any age proper exercise is it. Nothing even comes close to the anti-aging effects on our body as strength building exercise does. Those who do it consistently have a much higher quality of life which contributes to living a longer, healthier and happier life. Just because you are getting older does not mean you have to get 'old'.