Add years to your life and life to your years; Personal trainer Sam Taylor on how to stay active as you get older and keeping those muscles supple.

Byline: Sam Taylor

Iamhelpingto ONE guarantee is that the ageing process is something that happens to all of us.

In fact, in the time it takes you to read this article you will be five minutes older than when you started!

The bad news is that there will never be a miracle cure to prevent us ageing, but what we can do is stave off some of the physical and mental problems associated with the process.

The good news is that, technically speaking, we can improve our health and fitness at any age (as long as no major physical/mental illnesses are present).

So how should we train as we get older? n I would always start by seeking the advice of a trained fitness professional at your local gym to give you a thorough induction. Ask them to watch you perform a number of exercises to make sure that you are displaying correct posture throughout, as this is vital in order to protect the skeletal system, which is more vulnerable to injury as we get older.

n I would highly recommend making sure you wear suitable footwear, not only when you train, but as often as possible, again to help posture and take as much stress off the joints as we can. The best way of doing this is having your gait assessed at a specialist running store.

n Warm-up and cool-down periods are very importantwith older adults as, with age, sudden rigorous work or sudden stopping of strenuous exercise can place strain on the heart.

Therefore I would suggest a warm-up time of 15 minutes and a cool-down time of 10 minutes, followed by five to 10 minutes stretching.

Both should be low impact activities, no quick running or jumping up and down on to a step! Cycling or "x-trainer" work is in my opinion the most suitable.

Furthermore, when performing stretches, make sure you carry them out from a stable base as you do not want to lose balance Perform stretches slowly as you do not want to overstretch.

nDo not overwork or over-isolate one muscle group as this can cause stress of both the muscular and skeletal systems and lactic acid can be produced at a lower level as we age. This may cause breathlessness, fatigue and muscle soreness.

Therefore, alternate between exercises using different muscle groups and give yourself sufficient rest periods between exercises.

n With strength work in training, the legs, hips, back and pelvic areas will bring big benefits as these are the areas most vulnerable to fractures as we get older.

n The use of resistance bands is a fantastic way of developing strength, asminimal joint stress occurs using these bands. Remember good use of breathing when carrying out resistance work.

I hope these tips have been useful, and remember, age is just a number.

Someone who is 65, healthy, trim and fit could have a physical age of 45.

So if you have been inactive for a long period, now's the time to make the changes that will lead to a happy, healthy and hopefully long life.

If you have any questions nfeel free to contact me by email at sam@lifestyles2day. com Stretching is important after exercise