If you can’t seem to find the time or motivation to exercise on a regular basis, you may want to consider the benefits of strength training and cardiovascular activity. After all, our bodies have not changed much in the past several thousand years, but our day-to-day level of physical exertion has significantly dropped. Less than 100 years ago, most people worked in labor-intensive jobs, such as factory workers, farmers and construction trades, which required constant effort. Automobiles were rare, doors had to be opened by hand and much of your grocery list was raised, hunted or grown by you. Life was filled with constant movement and the hard work of living.

After work, no one was able to come home, turn on the television and “veg out” and the idea of the Internet could not be found even in a science fiction novel. Neighborhood kids would play tag, jump rope and climb trees until dark. Even adult recreational activities required movement, whether cultivating a garden, caring for the home or hunting and fishing.

Thanks to technological changes since then, much of the exercise, which was part of daily life even 50 years ago, is not necessary anymore. When was the last time you opened a door at the grocery store? How long has it been since you ate a meal of food grown and prepared with your own two hands? Do you know how long it takes to walk to work? When was the last time you even walked around the block? Consider the fact our bodies are the same today as they were when we had to move to live, and you will understand why so many people are unfit and unhealthy.

The good news is you can improve your health through regular exercise at any time. Men and women of every age and condition have become stronger, increased their energy levels and improved the quality of their lives through exercise. Now, don’t think you have to join a gym, wear spandex and drink protein shakes. Simple, easy-to-learn moves can improve your strength, endurance and balance.

Exercise is available in many forms.  Weight training, calisthenics, boot camps, pilates, yoga, running, biking, walking, swimming and you get the idea. All involve movement of the the musculoskeletal system, which requires energy. Energy comes in the form of calories from the food you eat. When you burn more calories than you ingest, you lose weight, although not eating enough causes your metabolism to slow down and you may gain weight. This is why a healthy diet, although not covered in this section, is as vital to your wellbeing as exercise.

Strength training is a form of exercise often associated with body builders, football players or the muscular guy on the beach. However, it is a key to everyday living. Increasing your strength makes it easier to pick up a bag of groceries, wrestle with your son, or simply get out of bed. This is because strength training uses resistance (such as your body weight) to build muscular strength, endurance and the size of skeletal muscles.

There are many ways to increase your strength through resistance training. Resistance training means you are using your strength to lift or move a weight placed in opposition to the muscle or muscles involved. Weights are often used, but your body weight, elastic bands and household objects, such as gallon jugs filled with water, are effective tools to increase your strength. The fundamental approach to strength training involves performance of a series of exercises with resistance, for a number of repetitions. The specific combination of reps and weight used is determined by your ability and goals. Generally, exercises to develop greater strength use fewer reps and larger weights, while endurance is increased with greater numbers of reps and lighter weights.

Equally important to health is cardiovascular fitness, often referred to as aerobic fitness. Aerobic exercise involves the use of large muscles groups moving for long periods of time. Running, walking, swimming and biking are all aerobic activities, which increase the heart rate and the body’s usage of oxygen. This is important because the body uses oxygen in the energy-generating process. Also, aerobic exercise strengthens the efficiency of the heart muscle.

What does that mean? When you exercise aerobically on a regular basis (20 minutes, three times a week is a good place to start) your heart becomes stronger and pumps  more blood with each beat. This means your heart doesn’t have to beat as fast to move the same volume of blood. So, your heart works less and will last longer. As your heart works more efficiently, it can deliver more oxygen-rich blood to the muscles, which also become better at using oxygen. With more oxygen arriving in the muscles, the powerhouses of the cells, or mitochondria, increase in number and activity. The mitochondria use oxygen to burn fat and carbohydrates for fuel. As their activity increases, so does your endurance.

GET WARM. This isn’t 1979 and you’re not in middle school PE. So, donning a pair of coach’s shorts, a couple of toe touches and a few windmills aren’t enough to get ready for a workout. The problem is static stretching doesn’t increase blood flow to the muscles you are preparing to work. Additionally, the old way of stretching has been shown to decrease strength when it is done prior to exercise. You’ll get better results if you get warm with dynamic moves involving a full range-of-motion in your major muscle groups.

Pick four or five of these exercises and do each of them for 30 to 60 seconds. Begin with easy leg swings both front to back and side to side. Then move into a wide-stance squat and touch by positioning your feet wider than hips-distance apart and sinking your hips until you can touch the ground with your hands. Next, raise your heart rate with side shuffles, jumping jacks, running in place or body-weight lunges. Finish with arm circles, mountain climbers, sun salutations or inch worms to target the upper body and core.

FIND YOUR BALANCE. Muscle imbalances, joint dysfunction, neuromuscular deficits and bad postural habits develop over time and are often felt where you are weakest. For instance, sitting at a desk all day can lead to a forward stooped posture. This allows the muscles in the front of the shoulders and across the chest to shorten and tighten, while the muscles of the back are lengthened and weakened. This muscular imbalance predisposes you to pain in the rotator cuff muscles. These four small muscles stabilize the top of the arm (the humeral head) in the shoulder socket during movement and dysfunction here can lead to chronic pain if it is not corrected.

In this example, your best defense against developing shoulder pain may be to balance the muscles of the anterior and posterior sides of the body. Try stretching the chest and shoulders, strengthening the back and rotator cuff musculature and working to maintain a good posture throughout the work day. My disclaimer is (as always): I am not a doctor and you should address pain issues with a board-certified physician.

Of course, most doctors would agree an important component of good posture and injury prevention is…(you guessed it) a strong, balanced core. Planks, side planks and bridges are a good place to begin because they engage the muscles around the entire core. Add single-leg balance reaches and supine marches to improve your balance and proprioception (your muscles communicating and working together).

BE STRONG. Getting older isn’t for the weak, but you can make it a little easier by getting strong. Strength training can improve balance, your kinesthetic awareness (bodily sense of space and movement) and will improve your muscle mass and bone density. This makes your everyday activities easier and a week at the beach less frightening. Compliment your cardiovascular exercise with a three-day-a-week strength training regimen focusing on the major muscle groups. Vary your routines and lift heavy on the first day with few repetitions, light on the second day and go for 10-12 reps of your sets on the third strength training day. Remember to wait a minimum of 48 hours before training a specific muscle group (even abs!) in order for proper recovery to occur.

ROLL WITH IT. Finding peace and rolling with the changes in your life is crucial for good health, but I’m referring to stretching and foam rolling after your workout. Time spent stretching after your workout will pay off with reduced soreness, faster recovery and greater mobility. Stretching is most effective post-workout because your muscles are warm and more pliable. Target your major muscle groups and spend a little longer than 30 seconds on your tightest areas.

Add a few minutes on a foam roller for even more benefit as you release the adhesions, which can cover the myofascial tissue around your muscle. Injury, overexertion, even extended inactivity can cause “tender spots” to appear. Regular foam rolling provides many of the benefits of a good massage. Light a candle if you need the massage room atmosphere.

REST. That’s right. Run a little slower. Do some easy yoga. Take a stroll. Respect your body by listening to the warning signs, which tell you it is time to slow down. Time spent in recovery is as important to your health as consistent exercise and a proper diet. Workouts breakdown your body and many injuries occur because of overuse and repetitive motion. Aching joints, persistent pain, unusual muscular soreness and an elevated heart rate upon rising from bed all indicate you need rest. While I encourage an active life and exercise most days of the week, alternating intense or long workouts with easy recovery days is more beneficial. The payoff is you’ll perform even better in your next workout.

Not so fast…

Research long ago documented “normal” holiday weight gain, now a Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis study has linked your slower than expected weight loss to overindulgence on the weekends. Researchers followed 48 individuals between 50 and 60-years-old over the course of a year and found a consistent reversal of weight loss on the weekends, not just over the holidays. In fact, Saturday was identified as the day on which the most calories were consumed, according the participants’ food journals.

Think about it, if you burn a consistent 500 calories more than you consume over the course of 7 days, you’ll lose a pound (3500 calories). Go out for a cheeseburger, fries and a soda, or a big steak and a loaded baked potato –don’t forget dessert – or name your favorite weekend treat and it adds up to weight-loss frustration.