Originally Posted by Happy Feet

I think you and others touch on something that I see in my work with the elderly. Almost all older people of the war/post war generation did not go to a gym or even perform athletics but those that "age" well physically seem to have had active lives in the form of moderate workload like farming and/or lots of walking. The worst are those that worked and then do nothing upon retirement, having earned a long desired rest. The mind that accepts regular exertion as normal seems to be more fit long term. I would say fitness is far easier to achieve (and more beneficial long term) if it is the result of overall active lifestyles rather than sedentary lives interposed with activity on a gym.

I'm fairy lucky ATM to be able to bike commute once again to work (after a few years of car commuting 2 hours each day) and walk a lot as part of my job. This helps a great deal as far as basic training goes so that I can jump into activities at a more advanced level rather than having to work up from an entry level of fitness. The more I can jump into activities, the more activities I do. It's a self fulfilling cycle of fitness that is a pleasure to experience once it happens. The world of physical experiences opens up because I am basically capable of doing them moderately. From there I choose which I really enjoy and work further on.