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What Are the Keys to Staying Fit? |  |
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Maintaining or increasing your strength, endurance, balance, and flexibility are the key factors to staying fit. Walking builds your strength and endurance, which contributes to better balance. You can improve your flexibility with stretching exercises designed specifically for older adults.1 By striving to increase all four factors, you lower your risk of injury and slow the aging process in your joints and muscles. For some, walking 30 minutes a day may be difficult. If so, experts suggest walking 10 minutes at a time, three times a day. As your health improves, you can combine two of the three smaller walks into a 20-minute walk, and then advance to a single 30-minute walk. As your daily walk becomes easier, try to include new challenges, such as climbing a hill, extending the time you walk, increasing your walking pace, or adding an additional day of walking. 1 Those already diagnosed with osteoporosis should see their physician before attempting any stretching exercises. Some stretches that are good for others may not be good for you.  
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