You are over 40 and you can climb three flights of stairs without having to call a paramedic. Instead of driving, you walk to the post office or corner shop to buy milk.
You're in great shape, right?
Wrong.
The closer you get to 50, experts say, the more you need strength training.
"You might not think it's as important when you're in your 40s, because you can still do things like pick up the kids," said Gwen Hyatt of the American Council on Exercise. "But when you get to be 55 or 60, it will become a real issue if you don't work on your strength now."
Cardiovascular exercise
Cardiovascular exercise is critical to fighting high blood pressure, heart disease, and other illnesses. Without resistance training, however, about 10 percent of muscle mass will vanish between the ages of 25 and 50. Over the following three decades, you'll lose another 35 percent.
And when that muscle disappears, something's quick to replace it: Fat.
Your metabolism is slower. Your maximum heart rate decreases, and so does your maximum oxygen intake. You start to get heavier.
But there's good news.
Forty is pretty young to be working out.
The trick is maintaining - or, better yet, increasing - muscle mass. This way, you can maintain the rate of calories your body burns while at rest.
There are other, more immediate advantages: It can help women ward off osteoporosis and ease the strain on everyone's backs.
"One of the contributors to lower back problems is sitting all day at work. You're going to start to slump and then have other problems," said James Jefferson, an exercise physiologist.
People over 40 also need to protect their joints and the structure around them, and to retard orthopaedic problems and arthritis.
Where and how do you begin?
Before you do anything, the experts insist, get a complete physical.
A lot of times there are underlying medical problems that a trainer wouldn't pick up.
After getting the go-ahead from your physician, invest in a quality health club with educated and certified personal trainers. They can design an individualised exercise program for you that addresses your specific goals and needs, as well as any health limitations you may have.
You don't have to have a personal trainer on a regular basis, but at least have one who can work out a program for you and then see them every six or every eight weeks. Most people can't afford a trainer once a week, but they can afford one every two months.
Although fitness trainers see some of their clients twice a week, they also devise three- and four-week plans for others, then hook up with them again later to revise the programs.
Necessary exams
Before they begin, three exams are usually administered.
The first is a stress test, during which the recovery heart rate following a 1.5-mile jog on the treadmill is administered.
Your recovery heart rate says a lot about your overall health. The faster it returns to normal, the better shape you're in.
Secondly, callipers are applied to various muscles to determine the percentage of body fat and lean muscle mass.
Thirdly comes a flexibility test, which shows how far you can stretch your hamstrings and spine.
With that information, an individualised program can be devised.
Pyramid concept
Remember the pyramid concept: diet, cardiovascular training, and resistance training. With those three, you can transform your body however you like. This is true for all age groups across the board.
One muscle group is not emphasised over another. Just remember: As you build one, you have to build the other. So if you're working your back, make sure you're working your abdominal muscles too. Otherwise, you'll have problems.
A strong upper body is essential for carrying packages, groceries, and other items. But lower body strength is essential for climbing stairs and getting in and out of a chair.
Remember to exercise your entire back, not just the lower area. Also remember to work the hamstrings and hip flexors. If they're tight, they're going to throw the lower back out of position and create - or exacerbate - problems.
Variation
Although you may see dramatic results after only a few weeks of lifting, these will level off drastically unless you begin varying the program.
Your muscles have fantastic memory. After about four weeks, they adapt. Sometimes all it takes is changing the order of the exercises - anything to fool the muscles.
Proper technique is critical. Not only could you waste time if your form is poor, but the pushing and pulling could cause serious damage.
A lot of people, even the ones who know how to work out, are using momentum to jerk the weights instead of lifting, holding a beat, and then slowly putting them down. For those in a hurry, it's better to do the technique properly and cut your routine down each day. Even if it's only your arms or your chest you do that one day, you get a lot more benefit than trying to rush through it.
Stretching
Experts also insist you stretch before, sometimes in between, and always after workouts.
Your tendons start to have less elasticity. You're starting to get stiffer and less mobile. If the joints and muscles aren't stretched on a regular basis, they'll just get stiffer. Also, make sure you have enough recovery time between vigorous exercise bouts. As you get older, recovery and rest time is more essential.
Exercisers in their 40’s don't need to reduce intensity, the experts say.
You get less oxygen as you get older, but you can still work to your own maximum.
The only limits you have are the ones you put on yourself. Push yourself a little harder each time, but within your limits.
Your body needs to be worked. It responds by rebuilding your muscles so you can do a little more next time out.
Of course, don't overdo it. Once you're into your 40s, strength training - or any exercise, for that matter - isn't about running further or lifting heavier weights.
It's about training to be 90!
You are over 40 and you can climb three flights of stairs without having to call a paramedic. Instead of driving, you walk to the post office or corner shop to buy milk. 
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