Eighty-eight-year-old Omar is not only particular about a moderate balanced and nutritious diet, but also attentive to his physical activity. He maintained a regular exercise program all his life and managed to fit it into his busy daily schedule.

Every morning to this day, he starts his circulation with stretching movements for his body, muscles, and ligaments. After his daily siesta, he takes his 25 laps of swimming. He completes his daily physical activity with a 30-minute brisk walk or machine exercising. He also gives special care to stretching his back muscles and spine.

Omar strictly observes this daily schedule, but at his own pace at the age of 88 years. These regular moderate activities have contributed to energy flow, sharp mental abilities, and active business and community obligations. He hasn’t changed any of his healthy daily habits as far as I remember.

Regular moderate activity, as much as a controlled balanced diet, appears to be a dominant factor in maintaining health, vitality, and physical and mental wellness. Your choice of physical training is just as influential in obtaining good results.

There are many options; everyday a new fad in sports or machines turns up in the gym. Despite these varieties (jogging, running, cycling, hiking, gym and aerobic workouts), brisk walking always emerges as the forerunner of all sports due to its health benefits and simplicity of practice. All you need is a pair of good walking shoes and comfortable practical clothes for action.

Walking is an aerobic exercise that promotes deep oxygen breathing, an effective way of pumping your heart. With your heart in action, you improve your blood circulation and stamina, expend calorie, burn fat-tissue, and build muscles. Good oxygen intake stimulates your digestive system and prompts the secretion of endorphins, your natural morphine, giving you a sensation of wellbeing and pleasure.

Like 88-year-old Omar, you should structure your daily schedule to fit in your hour of walking in such a manner that it becomes a pleasurable and entertaining activity as well. Choose a walking partner if possible. Walk back and forth to work rather than drive. For errands, walk to the shopping mall and around it. Walk, run, jog, or cycle in the nearest park on weekends; enjoy the fresh air.

Apart from its convenience and health benefits, it promotes vitality and mobility. I also find it neither exhausting nor damaging to muscle, ligament or tendon tissues. Studies show increased aerobic fitness and good health with walking and running. Your walking steps are cumulative during the day. The more steps you take the better the results. Studies show that people who make as many as 9,000 steps or 4-1/2 miles are more likely to be fit and slim. So keep moving. You will be slender and healthy.

For those who are unable to walk outdoors in the heat of Saudi summers or the cold of Boston winters, I suggest treadmill walking as an option. However, if your body and heart is not well trained for exercise, I suggest you first test your stamina and health level by slowly building to a higher level that suits you.

You should remember to be appropriately dressed and choose good timing and the proper setting for outdoor activity. For extreme summer heat, choose very light clothes and good training shoes. Opt for cool early morning or late evening hours along the sea shore or in less congested breezy areas. Take your water supply with you; you definitely need as much water as possible to give you energy and keep you cool.

Other aerobic sports, such as swimming, running, cycling, jogging and gym workouts, give you similar effects. Remember, persistence and continuity, like Omar’s, allow you to prevail over laziness and disease. So keep going. You will achieve equivalent health benefits that would extend your years to a young age of 150 years, just as the Russian biologist Tombak promised in his book, Can We Live 150 Years?

(Mariam Alireza is a holistic science specialist. Send comments to [email protected].)