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These words may not be music to your ears, but it’s essential to exercise, especially as you age.

The reason is simple as pie, I learned from healthline.com: Cartilage, the smooth, rubbery connective tissue on the end of our bones, cushions our joints and helps them to move smoothly and easily, but it wears out with age, so we can’t spring up from a low chair, or the floor, like we did when we’re 20, or even 40. Decades of walking, exercising, and moving also take a toll on cartilage. Obesity puts additional stress on our joints, cartilage and bones, especially in our knees, not to mention it makes you less likely to be physically active.

That’s not all:

We lose muscle tone and bone strength the older we get, which can make physical tasks more difficult and taxing on our bodies, even those that used to be second nature. Then there’s the winter. “Anything cold causes muscles, ligaments {fibrous connective tissue that holds together a joint} and tendons {fibrous collagen tissue that attaches a muscle to a bone} to sort of tighten up, and that makes them stiffer,” said Dr. James Gladstone, co-chief of the Sports Medicine Service at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine in New York to www.weather.com.  

“Exercise” doesn’t mean training for the marathon or an Olympic team. Low-impact, weight-bearing and cardio exercise can help strengthen muscles, keep bones strong, and improve joint mobility, advised Dr. Peggy Yih, my internist. Yoga, bicycling and swimming are good because they’re easier on the joints.

I’ve been doing cardio and weight-training an average of three times a week, over Skype, with Vann Duke, an exceptional coach. I lost 20 pounds (could probably lose 10 more), by eating healthier (exercising helps). And, I take dietary supplements for vitamins I can’t sufficiently get from foods, including one that supports bone health.