STAY HEALTHY AND FIT NO MATTER WHAT YOUR AGE

NEW CITY, NY - - Rockland County Executive Ed Day and County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert encourage residents to start, or remain being active, no matter what your age.

This is especially important for older people. Regular exercise and physical activity can help older people maintain their health and reduce the risk of developing some diseases and disabilities that often happen as people grow older. Studies show that people with arthritis, heart disease, or diabetes benefit from regular exercise. Exercise also helps people with high blood pressure, balance problems, or difficulty walking.

"Exercise provides many health benefits. Being physically active can help you stay strong and fit enough to keep doing the things you like to do as you get older. Making exercise and physical activity a regular part of your life can improve your health and help you stay more independent as you age," said Dr. Ruppert.

Investing time and energy in you has great benefits to your health and well-being! Many physical activities, such as brisk walking, are free or low-cost and no special equipment is needed. There are many ways to be active. For example, you can:

• be active in short amounts of time throughout the day, or set aside specific times of the day on specific days of the week to exercise
• combine physical activity with a routine that's already part of your day, such as walking your dog
• make physical activity a social event by having a "walk and talk" with your friends
• check your local school district's community education programs, many of which have fitness classes for seniors
• take a fitness class at a local college – for example, Rockland Community College permits seniors to audit classes if space is available
• check with your town or village to see if they offer free or low-cost programs for seniors
• check with your local fitness centers to see if they offer senior discounts

"Keeping physically active is a great way to stay involved in your local community and meet new friends," said County Executive Day. "It can also help reduce social isolation, a leading cause of elder abuse which is a growing problem across our nation."

Visit https://go4life.nia.nih.gov to get information about the Go4Life exercise and physical activity campaign from the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health, designed to help you fit exercise and physical activity into your daily life. As with any physical activity program, it is recommended you speak to your health care provider before starting.