By Mollee Tscholl

Mollee Tscholl is co-owner of Albert Lea’s Snap Fitness.

Maybe its just that as a 40-something-year-old, I’m more attentive to it, but today more than ever, there seems to be an abundance of products and supplements out there promising to slow down the aging process. I’m not suggesting they don’t work; but I do wonder if we’ve forgotten one of the best anti-aging medicines of all time: exercise! Maybe it’s because as a nation, we’ve become accustomed to finding the easiest, quickest way, and my goodness, a pill or a cream seems a heck of a lot less difficult and painless then being active for a certain amount of time each day. Whatever the reason, I do see our country and specifically our children/youth spending less and less time each day being active, and it concerns me.

A good friend’s brother, who worked in an elderly care facility providing physical therapy to older adults, told her something I’ll never forget. He said the way you live and take care of yourself prior to 70 years old, will inevitably affect the quality of your life in the years after 70. For most of us, these years will be, or are, the retirement years. How do we want to spend them?

Exercise doesn’t have to be time-consuming or painful. According to Reuters, just 15 minutes a day of daily activity, such as brisk walking, can add three years to your life expectancy. In addition to the cardiovascular benefits, exercise increases blood flow and provides oxygen to the skin, nourishing cells and aiding in the removal of toxins and cellular debris. Some of the effects of aging, such as bone and muscle loss, as well as a slowed metabolism, can also be reversed because of engaging in regular physical activity.

So, the next time you’re tempted to stay seated, think about those retirement years and how you dream of spending them. During these Minnesota winters, it can be hard to get moving — the cold seems to awaken all our hibernation inclinations. But just this past Monday, I talked to several people who said the same after getting their workout in: It was what they needed to feel better and to beat the clouds, rain and chill. So bring on winter; we’re ready!