Regular physical exercise may not be a fountain of youth, but it can help reverse some physical changes of aging.

Regular physical activity can help keep people healthy, strong and flexible, and it can prevent or reverse some of the physical changes that come with aging says Patricia Hopkins-Price, research assistant professor of pulmonary medicine and exercise physiologist at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield. She explains some of the health conditions that benefit from exercise.

SOUND BITE: " . . . maintain healthy blood pressures - lowering blood pressure at little bit for people who have hypertension, helping control cholesterol levels in their blood, helping to get a better balance between good cholesterol and bad cholesterol - lowering the bad, improving the good. They also have seen that exercise can help prevent cardiovascular disease, reduce the risk of diabetes, or help a diabetic control their health problems."

Exercise also helps people with coronary artery disease, osteoarthritis, depression and osteoporosis. As people age, they lose some of their muscle mass, breathing capacity, and body strength and flexibility. A person doesn't have to go to a gym to exercise. Many types can be done in or near the home. Walking, strength training with bands and small weights are good exercise. Swimming and water exercises are easy on the joints. Hopkins-Prices explains the amount of exercise needed:

SOUND BITE: ". . . three to five days a week would be very important - 30 minutes. But what if somebody can't do 30 minutes - then three sessions of ten minutes would achieve similar benefits - cardiovascular benefits, flexibility, and balance. You may achieve more cardiovascular benefits in a straight 30-minute session, but you still achieve good benefits with the 3 sessions of ten minutes each."

Hopkins-Price recommends choosing activities that you enjoy doing and start slowly, increasing a little each week. Men over age 40 and women over age 50 should check with their family doctor before starting an exercise program.