Tsumoto Tosaka isn't your average septuagenarian. At 74, he's in such amazing shape that he recently took the top spot in the Japan Masters Bodybuilding Championship (held, fittingly, just a day before Japan's Respect for the Aged Day).

And just in case you're thinking that the only way to create a body like Tosaka's is to start lifting at an early age, know this -- Tosaka didn't begin weightlifting until he was in his 40s!

Tosaka told Reuters that he wants to send a message to other senior citizens: "Anyone can stay young and healthy if they exercise from time to time," he said. Many of his fellow countrymen are obviously already aware of this -- Japan has the longest life expectancy in the world, with more than 40,000 people over the age of 100.

Looking for more finely-aged inspiration? Just guess how many marathons this 81-year-old has completed!

Photo: mcohen.chromiste, Flickr

Working out might seem like a young person's sport, but experts want you to know that you're never too old to get fit -- even if you earned your AARP card several decades ago. According to recent studies lead by Dr. Jeremy M. Jacobs of Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem, people who exercise tend to live longer than couch potatoes, even if they start working out in their 80s.

Dr. Jacobs and his team examined mortality rates among different age groups and activity levels over 18 years and found that exercise was a surefire way to increase lifespan. Consider these figures: Mortality rates over three years were at 24 percent for sedentary 85-year-olds, compared to just 7 percent for those who exercised around four hours a week. Not bad for just over half an hour of exercise a day, huh?

That's not all -- those who were active at 78 were almost twice as likely to be capable of performing everyday activities independently, such as bathing, dressing and so on. Surely that's reason enough to put in an extra sweat session every week?

"The take home message is that even among the very old, it never is too late to start exercising," says Dr. Jacobs, and we couldn't agree more.

New to fitness? Start off slowly with a gentle exercise like yoga.

When it comes to life changes, retirement is certainly a big one. Though retirement means the end of your career, it's also a beginning of sorts. Studies show that it's never too late to start being physically active. In spite of that fact, only about 1/4 of people over 50 get the recommended 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day.

Whether you're going to maintain a fitness routine or want to start a new one, with your doctor's advice you should be able to have a fit, healthy retirement. Forbes has some excellent tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle in your later decades, and they include:

• Check into corporate wellness programs before you retire and get a health evaluation done.
• Experiment with different workouts to find your workout style.
• Rediscover your passion, you know, the one you never had time for when you were working.
• Walk as much as you can, wherever you can.
• Leave intimidation at the door and be proud of your workouts.
• Find a workout buddy to join you.
• Keep track of your progress.
• Build fitness into your daily routine and make it a habit.

Come to think of it, that's good advice for people of all ages!

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If you don't already have a regular exercise routine, here is another of the thousands of reasons why you should start one: Exercise can restore youthfulness to your blood vessels, according to recent research. As we age, our blood vessels constrict and harden, often leading to heart troubles. But a study has found that this effect was greatly reduced in men who regularly exercises.

What's more, researchers have concluded that older adults who are sedentary only need to engage in moderate activity to see similar results. This is excellent news, and a very good reason to get moving, don't you think?

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Mindless eating and random snacking all throughout the day may be a big no-no for most of us, but for the elderly it's actually a good thing. Studies show that because seniors are at an increased risk for weight loss, poor nutrition, and decreased appetite snacking can actually help fill a gap and provide necessary protein and nutrients in their diets. Snackers ate an average of 250 calories more per day than non-snackers, and although that's a bad thing for the younger populations, some older adults need all the calories they can get.

Of course it's still important to make healthy choices and avoid things like cookies and chips, but snack away!

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Though this survey was small and unscientific, I think it still revealed some interesting information. When 8,000 members of a UK fitness chain were surveyed about their health, lifestyle, and quality of life, baby boomer's came out on top. According to responses from those over 50, they're exercising more than their younger peers, paying more attention to their diet, avoiding alcohol and additives in foods, and creating a solid work/home balance in their lives.

In general, baby boomers live longer than their parents or grandparents did, but experts are now warning that the newest generation may be the first to actually have a shorter life expectancy than their parents, due to poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle. This survey seems to acknowledge that trend, and the youngest age group (age 18-29) reported a lower commitment to health.

So then, are baby boomers really healthier than the rest of us? Not according to statistics on obesity. By the looks of those numbers, a poor diet and sedentary lifestyle are something that every generation is dealing with on some level. So whether your young or simply young at heart, it's never too late to tweak that healthy lifestyle for the better!

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