The stats are all over the Internet: a sedentary life is worse for you than smoking. By a long shot.

Here are the bombshell numbers, factors that increase your risk of dying.

A lifelong smoker increases their risk of dying by 41%

A person with type 2 diabetes has an increased risk of 40%

Someone with coronary artery disease has increased risk of 25%

A person with low fitness has an increased risk of 300–400%

Look at that again. It’s not a typo. Not only worse than smoke, substantially worse than all the rest combined. And we can be confident that the quality of life, the fun you have, the way your body and mind feel, how long you keep your health, those hinge on the plus-minus equation of how active you are as well.

The good news is that sedentary-ness can be solved. It isn’t about money, or time, or level of fitness, or skill, it’s about mindset.

I hear the stories of seniors facing challenges, some of them multiple challenges, barriers to exercising.  In spite of that, the longer they do it, the more they appreciate what it does for their lives. They love it. They love how it makes them feel.

As I said above, it’s about mindset. In my case it took the scare of osteoporosis; for some, a heart event. Why wait for that? Take a look at your daily abilities: getting out of a chair, climbing stairs, picking up something on the floor. How are you doing with those? What hurts?

What are your barriers to becoming more active? Let’s figure this out. What stops you from setting aside time every day to invest in your body? Here’s a quiz.

Morning is the only time I could do it and I can’t get up early enough___

Evening is the only time I could do it and I’m beat by then_____

My body hurts already, not going to add to that____

I don’t know anyone to go with____

I’m no good at sports____

It’s too crowded ____

I can’t afford it ____

I don’t like to sweat ____

What are yours? Write your own list. Remember, it’s mindset.

The older you get, the more fitness will enhance your life. Years ago, I read of research among people 80 and 90, taking up weight training for the first time in their lives. The results were dramatic, more so than in younger people. So, forget it’s too late. It’s not. Ever.

Don’t know where to start? Start with looking at your mindset. Look at your barriers. How can you blast through those? Talk to friends and family. Try to find people you know who invest time in their physical fitness and ask them about their choices. How did they overcome sore knees, shyness, feeling uncoordinated — whatever made it hard for them? Browse through the city Activity Guide, marker in hand, like you would browse a catalogue. What would be worth a try? Tap dancing? Learning to swim? Pickleball? An exercise class?

No one has launched into a fitness program more reluctantly than I did, and it took a membership gift certificate to get me there. I dragged myself in. But by class number five or six I had grown fond of my classmates. And they are still what gets me there. They are my happy place.

Go back to your barrier list. What can you knock off? Now that you know you can improve your health by 300–400%, it’s worth clearing away those barriers.

Forget about sore knees, stiff fingers, neuropathy — they’ve got them too! And they still turn up and have fun, working out together.

They all feel and see the benefits of the non-medication solution to aging well. It’s your turn.

Hear their stories at: www.youtube.com/@agingfitfully

Margaret Archibald is an 80-year-old Canadian retiree, who is neither medically nor fitness trained. She is not qualified to diagnose nor recommend health or fitness. She is simply learning how to develop her own fitness, bound and determined to keep on loving aging.