Good thoughts, Orchid. I'm sure one reason you're not reporting terrible aches and pains is your cycling.

Regular exercise is great for keeping aches and pains at bay. We just published an article about this in NABBW. It's called "Change How You Think About Exercise: Change Your Life," and it is by NABBW Associate Jan Cullinane.

I think it is great she's pointing out the IMMEDIATE benefits of exercise, not just promoting the long term gains we know staying active offers us.

I know you appreciate the benefits of regular (and fun) exercise, but not everyone of Boomer age and older does, IMHO.

Personally, I'm one of those people who still has to force myself to get exercise. Even though I know I will feel better when I'm done.

I blame my early training. When I was a girl, it was not "cool" to like gym class, or sweating. (Of course, back then I did enjoy riding my bicycle across town, but to me -- at that time -- riding was not exercise, it was a means to get where I wanted to go.) Weird, huh?

Anyone else remember hating having to wear those ugly blue gym suits in phy ed class? When I was in junior high, we had segregated gym classes -- boys separate from girls -- and we girls professed to absolutely hate the class.

We sabotaged its benefits as often as possible: I remember there were a lot of girls who refused to take off their panty hose for gym class. (They'd put on their white socks over top and don their gym shoes and try to convince the gym teacher they really had bare legs.) Seems so silly now to recall going to all that work for deception.

Additionally, we had girls in the class who would go out of their way NOT to undress and shower when class was over.

Our showers in high school were not stalls or a big room, but a U-shaped gauntlet we were supposed to run through. However, if you zigged and zagged when running, you could come out quite dry and NOT have to spend too much time fixing your hair again before the next class.

Of course, it didn't help that the boys would tease us that they were able to spy on the girls locker room.

Seems so silly these post-Title IX days. Today, girls are free to enjoy sports as much as boys do... I say that is progress.