What are some of the facts about fitness and health that we can trust? There's no doubt that a sedentary lifestyle can leave us at risk for one or another chronic illness and a shortened life expectancy. We know exercise helps reduce stress. It's safe to say a fit and active way of life can protect us against illness, and thus keep us alive longer.

Most important to long-term fitness is musculoskeletal alignment. Our joints, muscles and bones need to be properly aligned if we are to avoid getting into trouble as we age. Lifting weights and doing cardio exercise in the wrong postural alignment can cause serious problems, problems that often don't show up for years. If we want to maintain our independence in later life — moving around without pain or restriction and walking without a cane or without our grandchildren pulling us in a cart, we need to train for musculoskeletal alignment and flexibility and then practice it regularly, not just when we're in the gym.