Time to talk about another passion of mine. Exercise. I saw you groan, drop and give me twenty!

You don’t need to read this column to know that exercise is good for you. You probably already know that regular, moderate exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health and well-being. What you may not know is that new research is showing that exercise beneficially affects your genes, helps reverse the aging process at a cellular level, gives you more energy, makes you smarter, and may even help you grow so many new brain cells (a process called neurogenesis) that your brain actually gets bigger.

I discovered weight training when I was in my early teens and have been an avid exerciser ever since. I also did Gymnastics and Martial Arts, but resistance training has been the most consistent form of exercise that I do.

When I first started there was a lot of misinformation. I was told that I would get "muscle bound", that I would have terrible muscle strains, that I would lose my flexibility , and much more.

None of that happened.

And as the years have gone by I have been gratified to see science discover more and more benefits to working out, especially with weights. Everything from denser bones to fight osteoporosis, higher metabolism to fight the gaining of fat, staving off arthritis, decreasing the possibility of heart disease, improving your better sex life, creating better sleeping patterns, etc., etc, etc..

So I don't want to be a nag, but do yourself a favor and start an exercise regime today. It does not matter if you have never exercised, or are an elderly person (though you should talk to your doctor for guidance if you are). Get to a gym, get a qualified personal trainer if you want help, but get out there take care of yourself.

It is your life and you can add years to it with a half hour of weight training every other day. If you can do more, then do more. But any exercise will improve your life dramatically.

Would I lie to you?