Russell Cox

I believe that by far the best way to look younger is to get really fit. Think about it - it's always the fit, strong and lean people whose age we underestimate, sometimes by as much as a decade.

However, some of these hard-training exercise junkies may look younger, but do they feel younger? While some may, the extreme levels of training required to keep up with youngsters on the athletics track, swimming pool or sports field often leaves older participants with increasingly chronic aches and pains as they age. Ask any footballer towards the end of their career if they feel young!

So how do we look and feel young through health and fitness without overdoing it? A holistic and balanced training regime will go a long way to achieving both these goals. Striking the right balance between intense training and recovery training is the key.

The key is to not overdo the training, as this can actually age our bodies if we go over the top. Intense training is designed to bring about improvements in physical capability and requires us to push ourselves out of our comfort zones, by incremental increases in duration and/or difficulty. Recovery training is designed to nurture our body's wellbeing and assist in recovering from a session of intense training. Recovery training is the key to feeling young.

Your local gym, fitness club or trainer can offer guidance with designing a personally tailored fitness program. Having your own regime will ensure you have the balance right for your lifestyle, special needs and to make sure you're feeling younger as well!

Australian Cosmetic Surgery Magazine