Trainer reveals how to exercise in your 50s, 60s and beyond

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- Shirley Wilson, 85, says luck and the help of personal trainer -- Marco Reed -- keeps her in on her game.

"Well if you're not fit, you're in a home some place. And that would be probably one of the worst things that could happen when you get older," said Wilson.

"I see people my age, and I really feel sorry for them. They've got a belly out here. They're overweight. They're not energetic," said John Begrosian.

That is not the case for 80-year-old Begrosian. He trains hard.

"If it wasn't for Marco, I wouldn't be here today talking to you. I had a stroke a year ago," said Begrosian.

Reed says aging baby boomers experience diminishing lean body mass, bone density and posture, but exercise can change that.

"The biggest concern (for) the aging population is really with balance. With a band, just by doing a walk, some simple balance exercises, you can really get a workout," said Reed, owner of Get Beyond Fit.

Reed asks those who are 50 and beyond to address these questions: "Can you get up and down from a chair? Can you go up a flight of stairs? How comfortable are you walking and recovering if you lose your balance?"

But there's hope.

"Right around 40, you start to lose lean body mass, and everyone calls that a loss of metabolism," Reed said. "You can always gain muscle, linked with strength training and proper eating."

Those 50 to 60 can still do power moves, but fitness moves from a cardio- and fat-burning focus to balance, strength and flexibility.

A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found exercising 30 minutes a day, six days a week, regardless of intensity, resulted in a reduced risk of death by 40 percent. This was no small study: 12 years looking at 15,000 men.

"Exercise is not just for the body. It stimulates the mind. It has an effect on dementia as well," said Reed.

Begrosian goes by the "Use it or lose it" motto. Wilson is a bit more spunky: "Get up off your rear end and do something."