Why oh why does it take getting older to get smart? It took me until I was almost 50 to learn the importance of regular exercise. If I had learned this when I was much younger, I might not have been 150 pounds overweight. I might have been able to play with my kids when they were young. I might have had more stamina and energy. Wait! It’s not “might have had” but “would have had!”

Although it took me to mid-life to learn the importance of fitness, I’m now a total convert to regular exercise and healthy eating. And I hope that my advanced years will find that my good habits now will pay off.

There are a number of reasons to add daily activity and healthy foods to your life—and it’s never too late—but here are some of the benefits I have discovered. In addition, I’m banking on the probabilities that researchers and health care experts have discovered for old age for those who commit to fitness.

I am a recent first-time grandma who is now able, at age 61, to keep up with the demands of a baby. This is good, because my daughter has just announced baby number two! With a newborn and an 18-month-old, my daughter will need all the help that she can get from her mother. And I’ll be fit enough to do a great job for her. With my aerobic activity and weightlifting, I’ll even be able to pick up my granddaughter while her mom holds the new baby.

My sex life is better! My bulges are less and more firm. This gives me more confidence about my body, which in turn makes me a more willing partner in bed. Both I and my husband praise the benefits of fitness, especially when the lights are turned off!

I’m making fewer trips to the doctor’s office. And, because of this, we’re spending less on medical bills. I don’t get the colds and flu that plagued me yearly when I was unfit. Exercise has been proven to boost immunity.

Another benefit—which has also decreased doctor visits—is that I have less pain than many in my age group, who haven’t discovered the benefits of regular exercise. I’m always getting a call from someone reporting a scheduled hip or knee replacement. Knock on wood, but I’ve been pain free in my hips and knees and back and, equally important, osteoarthritis, has stayed away from my door. Another good reason for regular exercise!

Eating healthy foods and exercising at the minimum of 45 minutes, three times a week has also made me happier and, in turn, more creative. It’s those endorphins that start circulating when your body is moving. I’m even thinking of taking up oil painting! (When exactly did Grandma Moses begin her art career?)

Right now my health and fitness plan is giving me a good life…and, as research studies suggest, I have some really good years ahead of me if I continue this lifestyle. I should live longer and better. (And who would want the first without the second?) And my short-term memory should remain good. After all, it will be nice to remember where I put my glasses when I want to paint!