"As you approach 40, you've reached a limit,**" reports Dr. Roger Larson, University of Washington. "You start to get permanent changes and decreased ability to repair cartilage and tissue. Tendons are less flexible, so more stretching and warming up is required." Knees are especially vulnerable, as they take a lot of stress from high impact activity. Runners with inherited knock-knees or bowlegs can expect extra pressure and wearing down of bone on the inside or outside of their knee joints and should probably consider lower-impact sports. The best way to avoid sports injuries are to keep your weight down, focus on low impact activities, and add exercises for flexibility. That is why it is essential for runners to either rest or do cross-training, such as biking or swimming, on alternate days, advises Larson. Weight training is also an excellent activity to help maintain strength and muscle mass.

**Although aging is inevitable there are things that you can do to slow down or stop the bodily wear and tear that accompanies aging. For more information on aging click here. For a list of our aging-related products click here. To view a product that provides nutritional support for healthy joints click here.

[Muscular Development, Vol. 36, Number 12, December 1999, "Post-40 Fitness Limit Reported, Steve Blechman and Edward R. Burke, pg. 28]