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The National Institutes of Health recommend four types of exercises for seniors who want to stay healthy and independent (and who doesn’t?). Sharon O’Brien reports on them for About.com

Strength exercises build older adult muscles and increase metabolism, which helps to keep weight and blood sugar in check.

Balance exercises build leg muscles, decreasing the chance of falls (leading cause of admission into nursing homes).

Stretching exercises give you more freedom of movement. It’s particularly important that older drivers do stretching exercises because not being able to turn your head adequately, for instance, will limit your range of vision.

Endurance exercises are any activity – walking, jogging, swimming, biking, even raking leaves – that increases your heart rate and breathing for an extended period of time. Build endurance gradually, starting with as little as five minutes of activity per session.

For details on the exercises and how to get started, go to http://seniorliving.about.com/od/exercisefitnes1/a/4seniorexercise.htm.