Wouldn't it be great if as you got older your muscles got more and more resistant to damage? Well listen up.

Research published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity found that older adults don't experience greater muscle damage, soreness, or loss of function after exercise than younger exercisers do. And in some instances, they have less damage.

For example, creatine kinase levels — an indicator of muscle damage — were approximately 28% lower in older adults at 24 hours post-exercise than in younger adults. And muscle soreness over several days after a workout was consistently less in older adults. Muscle function was the same for young and old.

As a result, the researchers suggest older adults may not need extended periods of recovery after exercise, allowing them to work out more frequently and more intensely, leading to better long-term health.

Another study in the same journal found that getting regular exercise when you're older fights off mental fatigue by reducing stress, improving sleep, lifting your mood, and boosting cognitive function. That's because exercise turns on genes that make new, better-functioning proteins.

Additional research advocates combining brain endurance training (BET), which involves systematic repetition of fatiguing cognitive tasks, with exercises such as a five-minute rhythmic handgrip using as much force as possible to boost your fitness both physically and mentally.

Exercise your options for a stronger, healthier body. You'll have more health-boosting proteins running around inside you, helping you stay younger longer.