I have two personal aphorisms to share with you. The first is “I’ll pay any price to keep you mobile.” The second is “I’ll pay any price to keep your blood sugars in the normal range.”

These are high priorities — the highest, in my book. When my kids were in high school, and they were in a mood (I’m cranky; I don’t feel well; I’m bored; I have too much homework), I would always say, “Go for a walk!” It got to be a joke in our house. They, of course, took it to the next level. Fever? Go for a walk! Migraine? Take a hike! Appendicitis? Walk it off! Broken leg? Very funny, I said.

You get the idea. But I felt then, as I still do, that a walk is just about the best solution for a whole host of problems. And going for a walk is one of the best ways to protect your mobility and your blood sugar as you move through the decades. Use it or lose it.

We are meant to move. Our bodies work best when we remain active. We know this deep inside — that’s why we call sedentary versions of ourselves “couch potatoes.” Notice that we don’t have popular, funny names for marathon runners, or gardeners, or weight lifters.

I’m not suggesting that you need to start training for the Olympics or the local iron man competition. I just want you to move, to find opportunities to increase your physical activity. Because if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. And our bodies are designed to move.

What are the some benefits of remaining mobile? Activity is a powerful mood stabilizer, a great way to perk up a drooping mood. It keeps your circulatory system working well, which makes your skin look good and keeps you looking younger. It keeps you vibrant in all the ways that count (wink, wink). Finally, movement helps keep your weight and blood sugars in the normal range. If you can do these two things, you are doing a lot.

You may or may not realize that obesity and diabetes are tied to a long list of other diseases including high blood pressure, gout, arthritis, vascular disease (hardening of the arteries), low HDL/high triglyceride cholesterol, coronary artery disease and strokes. Keeping your blood sugars normal sharply decreases your risk of heart attacks, blindness, kidney failure, and amputations.

But I’m not trying to scare anybody. The more you can do to keep your blood sugars normal, the less you will ever need to know about that scary list of diagnoses. Which is exactly what I would choose, given the options. This is why, given the choice between having to take an acetaminophen to decrease your knee pain enough to mow the lawn vs. sitting in front of the TV all day, I recommend the former. It’s also why, given the choice between eating a bowl of “Special Cereal Mix” for breakfast or some leftover salmon and guacamole, I always choose the latter.

And lastly, a word about pets. One reason that dog owners are generally in better health is the benefit that accrues from having your pet take you for a walk every day. This morning I drove past the following sign at a local church: Pray every day — walk with God. That works, too.