If you’re in your late thirties, or older, a regular exercise regimen is important. As you age, you lose muscle mass. You probably should add light resistance workouts in your exercise to retain muscle mass and/or build muscle stamina. You’ll also want to maintain cardio and core workouts for overall strength and balance.

However, as you ramp up your exercise plan you’ll soon understand why so many men and women stop exercising in their mid-to-later lives – it hurts. Your joints, which didn’t complain in your youth the morning after you ran a 10K, now are very unhappy from your exercise. After a hard weight workout, the next day your elbows, shoulders and wrists are sore. And after a long run your knees don’t want to bend or straighten; even getting into or out of a car can be a challenge.

Here’s the deal – you have the same knees, ankles, shoulders and bones that you had when you were born. Yes, they’ve grown over time, as you have, but by and large your joints are the same. But, the cartilage that cushions everything in your joints is aging, so when stress comes in the form of vigorous exercise, you can pay a price by experiencing joint pain.

How will you respond? Will you stop exercising? If yes, that will alleviate much of the pain, at least in the short term. However, diminishing the weights and the running will begin a vicious cycle – you’ll gain weight and lose muscle mass because you’ve stopped working out. That will put more stress on weaker joints – which will lead to more pain, especially if you’re overweight, or stand or move a lot in your profession.

There are many products in the market that are designed to help with joint and back pain. Shark cartilage and glucosamine are two, both of which have mixed results. Soothanol X2, from NorthStar Nutritionals is a remarkable product that uses a combination of 12 different ingredients. With a blend of oils, menthols and wintergreens, this lotion has a soothing and pain-relieving action for both joints and muscles.

Another excellent feature of Soothanol X2 is that it doesn’t smell, in contrast to other heavily mentholated products like Ben-Gay. And, there's very little rubbing involved – another advantage over Ben-Gay or Icy Hot. Just apply a few drops of Soothanol X2 to the skin over the pained area and rub briefly. It absorbs very quickly into the skin and you will feel better almost immediately after contact. Plus, you will not need to use acetaminophen or other pain relievers that can cause organ damage over time.

The next time you head for any vigorous physical activity have Soothanol X2 waiting. You’re never too old to exercise and Soothanol X2 can be your best friend when you are finished with your workout.