For most people the golden years are really not all that golden.

You find you can't run as fast or jump as high as you use to, and if you try, it takes a lot longer to get over it.

In part I of our special series "Staying in Shape in the Golden Years" we show you how there are many ways to stay in shape as you age.

Most women are coy about revealing their age, but not Lynda Yates.

Whether on land or in water this 69-year-old woman works-out about six days a week.

But Lynda admits she is not superwoman.

"As time has gone on I've experienced one injury or another and I've recognized the importance of cross training. Finding things to do when I couldn't do something that I liked to do I couldn't run anymore so I went to walking," says Lynda.

It was a severe leg injury that first led Lynda to the water, but she says since then the rest is history.

"I found spin and water as a result of that specific injury and as a result it is the last thing I would give up," says Lynda.

She says the benefits of her water aerobics classes are endless.

"My bone density has increased and the one thing that has been different is water." says Lynda.

Through her daily workout routines she also met a great group of friends.

"You have to incorporate social into it which make it more fun and it has to be convenient," says Lynda.

Her best friend though is this woman Helen Hernandez.

Like Lynda, Helen is not shy about telling people she's 53-years-old.

She's always been active, but she only recently started teaching six to nine workout classes a week.

From the social aspect, to paying her bills, Helen's life is wrapped up in the gym.

For Helen working out is more than just a hobby she says it's a way of life.

Although, there is more than a decade difference between these two friends they share more similarities than differences.

"I've found the best friends of my life at the gym wonderful people wonderful and you share an interest taking care of yourself and trying to stay young," says Helen. "I can tell you this if your searching for the fountain of youth it's exercise that's what it is because it's kept me young and I've seen improvements in people much older than me."

Both Lynda and Helen are members of the World Gym in Panama City Beach.

The owner of the club is offering a special deal for year-round older residents.

Their phone number is (850) 249-6753.