Everyone knows that regular exercise is good for your health, but now studies show that just 10 minutes of exercise each day can help even the most inactive women to lower their risk of early death. A Reuters report says that U.S. researchers reported tests on overweight and obese women, many of whom had high blood pressure, showed that even small amounts of exercise improved their fitness and tone enough to lower their overall risk of early death. According to researchers, the study is the first to reinforce using hard medical data what other studies have suggested – that any exercise is better than none at all. Currently, at least 20 percent of U.S. adults admit they get no exercise whatsoever and most do not get as much as is recommended. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health both recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days of the week to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Researchers said the information from this study should be encouraging to sedentary adults who find it difficult to workout for longer periods of time. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Getting fit at any age

If you have never exercised in your life, it is not too late to start. Research of 2,205 Swedish men who were studied for more than 20 years showed that if people over 50 start exercising, the beneficial health effects can be seen within 10 years. These effects can lead to a decrease in premature death. This is the first time that research has shown that older people can benefit from increasing their physical activity. Activities can be anything from three hours of sports or heavy gardening each week to taking walks and cycling. After 10 years of exercise, those who began exercising moderately at 50 showed similar death rates to people who exercised heavily more regularly throughout their earlier years.