Exercise for Life!

Keep up the good work! You've been doing your best to ensure that exercise is a regular part of your healthy lifestyle.

To you, it's an obvious no-brainer - exercise is simply the single-most beneficial activity you can engage in to maintain, as well as improve, your overall health and fitness. You already know that exercise will likely do more to improve your health than a cadre of specialists and the latest new pharmacological miracle drug. That's why you'll be thrilled to know that none of your hard work has been in vain.

In fact, evidence-based studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association crack the code on exercise and longevity.

A large number of researchers from various institutions, such as Harvard University and the National Cancer Institute, collaborated and used exercise-habit data from a huge pool of over 661,000 mostly middle-aged adults.

The researchers pored over 14 years' worth of death records, and after separating the exercisers from the nonexercisers, it was clear that people who did not exercise at all were at the highest risk of premature death.

On the other hand, the researchers also discovered that people who exercised a little lowered their risk of an early death by 20 percent.

Individuals who met the modest guidelines of 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise were big longevity winners, reducing their risk of premature death a significant 31 percent.

Trumping all, though, were the biggest longevity winners, mostly moderate walkers who clocked in about 450 minutes per week, which translates to a little over an hour a day. This group is 39 percent less likely to die prematurely than the nonexercise group.

Now, not so fast. I know what you're thinking: If a little is good then even more must be better. Well, not exactly. According to the researchers, beyond the moderate-paced 450 minutes, there is little to no change in the benefits.

The other study - "Effect of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity on All-Cause of Mortality on Middle-age and Older Australians" - concluded that not only is exercise good for you, but that even strenuous exercise is good, too.

These researchers studied both the time and intensity of exercise of more than 200,000 people. They discovered that those who spent up to 30 percent of their weekly exercise time engaged in vigorous activities, like running, reduced their risk of premature death by 9 percent, and those who did more than 30 percent improved their odds by 13 percent.

So, if there was ever any doubt about if you should continue exercising regularly, these two studies should set the record straight. If you've been holding back, come on, get some more skin in the game, and at least get in the recommended 150 minutes per week.

Also, here are three more compelling reasons to start up or stay in the exercise game:

It promotes health: As little as 30 minutes a day can put you in the driver's seat to better health. The key is consistency and making it a part of your daily routine. Forget about being a weekend warrior and just keep it consistent and simple.

It's good for your heart: Every 20 seconds someone has a heart attack and someone dies every minute from a heart attack. But daily exercise can help reverse that ugly statistic. Least we forget, exercise also reduces your blood pressure, improves blood sugar, decreases blood clots and improves circulation. Need I say more?

It beats stress and depression: Exercise is, by far, one of the best ways to manage both stress and depression. Why? Because exercise causes a cacophony of hormones, such as endorphins and opiates, to explode in your brain, which enhances your optimism and feel-good vibrations.