Exercise to live longer

I happen to like to exercise and be active. It's just my personality, I'm not all that sedentary by nature. But, in addition to weight loss, there are many, many health benefits to regular exercise.

And, according to new research it can extend your life. Check it out here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090914/ap_on_he_me/us_med_octogenarian_exercise

CHICAGO – Even in the "oldest old," a little physical activity goes a long way, extending life by at least a few years for people in their mid- to late 80s, Israeli researchers found.

The three-year survival rate was about three times
higher for active 85-year-olds compared with those who were inactive. Getting less than four hours of exercise weekly was considered inactive; more than that was active.

The results "clearly support the continued encouragement of
physical activity, even among the oldest old. Indeed, it seems that it is never too late to start," the researchers wrote in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine, which published the study.

They noted that exercise reaped benefits even for previously sedentary 85-year-olds; their three-year survival rate was
double that of inactive 85-year-olds.

Oldsters didn't have to be super-athletes to live longer; walking at least four hours weekly counted, even if it was just in 15-minute strolls a few times daily.

So, get up off your butt and move a little.