Being physically active has

Being physically active has 1 benefits. Now a study has looked closely at the effects of fitness in the midlife years for preventing debilitating chronic diseases later. The ongoing study 2 fitness stats for more than 18,000 adults, and followed their health status into old age. 3 40 years of that data, the analysis finds that those who had higher fitness levels in their 30s, 40s and 50s were 4 less likely to have a chronic condition between the ages of 70 and 85. The findings are in the Archives of 5 Medicine. Physical fitness seemed to stave off heart disease and heart failure, which might not be a big surprise. But it also reduced rates of diabetes, kidney disease and even Alzheimer's disease. Current recommendations suggest adults make time for at least 20 minutes of moderate to vigorous 6 activity a day, such as fast walking, jogging, biking or swimming. Busy middle-aged people might find it especially hard to make time for such exercise. But a small investment looks like it could pay big health dividends for 7 to come.