We all know that exercise and fitness are key components to healthy living. Now new research is adding further proof that it will increase your quality of life.
The study, published in this week's archive of internal medicine, finds that being fit in the middle of your life not only delays chronic diseases later in life, but also shortens how long you may be sick.
Researchers surveyed more than 18, 000 patients over the past 40 years.
The study used patients who were 65 years or older and measured their fitness levels by having them walk on a treadmill.
The patients’ medical records were reviewed for congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, stroke, diabetes and other conditions.
When looking at men, the incidences of chronic disease were reduced by 45 percent between the group with the highest fitness levels, and those with the lowest. For women, the difference between the two groups was 43 percent.
Not only were people with higher fitness levels less likely to have chronic diseases, but they were also able to delay the disease and minimize how long they had it.
