By Connor Boyd For Mailonline
Published: 23:30 BST, 26 June 2019 | Updated: 23:30 BST, 26 June 2019
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Taking up exercise in middle age slashes your risk of an early death - even if you've been inactive your whole life, research suggests.
A study of nearly 15,000 Britons found those who exercised for two-and-a-half hours a week significantly cut their risk of dying in the next 13 years.
For those who were inactive previously, the risk of an early death went down by a quarter, scientists found.
But the benefits were greatest for those who already exercised and became even more active over time. Their risk of an early death plummeted by 42 per cent.
Taking up just two-and-a-half hours of exercise per week in your senior years slashes your risk of an early death even if you've been inactive your whole life
Researchers say the findings show that it's never too late to get fit, even after a life of inactivity.
The NHS recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week, such as cycling, brisk walking, swimming or gardening.
But Public Health England says more than a third of English adults do not follow the advice.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge followed 14,599 men and women, all from Norfolk, for eight years to study how their activity levels fluctuated.
The team then monitored them over the following 13 years to see how the changes impacted their health.
During the study period, there were 3,148 deaths, including 950 from cardiovascular disease and 1,091 from cancer.
The authors, writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), said the findings give hope to the millions of middle-aged Britons who don't get enough exercise.
We're often told that our couch potato lifestyles are leading us to an early grave.
But according to scientists, not all types of sitting are equally as bad for you.
A study found that, while slumping on the sofa in front of the telly led to health problems, sitting at work did not have the same effect.
US researchers looked at the habits of 3,500 people and compared it with their health. They found those who watched more than
