Surprise! Exercise increases length of life

A new study gives people in their 50s and 60s another reason to get off the couch and be physically active -- especially if they have conditions or habits that endanger their hearts, like diabetes, high blood pressure or smoking. The study, based on data from 9,611 older adults, shows that those who were regularly active in their 50s and early 60s were about 35 percent less likely to die in the next eight years than those who were sedentary. For those who had a high heart risk because of several underlying conditions, the reduction was 45 percent.