Physical activity is one of the best things people can do to improve their health. It is vital for healthy aging and can reduce the burden of chronic diseases and prevent early death.

Anything that gets your body moving counts as physical activity. Each week adults need 150 minutes of moderate intensity and two days of muscle strengthening.

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Active people generally live longer and are at less risk for serious health problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and some cancers. For people with chronic diseases, physical activity can help manage these conditions and complications.

At least 150 minutes of physical activity each week sounds like a lot, but you don’t have to do it all at once. It could be 30 minutes a day, five days per week. You can spread your activity out during the week and break it up into smaller sections of time.

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Here are some ideas for short bursts of physical activity:

• Engage in a high-intensity, short burst of activity such as race walking, a 10-minute run or 10 minutes on the exercise bike or treadmill at a fast pace.
• Use housework or yard work to focus on raising your heart rate in 10-minute intervals.
• Take the stairs every chance you get (boycott all elevators).
• While watching TV, lift weights or stretch your muscles during commercial breaks. (There are 20 minutes of commercials each hour.)