?·     Healthy adults should aim for two strength-training sessions a week that work with the body's major muscle groups.

?·     Older people can benefit from exercise that helps to maintain their balance and flexibility.

?·     People who are physically active should continue to exercise even when they become middle aged or elderly and those who aren't should increase their physical activity.

?·     Not smoking and following a healthy diet is also important.

"Ideally, to gain maximum health benefits people should exercise, not smoke, eat a healthy diet and have a body mass index of less than 25" says Mr Alford. "The more of these healthy traits an individual has, the less likely they are to develop a range of chronic disorders. Even if people can't give up smoking and maintain a healthy weight, they can still gain health benefits from increasing the amount of regular exercise they take.

"Physical inactivity results in widespread pathophysiological changes to our bodies. It appears that our bodies have evolved to function optimally on a certain level of physically activity that many of us simply do not achieve in our modern, sedentary lifestyles.

"What is clear from the research is that men and women of all ages should be encouraged to be more physically active for the sake of their long-term health."

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley/doi/10.1111/j.1742-1241.2010.02478.x/pdf