The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans state that an active lifestyle can lower your risk of early death from a variety of causes. There is powerful evidence that regular physical activity can also reduce your risk of:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Unhealthy cholesterol levels
• Type 2 diabetes
• Metabolic syndrome
• Colon cancer
• Breast cancer
• Depression

Regular physical activity can help prevent unfavorable weight gain and also help with weight loss, when combined with lower calorie intake. If you are overweight or obese, losing weight can reduce your risk for many diseases. Being overweight or obese amplifies your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, breathing problems, osteoarthritis, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea (breathing problems while sleeping), and some types of cancer. An active lifestyle can also improve your cardiorespiratory (heart, lungs, and blood vessels) and muscular fitness. For older adults, regular activity can tremendously improve mental capacity.

Physical activity may also help:

• Improve health for older adults
• Reduce waist size
• Lower hip fracture risk
• Lower lung cancer risk
• Lower endometrial cancer risk
• Maintain weight after weight loss
• Increase bone density
• Improve sleep quality