New research: It's never too late to start exercising

What's the news: It's never too late to start exercising, even if you've been as sedentary as a clam until now.

Why should we believe it: This news is based on a clever new study, published a couple weeks ago by a team of scientists at Duke University and the Veterans Affairs Health Care System. The scientists looked at two cross-sectional studies, and compared them for a kind of controlled experiment.

One study involved sedentary Americans at age 72.4, who started exercising using a program called Gerofit, a 3x/week combination of aerobic exercise, strength training, and flexibility work. The second study tracked a bunch of sedentary Italians, average age 74.5, who stayed sedentary. Results after 1 year:

• The exercising group showed marked improvements in several physical tests

• These improvements were observed across all ages for the exercising group

• The sedentary Italian group showed marked declines in those same physical tests

Why this is a big deal: Various systems in our bodies — brain, muscle, bone density — naturally peak in our teens or in our 20s, and start to decline thereafter. Exercise helps prevent this decline, and can even bring you up to a higher level than you might have been at your peak without exercise.

That said, you might feel that the ship has sailed, that you have been sedentary too long to still get any benefits today. The present study proves that's clearly not true. You can see improvements at any age, and you can prevent life-destroying declines in health and ability.

So what specifically can you do now: Start exercising, today. I've written previously about the various benefits of simple walking. Beyond that, there are lots of good, age-appropriate, even enjoyable workout options. What matters is that you start — and do so today.