If you listen to people who love to exercise you can end up concluding that you have to be running marathons and constantly working out with weights to get any health rewards. But actually, this is not true at all.

In medical studies we often compare the top 10% to the bottom 10%. So in this instance, we studied people who exercise often, those in the top 10%, with people who are sedentary and rarely get off the couch.

As you might imagine, those who exercise look a lot better in terms of their health and their rate of heart disease, but the study also failed to give an accurate comparison of where the majority of the benefit occurs.

I won't tell you that there aren't advantages from adding some high-intensity exercise and weight training to your routine...there clearly are. What I will tell you is that much of the benefit comes from just getting off the couch and moving and walking as little as 30-35 minutes a day. It doesn't even have to be all at once.

Exercising in 10 minute increments throughout the day can be very beneficial. It's also important if you have a desk job to get up every half hour and move around for a few minutes. Not only will you feel better, your concentration and focus will likely improve as well.