Being in shape may be as important for a long life as not smoking

Being out of shape increased someone's risk of dying early as much as smoking did, study found

Being in shape may be as important to a long life as not smoking, according to a new study of the links between fitness and mortality. The study also explores whether there is any ceiling to the benefits of fitness — whether, in essence, you can exercise too much. The answer, it found, is a reassuring no.

At this point, we should not be surprised to hear that people who exercise and have high aerobic endurance tend to live longer than those who are sedentary and out of shape. A large body of past research has linked exercise with longevity and