Get moving: Even weekend exercise can keep you alive longer

You don't need to be an Under Armour-wearing, protein shake-swilling gym rat to reap the benefits of exercise.

Even just some exercise on the weekends can still cut death risk by about 30 percent, according to a new study published in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal.

A years-long analysis of 63,591 adults found that mortality risk drop among people who got the minimum amounts of exercise recommended by many health experts: 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week.

For moderate activity, think brisk walking; vigorous activities include running or swimming.

The big takeaway here is that health benefits are attainable by just going on a couple decent runs during weekends.

However, further study is necessary to fully understand the specifics of how different types of exercise can affect health — the JAMA study only looked at death rates.

If we think of exercise as a form of medicine, doctors need to identify the correct "dose" and timing for it, medical analyst Dr. Jon Hallberg said.

Still, Hallberg said movement in general is a good thing, and it's crucial to avoid setting exercise goals so high that they overwhelm people.

"Anything is better than nothing, and we sit too much as a population," he told MPR News host Tom Crann. "We don't move enough."