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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 

 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."

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A new study concludes that meeting just minimum exercise guidelines can lower death risk by around 30 percent. "We don't move enough," medical analyst Dr. Jon Hallberg tells MPR News.

Meeting minimum exercise guidelines can cut death risk by around 30 percent, a new study found.

Get moving: Even weekend exercise can keep you alive longer

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