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I try to keep up a healthy exercise habit in order to maintain my weight loss but, I must admit, I’ve been pretty lazy the last few months. I don’t know what’s been going on but I just haven’t really felt motivated lately. Now I’m getting a pretty big dose of motivation, though, thanks to a new study that has found that jogging can increase your life span by six years. SIX YEARS! That’s crazy, isn’t it?

Actually, it’s not crazy so much as it is incredibly impressive. I never thought that jogging could actually improve how long you live. I mean, I’ve read before that running is good for burning calories and your cardiovascular health. But actually making you live longer? If I didn’t have a good reason to dig out my running shoes again, then I certainly do now!

The most spectacular thing, though, is that you don’t even have to be a hard-core runner to reap the life-saving benefits of jogging. In fact, one of the study authors says that the only thing you need is “to feel a little breathless, but not very breathless”. Considering the best fitness advice I ever got (the one about exercising for just 20 minutes a day, every day), I know what I’ll be doing tonight: lacing up my sneakers and going for a nice, brisk 20-minute jog. After all, if it’s going to help me be healthier AND keep me around longer to be with my family, then we all win, right? And there’s just no reason to avoid it anymore.

Do you jog? Are you planning to take it up as a hobby? Share in the comments below!

Irina Gonzalez blogs about healthy slow cooking, nutrition, and weight loss maintenance on her blog The Fit Flexitarian, and here on Momster.com.

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