Even small movements can greatly improve your health. Simple activity can also boost your mental outlook. And you may spend less money on your health care. Think of it this way: Small steps may take you a long distance.

Simple and small movements can get you started exercising. You don’t need to join a gym to start moving. Make it easy on yourself and you will be able to make exercising a habit. Slow, gentle, and easy is the way to begin to make exercising part of your life.

Once you become more active, you may be ready to increase the pace. Choose an exercise you enjoy. Just be sure to warm up, cool down, and stay safe. And learn when it’s time to stop exercising.

Daily exercise can lower your blood sugar level, help you control your weight, and improve your circulation, blood pressure, and heart health. It can also give you more energy, make you stronger, and help relieve stress.

Good warm-ups and cool-downs can keep you from getting hurt when you do more intense aerobic activities that last 30 minutes or longer.

Your exercise goal is a total of 30 minutes on most days. Be sure you’re getting the most from your time spent being active. You’re working your heart and lungs. Try adding a few activities for other muscles in your body, too.

Getting your heart to work at the right pace means you’ll develop better aerobic endurance. A stronger heart can pump more oxygen to your muscles. Then you don’t tire as quickly during your hobbies, sports, or daily activities.

While regular physical activity is a cornerstone of wellness at any age, it’s during your 30s, 40s and 50s that exercise becomes especially important.

You can't walk across a room without huffing and puffing. Your arms get tired unpacking a bag of groceries. You're carrying more and more excess body weight. And you can't remember the last time you got any real exercise.

"We now know that exercise is the most underrated health precaution anyone, even those with chronic conditions, can take," says J. Larry Durstine, Ph.D., a spokesman for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Working out when you have a serious illness or health problem can be challenging. But for most people who have health issues, exercising can improve their prognosis and well-being. In fact, exercise can play an important role in helping you cope with or recover from a health challenge or accident.

To keep yourself entertained and enthused, wear headphones and listen to high-energy music while you work out.