Need another reason to exercise? A new study suggests that routine workouts are associated with significantly lower health costs for heart disease patients.
Patients with heart disease who did moderate to vigorous physical activity for 30 minutes at least five times a week saved an average of more than $2,500 (about euro 2222) in annual healthcare costs, the study found. And even regular gym users without heart disease may experience lower costs, according to the study in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
"The financial benefits with regular exercise were notable across the entire spectrum of risk including those with and without known cardiovascular disease," study author Khurram Nasir, director of the Center for Healthcare Advancement and Outcomes at Baptist Health, South Florida, said by email.
For cardiovascular health, the American Heart Association recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity five days a week, or at least 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity three days a week, or a combination of the two.
Even though getting 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise each week is associated with fewer complications and deaths from heart disease, roughly two-thirds of heart disease patients still fail to get this much physical activity.
