found that just 80 minutes of cardio a week slowed weight gain and stopped participants from gaining visceral fat (the dangerous kind inside the abdomen that's been linked to diabetes and cardiovascular disease) a year after weight loss.
Quit the Cancer Sticks
Research shows that 10- to 15-minute sessions of aerobic exercise trigger changes within the brain that help defuse nicotine cravings in smokers. What's more, a separate study found that cardio activity can also make smoking-related images less likely to grab smokers' attention.
Keep Your Sight
People who ran 1.2 to 2.5 miles a day had a 19 percent lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, while those who ran more cut their chance by 42 to 54 percent, according to a study from Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. Vigorous activity may also decrease cataract risk.
Reduce Your Breast-Cancer Risk
Women who did either moderate exercise for 2.5 hours or vigorous activity for 75 minutes a week cut their chance of dying from breast cancer by a third, according to a study from Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Women who did about twice as much cardio lowered their risk by 55 percent.
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