In the longevity game, we all know that exercise trumps nutrition. Fat or thin, exercise adds years to life, but one question persists: How much exercise is enough?

It has been an unending debate of how much, how long and how vigorously you should exercise. This month, researchers at the American Heart Association's Conference on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism added interesting information to the exercise debate, showing that even a little exercise significantly improved the quality of life in postmenopausal, overweight women.

In a study, called "Dose Response to Exercise in postmenopausal Women (DREW)," researchers examined the benefits of exercise in 430 sedentary, overweight or obese women. They were divided into four groups who either did not exercise or who exercised for about 73, 135 or 193 minutes a week.

First published in 2007, this study showed that women who exercised the longest and hardest had the best quality of life. However, at this month's conference meeting, Angela Thompson, co-author of the study, reported information specifically on the women who exercised very little. Here, research showed that slow to moderate exercising for an average of only 10 minutes daily resulted in a significant improvement in overall well-being and quality of life. The message is clear: Don't be disheartened if you find it difficult to exercise — a little is much better than nothing at all.

With age, your body naturally loses muscle. People over age 50 naturally have less muscle and more fat than they did in their 20s. If an older person is overweight and sedentary, the loss of muscle increases, weakness follows and, over time, this leads to difficulty walking, a high risk of dangerous falls and a poorer quality of life. Without a doubt, building and maintaining muscle throughout life is vital to long-term independence.

No matter your age, you must exercise — especially if you are overweight. Exercise will not only prolong life and prevent disease, but also improve quality of life. Most importantly, exercise reduces the risk of developing gait and balance problems that frequently lead to physical disabilities in old age.

The key questions are: How frequently should you exercise, and how much is enough? Simply put, the more you exercise, the better.

Those who push themselves, build up a sweat and get those endorphins working will feel fabulous, have a great deal of energy, and be less likely to develop heart disease and stroke. In addition, they appear to live longer.

But, many of us refuse to undertake a vigorous exercise program. If you fall into the "I don't exercise" category, it's time to consider a new approach. More exercise is better than a little exercise, but anything is better than none at all.

For the determinedly sedentary, try these four suggestions:

— As soon as you wake up, stretch. This is a wonderful way to loosen up your muscles, reduce your risk of developing muscle pains and an excellent way to prepare for the day.

— Also, consider balance exercises. Weakness in certain groups of muscles, combined with age-related changes in the middle ear, predisposes individuals to problems with gait and balance. A simple approach to improve your balance is as follows: Stand up straight, and lightly hold on to a high chair or a countertop. Raise one foot off the ground, extend your leg and balance on the other leg for 10 seconds. Repeat this five times for each leg. Once you can do this easily, try the same exercise without holding on to a chair and finally with your eyes closed (very difficult).

— In addition to stretching and balance exercises, just get out and walk. Walk for a minimum of 10 minutes daily, and gradually increase the duration until you reach 30 minutes daily.

— Finally, once you have sparked the exercise fire, consider joining a gym and exercising with weights. Strength training builds muscle, strengthens bone and reduces the risk of falling by 80 percent.

In the end, I will always push my patients to do more exercise. But a little exercise is better than nothing. Just get out there and do it. You will look and feel wonderful — it's well worth it.

Dr. David Lipschitz is the author of the book "Breaking the Rules of Aging." To find out more about Dr. David Lipschitz and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. More information is available at www.drdavidhealth.com.

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