One of the benefits of exercise is that it helps reduce the inflammation that comes with aging, says a new study. The trick is knowing what kind-and how much. You don’t need a scientific study to tell you that exercise is good for you. But if you want to know how good, read on.

Although other research has already shown that exercise has anti-inflammatory potential, this new study-published in the journal Circulation-followed people for 10 years to examine the long-term effects. They found that, in general, people who were more active at the start of the study, or exercised more by the end, had lower levels of inflammation, which is one way to help your body stay young.

Researchers measured the general level of fitness, looking to see whether people met the government’s guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week. While that might sound overwhelming, it’s doable. Here are some tips to help you find the sweet spot of exercise.

• Meet the physical activity guidelines each week by breaking it into 20 to 30 minutes sessions each day. Activities that count include running, walking, cycling, gardening, and housework.
• Avoid extreme exercise-anything over 70 percent of your maximum effort for more than 30 minutes counts. Previous studies have shown that this level of intensity can actually increase inflammation.
• Try interval training for a short, but potent, but shorter, workout.
• Build up gradually. As you strengthen your body, what felt difficult last month will suddenly be a walk (or run) in the park.

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