Scientists have figured out exactly how much you need to exercise to slow your heart’s aging process

The good news is there are steps you can take to slow your heart’s aging process, increasing the chances of living a long, healthy, fruitful life. The trade-off is that you really do have to go to the gym.

New research published this week in the Journal of Physiology pins down the number of days a week a person should exercise to maintain the overall health of their arteries, which stiffen with age and, as they do, increase the risk of heart disease and heart attack. Very few people experience heart attacks before age 45, and the average age is 65. But the new study suggests a way to keep your arteries physiologically “young.”