A new study showed that getting fit in middle age could prevent heart disease. Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center studied 9,050 men and women with an average age of 48 who were given two fitness tests eight years apart. Results showed that those who improved their fitness routine were at lower risk for heart failure later in life.

“People who weren’t fit at the start of the study were at higher risk for heart failure after age 65,” Ambarish Pandey, M.D., lead author of the study and an internal medicine resident at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, told the American Heart Association. “However, those who improved their fitness reduced their heart failure risk, compared to those who continued to have a low fitness level eight years later.”

Heart failure affects more than 5.1 million Americans, according to the American Heart Association, and it could cause the individual to require long-term home care. Getting fit later in life is not only beneficial to your heart health, it can also prevent the onset of other illnesses such as dementia, cancer and diabetes. With lower blood pressure and cholesterol, you can lead a longer, healthier life.