Convinced that you don’t have enough time to exercise? Guess again. A new study says that exercising just 71 minutes a week (about 10 minutes a day) can reduce the risk of a heart attack.

Dr. Tim Church at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge study 500 women between the age of 45 and 75. He divided the women into different groups with different fitness regimes. At the end of the six month study, he found a magic number for working out: 71 minutes a week. It may not sound like much, but Church found that it actually increased fitness. Not enough to cause weight loss, but enough to lower the risk of a heart attack.

You can find out more about Church's study on National Public Radio's web site. A story about the study aired last night on NPR's All Things Considered.

NetSweat.com Comments: As the story on NPR pointed out, this amount of exercise isn't enough to help you lose weight. But, if you’re not exercising at all, this is a good step. Everyone, regardless of how busy they might be, can find 71 minutes a week to exercise. Just take your significant other, a friend or a co-worker for a walk. As an added bonus, doing so will help build a closer relationship, and that is also good for your heart.