Getting active in your 50s can boost the quality of later life.
Being active in your 50s has considerable health benefits
Experts have discovered that it is possible for people to 'make up' for a lack of exercise during their younger years by doing more physical activity in mid-life.
Scientists collected data from over 11,000 women - all of whom were aged between 47 and 52 - at three-year intervals starting in 1996.
Participants who were classified as meeting World Health Organisation (WHO) physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes of exercise per week had a three-point higher physical health score than those who did not meet them.
The team from the University of Sydney said: "Combined with existing evidence, this study contributes to growing evidence of the benefits of maintaining or adopting an active lifestyle in mid-age.
"An important public health message is that being active for as many years as possible, even if women start to meet physical activity guidelines in their mid-50s, could have important health benefits in terms of physical health, especially in physical functioning."