I've railed often on my Web site about the virues of exercise, as have very successful experts like Paul Chek and Ben Lerner. They agree with me that you can't afford not to exercise a little bit each day to improve your whole health. New research has found people may reduce their risks to potentially dangerous spikes in blood fats that occur after fatty meals by exercising in short bursts throughout the day.

These findings highlight a way for people who are too pressed for time for a full workout to squeeze in heart-healthy 10-minute exercise sessions, researchers say, multiple times throughout the day.

If repeated throughout a day, these sessions allow the body to lower fats in the blood compared to no exercise or a single long bout of equal duration, intensity and caloric expenditure, researchers said. In fact, cardiovascular disease can be prevented through accumulated short bouts that burn approximately 250 calories. Even though short bouts of exercise are easy for most people to do, it's important to get a total of at least 30 minutes of exercise each day.

Taking a slow stroll is not enough, however. Exercise must be of at least moderate intensity, meaning a brisk walk or a light jog.

It's perfectly normal for triglycerides and other blood fats to rise after a high-fat meal, but an abnormally large increase in fats -- a condition called postprandial lipemia -- has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease. Research has shown that exercise can lower triglycerides and other blood fats after a meal.

Yahoo News August 16, 2004