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Everyone's always telling us to take a walk: We've heard that it will help us lose weight, lower our cholesterol and blood pressure, boost our fitness, improve our moods, sharpen our memories and even help us live longer. But if you didn't already believe that walking is a near miracle cure, you will after reading about this new study from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health.

They found that regular walking can change the way our genes work--specifically, our fat genes, reports Time magazine. The researchers observed people who had the type of genes that had been linked to high body mass index, and found that this type of daily exercise was able to tamper the effect of the genes by 50 percent. You'll have to put in some effort: the participants walked briskly for an hour a day. But isn't that worth it to change your obesity destiny? As an added motivation to get up and get outside--like we need one--the researchers noted that sitting in front of the TV can actually trigger those sneaky fat genes to promote weight gain.

We'd just like to thank the good people at the Harvard School of Public Health for sharing this news now, when we can enjoy the delights of spring, instead of telling us to get outside in the middle of a cold, dreary winter.

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How your gait can predict how long you'll live
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