Now that Boris Kodjoe is a certified “weight-loss counselor,” we all have to do away with the excuses not to exercise. Don’t despair if you can’t fit in the recommended 30 minutes of daily exercise. Growing evidence suggests that even half that much can help.

But not everyone has the time or willpower. So researchers set out to find the minimum amount of physical activity needed to reap health benefits. The findings by a study in Taiwan suggest just 15 minutes of moderate exercise a day can lead to a longer life.

15 MINUTES!!!!!!!!

According to a story published by Associated Press, this “may convince many individuals that they are able to incorporate physical activity into their busy lives,” Dr. Anil Nigam of the University of Montreal said in an email. Nigam had no role in the research but wrote an editorial accompanying the Taiwan study published online Monday in The Lancet.

Fitness guidelines by the World Health Organization, the U.S. and other countries recommend that adults get at least a half-hour of moderate workout most days of the week. This can include brisk walking, bike riding and water aerobics.

The study found those who exercised just 15 minutes a day – or 90 minutes a week – cut their risk of death by 14 percent and extended their life expectancy by three years compared with those who did no exercise. Both men and women benefited equally from the minimum activity.

Each additional 15 minutes of exercise reduced the risk of death by another 4 percent compared with the inactive group. Researchers did not report how additional exercise affected life expectancy.

Again, it only takes fifteen minutes of exercise to see benefits that will last a lifetime! Instead of listening to celebrities demonize fat people, let’s all start moving and begin our fitness challenge.