Terrible diseases seem to be a random occurrence that we can only hope not to get, but you actually have a lot more ability to keep yourself out of a hospital bed than you think, a new study is claiming. Researchers based on 174 studies published between 1980 and 2016 found that those who had high levels of weekly physical activity were much less likely to get cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other deadly ailments.

Using a formula called MET minutes to estimate the best activities in terms of health benefits, scientists say that 3,000 to 4,000 MET minutes per week seems to be the ideal amount. You could get that amount by doing 10 minutes of climbing stairs, 20 minutes of running, 25 minutes of walking or cycling, 20 minutes of gardening, and 15 minutes of vacuuming, according to a BMJ statement.

As the population ages and cardiovascular and diabetes deaths rise, people should be putting more emphasis on physical activity, especially with today’s sedentary culture.

However, more research will be needed to find out whether the risk reductions would be different or the same depending on if it was short duration intense physical activity or long duration light physical activity.

“With population ageing, and an increasing number of cardiovascular and diabetes deaths since 1990, greater attention and investments in interventions to promote physical activity in the general public is required,” they write.

“More studies using the detailed quantification of total physical activity will help to find a more precise estimate for different levels of physical activity,” they conclude.