Living a mostly sedentary lifestyle can result in stiffening of the heart muscles and a less efficient cardiovascular system. In this study, researchers found that exercising four to five times per week for about 30-minutes, plus warm-up and cool-down, can lead to an 18% improvement in maximum oxygen intake during exercise and a more than 25% improvement in the elasticity of the left ventricular muscle of the heart. Circulation, January 2018