It’s another reason to keep moving as we age.

A new study suggests fitness in midlife may be associated with a lower risk of depression after age 65, even a lower risk of early death due to cardiovascular problems.

The researchers, based at the Cooper Institute and UT Southwestern in Dallas, analyzed medical records of people with an average age of 50, who had their cardio-respiratory fitness measured at intervals over several years from 1971 to 2009.

The researchers then used Medicare data to see how their fitness at midlife tracked with both depression and heart disease later on.

People with high fitness were half as likely to die from heart disease after depression.

You can read abou the study in JAMA Psychiatry.