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A new study says that taking a break and spending time on leisure activities such as brisk-walking, gardening, cycling and sports for more than a decade could significantly improve the heart's health.

The 4,200 participants of the study, aged around 49 on an average, reported the duration and frequency of their leisure-time. 

"It's not just vigorous exercise and sports that are important," said Mark Hamer, Ph.D., study lead author and associate professor of epidemiology and public health at University College in London, U.K. in the press release.

"These leisure-time activities represent moderate intensity exercise that is important to health. It is especially important for older people to be physically active because it contributes to successful aging." 

To start with, the researchers at the baseline assessment in 1991-1993, analyzed two key inflammatory markers, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6).  Eleven years later, they again assessed physical activity and inflammatory markers in 1997-99, Medical Xpress reported. 

The analysis revealed that physically active participants in the beginning of the research had lower CRP and IL6 levels. In the next 10 years, apparently, the difference remained stable when compared to participants who were not really physically active.

"Inflammatory markers are important because we have shown they are a key mechanism explaining the link between physical activity and the lower risk of heart disease." Hamer said. "The people who benefited the most from this study were the ones that remained physically active."

It was found that 49.1 percent of the participants met the standard physical activity recommendations for cardiovascular health (2.5 hours per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity). Subsequently, the rate reached 83 percent. 

"The percentage of exercising participants jumped quite a bit because they were entering their retirement during the last phase of the study," Hamer said. "We have shown that retirement seems to have a beneficial effect on physical activity levels." 

Also, it was found that those who became physically active during the later stages of the study were able to achieve lower inflammatory markers at follow-up. 

"Previous studies have looked at the association between physical activity and inflammatory markers in cross-sectional and short-term studies, but none have done this using longitudinal data," Hamer said. "Our data is much stronger than the previous shorter or cross-sectional studies, adds to prior evidence and confirms the importance of physical activity for its anti-inflammatory effects."

The research was published in the American Heart Association's journal, Circulation.