A new study claims that even the simplest physical activity may lengthen lives. In fact, mundane no-sweat physical activities like fidgeting affected the health of elders.

Researchers looked at the calories burned in older adult participants who rated their own physical activity. Every calorie counted, whether it was burned in formal exercise or in digestion, household chores, or simply fidgeting.

"Simply expending energy through any activity may influence survival in older adults," they write in The Journal of the American Medical Association's July issue. The most active adults, even those who burned calories without even noticing it, lived longer.

Sound too good to be true? Don’t give up the gym or stop exercising. Changing channels on the TV set won’t add ten years to your life but a lot of us should give a lot more credit to the small things that activate us.