We’ve heard time and again that being obese or overweight is, of course, not good for your long-term health. The same goes for being inactive and rarely exercising, no matter what you weigh.

Now, new research finds that being sedentary is the more deadly of the two.

BUT…

The research also notes that a brisk walk — as short as 20 minutes — can help counteract the dangers.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge and was just published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers analyzed about 12 years worth of information on 334,000 men and women, including height, weight, waist circumference and self-reported levels of physical activity.

The researchers state that a moderate amount of physical activity (compared with none) was the key to lowering the chances of premature death. They estimated that it could reduce that risk by 16 to 30 percent. By “moderate,” they mean that which burns about 100 calories a day.

Twenty minutes goes by in a flash — it’s about the time it would take to iron an outfit for work, zip across town to go to the post office, watch most of an episode of your favorite sitcom (FF’ing through commercials).

Or … squeeze in a life-saving walk!