According to a study by the Medical University of South Carolina, even in middle age, adopting a healthy lifestyle can lower the risk for heart disease and premature death within years of changing habits.
In the study, middle-aged adults who began eating five or more fruits and vegetables every day, exercising for at least 2 1/2 hours a week, keeping weight down and not smoking decreased their risk of heart disease by 35 percent and risk of death by 40 percent in the four years after they started.
This goes to show that even if you have not had a healthy lifestyle previously, it's not too late to adopt those healthy lifestyle habits and gain almost immediate benefits