Yes, exercise is healthy. But adjusting your lifestyle – especially at a later age – is simply difficult. It turns out that your breathing may be able to help you with this.

A 2016 study found that in the United States, 30% of adults over the age of 50 do not actively exercise. Although most people know that exercise reduces the chance of developing chronic diseases. A new study finds that five minutes of breathing exercises a day can make the transition to a more active lifestyle easier.

Half of the participants used a special device during the breathing exercises, which made breathing more difficult. The other half did breathing exercises without a device. All subjects were tested for endurance before and after the six-week trial. After six weeks, the group that trained with the device showed a 12 percent improvement. No improvement was observed in the group that did breathing exercises without a device.

The researchers also observed positive changes in metabolism in the group whose condition improved. Of course it is important to know if this is an accessible method for everyone, you will need such a device for many people. But if there is, this could be a good boost for people who are having a hard time transitioning to a more active life.

Read more: Five minutes of daily breathing training improves exercise tolerance in middle-aged and older adults†