Should you be active or should you try to feel satisfied when you see what the scale indicates. While both of them sounds great, but sometimes not both are achievable. In such cases, and especially when it comes to having a longer life, being active may be more important than what the scale says. As per the largest yet project, rather, a study on fitness, body weight, and longevity published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers found that people who are aerobically fit, which means how well your heart, lungs, and muscle work together, to supply oxygen during exercise, significantly reduce their risk of premature death, even if they are overweight or obese. The study also noted that being fit reduced the chance of early mortality for obese adults by half when compared to those of normal weight who were unfit. "This tells us that it’s much more important, all things considered, to focus on the fitness aspect” of health and longevity, “rather than the fatness aspect,” Siddhartha Angadi, senior author of the study and an exercise physiologist at the University of Virginia, told The Washington Post.How was the study conducted?The study was a review of already existing data from 20 prior studies involving nearly 400,000 midlife and older adults from multiple countries. Out of them, 30% were women. Participants were then grouped based on their aerobic fitness, which was measured through cardiovascular stress tests and their Body Mass Index or BMI. Also Read: Is It Time To Say Goodbye To BMI?The study also looked at the data of those who passed away during the follow-up period, which was up to about two decades.What did the findings show?The findings were clear: People who were fit and overweight or obese had similar risks of death as fit people at a normal weightBut people who were unfit — no matter their weight — had 2 to 3 times higher risks of dying early from any cause or heart disease“From a statistical standpoint, fitness largely eliminated the risk” of early death from obesity-related conditions, Angadi said in a media report.The study offers a reassuring message: improving fitness doesn’t require extreme effort. Simply moving from the lowest 20% of fitness for your age to slightly above that level can lead to significant health benefits, according to experts.For many, this could be as simple as taking "brisk walks." Moderate activities, like walking at a pace where you can comfortably talk but not sing, are enough to improve fitness.Barry Braun, executive director of the Human Performance Clinical Research Laboratory at Colorado State University, praised the findings as "important," highlighting how they reinforce the protective benefits of fitness for people of all genders and body sizes.What Is Brisk Walking?The term "brisk walking" can be a little vague. What one person considers brisk might be a normal pace for someone else. To make sure you're getting the most out of your walk, it's important to understand what "brisk" really means in terms of exercise intensity. There are a few different ways to measure this, from checking your heart rate to simply paying attention to how easily you can talk.Here is how you can achieve your level of 'brisk'.