Even though the benefits of regular physical activity are already well-documented, a new study found that exercise can also help reduce joint pain.  That finding joins an earlier one from this year indicating that exercise could be as effective as preventative drug treatments for heart disease and diabetes.

The latest study, carried about by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Yale University found that breast cancer patients who participated in strength-training and aerobic exercise experienced reduced pain levels after one year.

“This is one of the first studies to identify an approach — particularly a non-medical approach — that can effectively lower joint pain for these patients,” says Jennifer Ligibel, MD, of the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers in a news release. “Exercise offers an attractive option for patients who want to continue taking these drugs but who are burdened by their side effects.”

An earlier study from this year lead by researchers at the London School of Economics, Harvard Medical School and Stanford University found that, “based on the available data, physical activity is potentially as effective as many drug interventions.”

Researchers concluded that, “In cases where drug options provide only modest benefit, patients deserve to understand the relative impact that physical activity might have on their condition.”

Want more reasons to exercise? There are plenty to choose from.

The American Heart Association (AMA) says that physically active people save more than $500 a year in medical costs. Also, the AMA says that for every one hour of walking your life expectancy may increase by 2 hours and that walking for as few as 30 minutes a day provides heart health benefits.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that regular physical activity can help control your weight, reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers, strengthen your bones, muscles and imrpove your mental health and mood.

The CDC reports that inactivity was associated with more that 9 million cases of cardiovascular disease in 2001 and almost $24 billion in direct medical costs.