That 30 minutes of moderate workout may not be enough to strengthen your heart.

A new study published in Circulation has found that the exercise guidelines set by the American Heart Association had only "modest reductions" in heart failure risk, The Washington Post reported.

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Research found that physical activity and heart failure are "dose dependent." That means higher levels of physical activity are linked to lower risk of heart failure, The Washington Post reported.

Those who exercised double and even four times as much as the guidelines suggest had what researchers said was a substantial risk reduction.

If you can't add any more exercise time into your already packed schedule, researchers said microbursts of intense activity can be helpful.

Intense activity can be playing basketball, riding a bike fast or swimming laps.

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