Lack of exercise and poor eating habits are considered to be major causes of most diseases of civilization. In consequence, endurance sports, but also an integration of physical activity in everyday life, are gaining in importance. Positive effects of regular physical exercise have been described for CAD, arterial hypertension, lipid metabolic disorders, type 2 diabetes mellitus and the metabolic syndrome. In order to achieve an optimal training effect, exercise intensity should be oriented to the individual anaerobic threshold. As a rule of thumb, 30 minutes of endurance training--ideallyevery day--is considered necessary. Prior testing of a person's ability to undertake such activities should include ECG and blood pressure measurements, spirometry and lactate determination, and contraindications must be taken into account.