A surprisingly small amount of running each week can improve your health

Researchers have found the minimum amount of running you need to do to improve your health.

Running for about 50 minutes per week, or around 6 miles, helps protect from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, strokes, certain cancers and arthritis.

SEE ALSO: The truth behind that constant ringing in your ears and what you can do about it

It gets better. There's also such a thing as running too much.

Running for more than an hour each day could increase your risk of heart problems.

Although, if you're running to lose weight, you won't burn too many calories by doing the minimum amount.

That logic is still the same -- the more you run, the more calories you burn.

The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion recommends 150 minutes of physical activity or 75 minutes of rigorous activity each week.

More on AOL.com:
Silent epidemic: Seniors and addiction
Do you believe in life after love? Real people tell the struggles of post-divorce dating
The easiest and best way to remove armpit stains from your clothes