Regular physical activity during leisure time has been shown to be associated withbetter health outcomes. The American Heart Association, the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention and the American College of Sports Medicine all recommend regular physical activityof moderate intensity for the prevention and complementary treatment of several diseases. Thetherapeutic role of exercise in maintaining good health and treating diseases is not new. Thebenefits of physical activity date back to Susruta, a 600 BC physician in India, who prescribedexercise to patients. Hippocrates (460–377 BC) wrote “in order to remain healthy, the entireday should be devoted exclusively to ways and means of increasing one’s strength and stayinghealthy, and the best way to do so is through physical exercise.” Plato (427–347 BC) referredto medicine as a sister art to physical exercise while the noted ancient Greek physician Galen(129–217 AD) penned several essays on aerobic fitness and strengthening muscles. This articlebriefly reviews the beneficial effects of physical activity on cardiovascular diseases