For years authorities have been so focused on just getting us up and moving that they have paid less attention to the type of movement we do.

But data from more than 200,000 Australians has proven moderate exercise such as long walks isn't enough if we want best to protect ourselves from death and decline.

Study author Klaus Gebel said his research had shown people who regularly did vigorous exercise were up to 13 per cent less likely to die prematurely than those who did moderate exercise. Even making less than a third of your exercise vigorous was linked to a 9 per cent decreased risk of early death.

The research, published in the prestigious JAMA Internal Medicine journal, supports the latest trend in exercise of high-intensity interval training.

Rather than doing long periods of exercise, you are better off doing short, sharp bursts of very hard exercise.

But Dr Gebel, who works at James Cook University's centre for chronic disease prevention, said vigorous exercise didn't need to fit into one particular style.

"It doesn't necessarily even have to be going to the gym, it could be vigorous gardening," he said.

And the research team cautions that just because you aren't in the mood for hard-core exercise doesn't mean you should abandon physical activity altogether.

It found the more you do, the better, but even the smallest amount of any exercise will improve your chance of warding off an early death.

"For those who actually met the physical activity requirements, the risk of death was almost half that of those who didn't do any physical activity," Dr Gebel said.

He said other studies indicated working up a sweat could have all sorts of beneficial effects on our body, not only improving our fitness but decreasing inflammation, blood fats and blood pressure, while improving our ability to function in our daily lives.

He also examined the effect of vigorous exercise on weight and physical function. While it didn't cause them to lose more weight, it did improve their function - things like being able to walk up stairs more easily and carry heavy packages.

"Your body is healthier and it's functioning more efficiently," he said. "This is very important for healthy ageing."

Study co-author Melody Ding, a senior research fellow at the University of Sydney's school of public health, said vigorous activity was anything that increased your heart rate and breathing a lot and caused you to sweat. On a scale one to 10, where 10 was your absolute limit, anything around seven or eight counted as vigorous.

But she cautioned that people who had medical conditions or had never done vigorous activity should consult a doctor or exercise professional before undertaking it.