Getting the minimum exercise for your health is good for your heart, but it may not be good enough to trim the fat off your waistline.

A new study in the British Journal of Medicine revealed that following the current physical activity guidelines isn't enough to prevent long-term weight gain.

The American College of Sports Medicine currently advises a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise five days a week or 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three days a week—an amount shown to be sufficient to lower your risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

But apparently, it's not enough to protect you from weight gain. Norwegian researchers tracked the weight and exercise habits of nearly 20,000 people over an 11-year period, and found that women who met these exercise recommendations still gained 19 pounds, compared to 21 pounds among the women who didn't exercise at all.

The ladies who exceeded the suggested amount of activity still walked away from the study with an extra 8 pounds. It's a large enough amount to notice, but it's significantly less weight gain than the inactive and less active women experienced.

Researchers say that exercise combats weight gain in a "dose-response" way, which means that the more you do, the lower your odds of obesity are. So just doing the bare minimum won't help you maintain your weight. Perhaps it's time to kick your routine up a notch?