Anna Mary Robertson "Grandma" Moses, one of the most acclaimed American folk artists, began her career at age 78.

Fauja Singh thought marathons were 26 kilometers (not miles) long until he ran his first in 2000, at age 89. (He completed the London marathon in 2012 at age 101.)

They are proof positive that it's never too late to do remarkable things — and that includes reducing your risk for cancer.

Researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the University of California, Irvine, looked at data on over 74,000 obese women (with a BMI of 30 or more) and uncovered the relationship between how many years they'd been obese and their risk for certain cancers.

For every 10 years of obesity, a woman's risk for all obesity-associated cancers went up 7 percent; postmenopausal breast cancer risk jumped 5 to 12 percent; and endometrial cancer risk increased by 20 to 36 percent.

Around 38 percent of American women and 34 percent of American men are obese, putting both genders at risk for obesity-related colorectal, esophageal, pancreatic, kidney, thyroid, and gallbladder cancers.

Here’s what you can do to make sure the next decade doesn't up your cancer risk:

• Increase your physical activity. Get a pedometer and a walking buddy is a great first step.

• Say an absolute "no" to red meats, all added sugars and syrups, and most processed foods.

• Eat 5 to 9 servings of produce daily.

You'll see bodywide inflammation decrease as you lose weight and reduce your cancer risk.