A variety of exercises could be the key to a longer life, study suggests
Mixing up your workouts could add years to your life
- New research indicates that regularly engaging in a diverse mix of physical activities, including walking, running and cycling, can significantly prolong one's life, independent of total physical activity levels.
- The study, published in BMJ Medicine, found that individuals participating in the broadest range of exercises experienced a 19 per cent lower risk of death from all causes.
- The risk of mortality from heart disease, cancer, and respiratory disease was also reduced by between 13 and 41 per cent.
- Data from over 111,000 people tracked for more than three decades showed that walking was associated with a 17 per cent lower risk of death, and stair climbing with a 10 per cent lower risk.
- Researchers noted that the lowered death risk from physical activity levelled off after certain thresholds, suggesting a potential limit to the beneficial effects, and that more active people also tended to have other healthy lifestyle habits.