The key to longevity may not be running longer or harder, but instead switching between different types of physical activity. New research spanning three decades suggests that mixing up your workouts provides benefits beyond simply logging more exercise time.
A study published in BMJ Medicine analyzed data from two major health studies tracking over 173,000 participants since the mid-1980s. The Nurses' Health Study followed 121,700 women while the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study monitored 51,529 men, collecting detailed information about their exercise habits every two years.
During the more than 30-year follow-up period, 38,847 participants died. Researchers found that higher overall activity levels correlated with lower death risk, but the relationship had a surprising twist. Benefits appeared to plateau after roughly 20 weekly MET hours, a measurement that accounts for both the duration and intensity of exercise. This suggests there exists an optimal activity threshold beyond which additional exercise provides diminishing returns.
The Variety Factor
The most striking finding involved exercise diversity. After controlling for total activity levels, participants who engaged in the widest range of different physical activities showed a 19 percent lower risk of death from all causes compared with those doing fewer types of exercise. The protective effect was even more pronounced for specific causes: a 13 to 41 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease, and other conditions.
Walking demonstrated one of the strongest individual associations. People who walked the most had a 17 percent lower mortality risk than those who walked least. Stair climbing offered a 10 percent reduction. Tennis, squash, and racquetball were linked to a 15 percent lower risk, while rowing and calisthenics showed a 14 percent reduction. Resistance training and running each corresponded to a 13 percent lower risk, jogging to 11 percent, and cycling to 4 percent.
Researchers examined activities ranging from traditional cardio like jogging and swimming to strength work, flexibility exercises like yoga and stretching, and even everyday tasks such as gardening and lawn mowing. Participants in the studies reported engaging in up to 11 or 13 different activities across their lifetimes.
Walking emerged as the most commonly reported leisure activity overall. Men were significantly more likely than women to jog or run, but both groups benefited from moving regularly and trying different forms of exercise.
People who maintained higher activity levels also exhibited better overall health profiles independent of exercise alone. They were less likely to smoke, had lower rates of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, maintained healthier body weights, ate better diets, drank less alcohol, and maintained stronger social connections.
The researchers acknowledged limitations in their work. The study relied on self-reported exercise data rather than direct measurement, which could introduce accuracy issues. They also used standard energy expenditure calculations that assumed full participant engagement with each activity, potentially misclassifying some effort levels. The study population was predominantly White, which may limit how broadly the findings apply to other groups.
Despite these caveats, the evidence points in a clear direction. The researchers concluded that regular engagement in multiple types of physical activity over the long term may help extend lifespan, suggesting that fitness routines benefit from flexibility and experimentation rather than rigid repetition of a single exercise type.
Author Jessica Williams: "The message is refreshingly straightforward: stop overthinking the perfect workout and just move in different ways."
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