Performing a variety of physical activities regularly may be one of the most effective ways to extend your lifespan, according to a study published in an open access journal BMJ Medicine. The findings suggest that this relationship goes beyond simply increasing physical activity. Rather, after a certain point the profits seem to level off, indicating that there may be an optimal amount of activity.
The results also show that diversity itself is important. People who participate in various types of physical activity tend to have a lower risk of death, regardless of their total physical activity. Still, researchers emphasize that it’s still important to stay active overall.
Why exercise variety is important
Physical activity has long been associated with improved physical and mental health, along with a lower risk of death. But it’s less clear whether specific types of exercise have their own benefits, or whether combining activities provides additional benefits beyond the total amount.
To investigate this, researchers analyzed data from two major longitudinal studies: the Nurses’ Health Study (121,700 female participants) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (51,529 male participants). These studies followed participants for more than 30 years, collecting regular updates on their lifestyle, health history, and exercise habits through questionnaires every two years.
Decades of data on mobility and lifestyle
Participants reported a wide range of physical activities over time. From 1986 onwards, this included walking, jogging, running, cycling (including stationary machines), lap swimming, rowing or gymnastics, tennis, squash or racquetball.
Subsequent studies added more details, including weight training and strength training. Low-intensity exercise such as yoga, stretching, and toning. Intense work such as mowing the lawn. Moderate outdoor work such as maintenance and gardening. Heavy outdoor work such as digging and felling.
Participants also reported how many flights of stairs they climbed each day, based on an estimate that each flight took 8 seconds to climb.
The analysis included 111,467 total physical activity participants and 111,373 activity type participants. To measure activity levels, the researchers used the MET score, which is calculated by multiplying the average time (hours/week) spent in each activity by the MET value. MET indicates how much more energy your activity uses compared to rest.
Activity level, habits and health profile
Across both groups, individuals may report up to 11 or 13 different activities, depending on the study. Walking was the most common type of leisure-time exercise, but men were more likely than women to jog or run.
People who reported higher overall activity levels were generally healthier. They were less likely to smoke, have high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels. They also tended to weigh less (lower BMI), eat healthier meals, drink more alcohol, maintain stronger social connections, and participate in a wider range of activities.
Exercise and mortality risk over 30 years
During more than 30 years of follow-up, 38,847 participants died, including 9,901 from cardiovascular disease, 10,719 from cancer, and 3,159 from respiratory disease.
Higher levels of physical activity and most forms of personal exercise, except swimming, were associated with a lower risk of death from any cause. However, the relationship was not linear. The total activity benefit appears to level off after approximately 20 MET hours per week, suggesting that there may be a point beyond which the benefit of additional activity diminishes.
Which activities led to a reduction in risk?
Walking showed one of the strongest associations, with those who walked the most having a 17% lower risk of death than those who walked the least. Climbing stairs was associated with a 10% lower risk.
Other activities were also associated with reduced risk when comparing the least active to the most active participants. Playing tennis, squash, or racquetball was associated with a 15% lower risk. Boating and gymnastics showed a 14% decrease. Weight/strength training and running were each associated with a 13% reduction in risk. Jogging saw an 11% decrease, while cycling only saw a 4% decrease.
Additional benefits from different exercises
Participation in a wider range of activities yielded even greater benefits. When considering total physical activity levels, participants who engaged in the most diverse set of activities had a 19% lower risk of death from any cause.
They also had a 13% to 41% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease, and other causes than those who were less active.
Research limitations and what they mean
This study is observational and cannot prove cause and effect. The researchers also noted some limitations. Physical activity was self-reported rather than directly measured, which may affect accuracy.
Additionally, MET scores were calculated based on the assumption that participants were fully engaged in each activity, and the lack of detailed information on intensity may have led to misclassification of energy use. The study population was mostly Caucasian, which may limit the applicability of the findings.
Still, the researchers concluded, “Overall, these data support the idea that engaging in multiple types of physical activity over long periods of time may help extend lifespan.”
