A new study finds engaging in a wide range of physical activities may lower your risk of death more than doing the same thing over and over again.
When it comes to exercise, doing the same thing every day may not be a winning formula.
New research suggests mixing up your routine may extend your lifespan.
The study followed more than 111,000 adults for over 30 years. Participants reported a wide range of activities — including walking, running, cycling, strength training, yoga, gardening, and stair climbing.
During follow-up, nearly 39,000 people died, mostly from heart disease, cancer, and respiratory illness.
The results showed exercise in general, and most individual activities, lowered the risk of dying from any cause.
Walking was linked to 17% lower odds, while climbing stairs cut the risk by 10%. But the biggest benefits came from variety.
People who did the widest mix of physical activities had up to a 19% lower risk of death overall and a 13%-41% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease, and other causes.
Benefits leveled off after about 20 MET-hours a week, suggesting a possible sweet spot.
MET hours use intensity and duration to calculate energy expenditure. Sitting is 1 MET hour, while an easy jog is about 7.
The authors say the study can’t prove cause and effect — but it suggests changing how you move may matter just as much as how much you move.
Source: BMJ Medicine
Author Affiliations: Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Chongqing Medical University, Yonsei University, Seoul, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
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