Regular physical activity of various types can contribute to increased life expectancy. This conclusion was reached by the authors of a study published in the journal BMJ Medicine. The analysis showed that not only the amount but also the variety of physical exercises plays an important role. The benefits of activity reach a certain level, after which further increases in load do not lead to additional advantages, indicating the existence of an optimal amount of exercise.

The Impact of Activity Variety

The study found that engaging in different types of physical exercise is associated with a lower risk of mortality, regardless of the total volume of training. At the same time, maintaining regular activity remains an important factor.

Data and Research Methods

The analysis used data from two large long-term cohort studies: the Nurses' Health Study (121,700 women) and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (51,529 men). For over 30 years, participants completed questionnaires every two years, providing information about their lifestyle, health status, and habits related to physical activity.

The surveys took into account activities such as walking, jogging, running, cycling (including stationary bikes), swimming, rowing or calisthenics, tennis, squash, racquetball, strength training, resistance exercises, low-intensity activities (yoga, stretching), vigorous housework, and outdoor work. The number of flights of stairs climbed per day was also recorded.

The analysis included 111,467 participants to assess overall physical activity levels and 111,373 to evaluate activity diversity. Activity levels were measured using MET scores, calculated based on the time spent on each activity and its MET value, which reflects energy expenditure compared to resting.

Main Results

During the observation period of more than 30 years, 38,847 participants died, including 9,901 from cardiovascular diseases, 10,719 from cancer, and 3,159 from respiratory diseases.

Higher levels of physical activity and most individual types of exercise (except swimming) were associated with a lower risk of death from any cause. However, this relationship was not linear: after about 20 MET-hours per week, additional activity brought diminishing benefits.

Walking showed the strongest association: the most active participants had a 17% lower risk of death compared to the least active. Climbing stairs was linked to a 10% risk reduction. Other activities also correlated with reduced risk: tennis, squash, and racquetball by 15%, rowing or calisthenics by 14%, strength training and running by 13%, jogging by 11%, and cycling by 4%.

Engaging in a broader range of activity types was linked to even greater benefits. After adjusting for overall exercise levels, participants who performed the most diverse activities had a 19% lower risk of death from all causes. They also showed reduced risk of death from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, respiratory diseases, and other causes by 13–41% compared to those who engaged in fewer types of activity.

Study Limitations

This was an observational study and therefore does not prove causality. Physical activity was self-reported, which may affect data accuracy. MET scores were calculated assuming full engagement in each activity, and the lack of detailed information on intensity could have led to some errors in estimating energy expenditure. Most participants were white, which may limit the applicability of the results to other population groups.

Conclusions

Long-term engagement in various types of physical activity is associated with increased life expectancy and a reduced risk of death from different causes. The optimal effect is achieved with a certain amount and variety of activity.