The Exercises That Could Help You Live Longer — and the Ones That Matter Less
All movement can benefit your health, but new research suggests that how you move — and how often you vary your activity — may play a meaningful role in how long you live.
A large new study published in BMJ Medicine examined how different forms of physical activity relate to the risk of early death, finding that some exercises appear to offer stronger longevity benefits than others. The findings also suggest that mixing up your workouts may be just as important as how much you exercise overall.
Researchers analyzed data from two major long-term studies involving more than 111,000 adults — roughly 70,700 women and 40,600 men — who regularly reported how often they engaged in various forms of physical activity each week. Those activities ranged from walking, running, cycling, and swimming to tennis, rowing, weight training, yoga, gardening, and stair climbing.
To compare the health impact of each activity, scientists used metabolic equivalent (MET) scores, which measure how much energy an activity requires based on intensity and time spent exercising.
Among all activities studied, walking stood out. Participants who walked the most during the week had a 17% lower risk of dying prematurely compared with those who walked the least. The findings suggest that even low-impact, accessible exercise can have a powerful effect on long-term health.
Variety also mattered. People who engaged in the widest range of physical activities experienced a 19% lower risk of death from any cause, indicating that mixing different types of movement may provide added protection.
Simple daily habits appeared to make a difference as well. Regular stair climbing was linked to a 10% lower risk of early death, reinforcing the idea that small lifestyle changes can add up over time.
When looking at specific activities, racquet sports such as tennis and squash were associated with a 15% reduction in early death risk, followed by rowing at 14%. Weight training and running each showed a 13% reduction. Cycling offered a smaller benefit, with a 4% lower risk, while swimming did not show a strong independent association in the data.
Researchers cautioned that more exercise is not always better. The benefits of physical activity appeared to level off once participants reached about 20 MET hours per week, suggesting there may be a threshold beyond which additional exercise does not significantly improve longevity.
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