We’ve heard that life-long exercise can lead to healthier and longer life. But are all forms of exercise equal?
I recently came across a study called the Copenhagen City Heart Study (published Sept 4, 2018). These researchers followed 8,500+ participants for 25 years for all causes of mortality (death). They were also looking to compare sedentary participants to those who engaged in life-long activities. As expected, those who stayed active into their later years remained healthier and lived longer.
But which lifelong activities were associated with the longest, healthiest lives? Where should I focus my attention?? Here’s the breakdown from the Copenhagen study:
- Tennis added 9.7 years to participants’ lives compared to sedentary participants.
- Badminton added 6.2 years…
- Soccer added 4.7 years…
- Cycling added 3.7 years…
- Swimming added 3.4 years…
- Jogging added 3.2 years…
- Calisthenics added 3.1 years…
- Health club activities added 1.5 years…
Now there’s a lot of cautionary advice to give here before we all throw our bicycles to the curb!
First, Do What You Enjoy! If you hate tennis, then playing tennis into your 90s is not the answer to a longer and happier life!
Second, this is an “observational study”, which means that it does not show that any particular exercise causes a longer, healthier life. It only means that this is what was seen in this study.
Third, when you look at the bigger picture above, it looks like the true relationship is between the leisure-time sports that inherently involve more social interaction and the greatest longevity.
More research is obviously needed, but for now… Stay active. Consider staying active with friends and family (your tribe!!). And if you need a tribe, come on in to OS Institute and we’ll welcome you in to our tribe!
Kurt
Dr. Kurt Brooks
Dr. Kurt Brooks is OSI's in-house physical therapist and has almost 30 years experience. He continues his loves of anatomy and biomechanics, of life-long learning, of caring for others and of movement by incorporating Original Strength concepts into his clinical practice and daily life.
Click on his name to head over to the OSI Physical Therapy page where you can learn more about the OSI physical therapy services and/or schedule an appt with Dr. Kurt.
