Study: Exercise Variety Cuts Mortality Risk by 19%

A new study suggests that incorporating a variety of physical activities into one's routine, such as walking, running and cycling, may significantly extend lifespan, even among those who maintain consistent overall exercise levels.

Researchers analyzed long-term health and lifestyle data from 111,373 adults, including 70,725 women and 40,648 men, gathered over more than three decades starting in 1986. The data came from the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, where participants reported their medical history, lifestyle choices and exercise habits every two years. Activities tracked included walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, rowing, tennis, squash and stair climbing. Later assessments added lower-intensity options like yoga, gardening and mowing the grass. The findings, published in the journal BMJ Medicine, showed that individuals engaging in the broadest range of exercises had a 19 percent lower risk of death from all causes compared to those with the least variety, independent of total physical activity volume.

The study linked this variety to reduced mortality from specific conditions. Risks of death from heart disease, cancer,...