{"id":668982,"date":"2026-07-02T02:02:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T02:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/668982\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T02:02:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T02:02:22","slug":"huge-30-year-study-finds-exercise-variety-can-help-you-live-longer-heres-the-ideal-mix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/668982\/","title":{"rendered":"Huge 30-Year Study Finds Exercise Variety Can Help You Live Longer \u2013 Here’s the Ideal Mix"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Everyone knows the importance of staying active as you age<\/a>, with those who exercise more likely to improve their longevity<\/a> by staying fitter and healthier. But new research suggests exercise variety counts for a lot, too.<\/p>\n

It might be time to add a bit more spice to your activity mix.<\/p>\n

The Study<\/p>\n

The study, published in BMJ Medicine<\/a>, tracked the weekly exercise habits of 110,000 people \u2013 70,000 men and 40,000 women \u2013 over the course of 30 years. Researchers wanted to determine whether there was an association between variation in physical activity and risk of death.<\/p>\n

Participants reported how much time per week they spent doing activities such as walking<\/a>, running<\/a>, cycling<\/a>, swimming<\/a>, rowing<\/a>, strength training, playing sports, lower-intensity exercises like yoga, outdoor work such as gardening or chopping wood, and even climbing the stairs. Researchers then scored participants according to the variety of physical activity they undertook, which was only measured if it was something they engaged in consistently \u2013 playing badminton just once a year doesn’t quite count here.<\/p>\n

The Results<\/p>\n

Those who engaged in the greatest variety of exercise had a 19% lower risk of all-cause mortality than those who engaged in the least variety. The relationship also held true at every level of physical activity \u2013 for example, someone who took part in four different activities had a lower mortality risk than someone who completed only three.<\/p>\n

Researchers also highlighted that people who resistance trained for 120 minutes or more per week saw their mortality risk plateau, regardless of exercise variety.<\/p>\n

What Does This Mean for You?<\/p>\n

It’s all about variety. The research suggests taking part in a wide range of activities is better for you than doing the same amount of exercise in just one discipline, so start mixing things up and reap the benefits. Rather than being extremely regimented week to week and sticking to the same one or two activities, this approach gives you greater freedom to try new things, safe in the knowledge that doing so may be better for your overall health. But don’t go all guns blazing just yet.<\/p>\n

‘For people who are less active, the key message is that small amounts can still matter,’ the researchers say. ‘Building a routine gradually may be more important than trying to do a lot at once.’<\/p>\n

It’s also fair to assume that combining strength training<\/a> with cardiovascular exercise<\/a>, such as running or hiking, will help optimise those benefits even further. Both are associated with greater longevity, so pairing them together is likely to help keep you fitter and healthier for longer.<\/p>\n

That said, total exercise volume is still king when it comes to longevity \u2013 five hours of strength training beats four hours split between swimming, running and cycling, for example. The NHS recommends<\/a> that adults over 65 do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, each week to improve health and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.<\/p>\n

The main message? Lift some weights, get outside as much as you can, and keep your heart pumping with a bit of intensity each week \u2013 it’ll help you stay in rude health. <\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one thing Kori Sampson knows, it\u2019s how to optimise your body composition for performance. To tap into his knowledge as an elite athlete and coach, we asked him to create a 4-week plan to help you move faster, recover quicker and keep pushing when the fatigue sets in \u2013 all while improving your muscle-to-fat ratio.<\/p>\n

Ready to build muscle, burn fat and come out the other side looking, feeling and performing better? Click here<\/a> to get 14 days of free access to the plan via the Men\u2019s Health app.<\/p>\n

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