Editor’s note: Before beginning any new exercise program, consult your doctor. Stop immediately if you experience pain.
Interested in boosting your longevity? All you may have to do is vary your exercise. Switching between activities such as walking, swimming, yoga, gardening and pickleball could result in a whopping 19% decrease in your chance of death from all causes, according to recent research.
“A 19% decrease is a big deal,” said Dr. James Voos, chief of orthopedics at University Hospitals in Westlake, Ohio, who was not involved in the study. “When you look at the literature, anything that has that significant of a response should encourage us to take a look at our habits.”
An international team of scientists pored over data from two large cohort studies involving more than 110,000 people whose physical activity was assessed over 30 years. The findings, published in the journal BMJ Medicine in January, showed that those who had the largest variety in their physical activity lived the longest.
Engaging in many different forms of movement could also be more beneficial than doing the same activity for a longer amount of time, the researchers found.
“That was the most surprising part of the study,” said Dr. Han Han, one of the study’s two first authors and a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. “We’re usually thinking more about the quantity of exercise. These results add a new dimension to the existing evidence in this field.”
Adults should be getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week, according to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, published by the US Department of Health and Human Services. The guidelines also advise adults to do muscle-strengthening activities of moderate or greater intensity at least twice per week, and note that varying your exercises can prevent overuse injuries.
“Engaging in a variety of exercises is definitely beneficial,” Voos said. “Your body needs different ranges of motion, strength and stability, and cross-training lets your body see all of those different movements each week.”
This is especially true for children. Sports medicine experts have long encouraged kids to play multiple sports and not to specialize in one at a young age. A raft of data on the topic shows children who specialize in a sport when young have an increased risk of injury, while those who don’t specialize tend to be healthier, are less bored with exercise and enjoy greater sports achievements when they are older.
But adults and even professional athletes need to vary their routines, too. Voos, who is also head team physician for the Cleveland Browns, said NFL football players at training camp might do a lot of conditioning one day, then work on flexibility and balance the next, then move onto strength training, all of which is intermixed with playing football.
“So even at the highest levels, our athletes are exposing their bodies to different motions,” Voos said.
Another plus to shaking things up with your exercise routine, especially if you prefer one activity, is that it helps prevent the plateau effect. The plateau effect is a period of time when progress in your favored sport stops, because your body has become very efficient at the movements. To overcome such pauses, you need to change your movement routine and stimulate your body in different ways.
While changing up your exercise is important for many reasons, experts don’t have specific recommendations for how many different exercises you need to do each week or month to achieve the most benefit. But it’s important to work all of your muscle groups each week, if possible, to strengthen them all.
This doesn’t mean you have to run to the gym every day so you can alternate between the treadmill, rowing machine and weights. If you like walking, for example, use trekking poles every other day to give your arms some exercise. Or alternate cycling with digging in the garden.
Keep in mind even simple exercises done at work or home are beneficial, too.
“Do squats at your desk or push-ups on the wall,” Voos said. “Take a break and walk around the parking lot. Contract your abs while sitting to improve your core strength, which is important for balance. It doesn’t have to be the most sophisticated thing. Anything you can sneak in is great.”
Pumped up about creating a new exercise regimen that might help extend your longevity? Remember it’s also crucial to your health to incorporate rest days into your program. Much as varying your workouts can help prevent overuse injuries and boredom, regular rest days will enhance your overall health. It’s during these rest days, experts say, that your body repairs tissues and refills energy stores, among other crucial functions.
But rest days don’t mean laying on the couch all day. It’s best to be active, perhaps by incorporating some gentle stretching throughout the day.
“Just keep your body moving,” Voos said.
Melanie Radzicki McManus is a freelance writer who specializes in hiking, travel and fitness.
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