The benefits of regular exercise are well known, but what exactly are you getting in return for your efforts? A research a collaboration between the U.S.-based Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the National Cancer Institute has attempted to answer this question by quantifying how much longer people live depending on the levels of exercise they engage in.
The study analyzed data from more than 650,000 subjects and followed them for an average of 10 years, analyzing more than 82,000 deaths. From this data the researchers estimated lifespan gains for people over 40 who adopt different levels of physical activity and with varying body mass index (BMI) profiles (a calculation based on a person's weight and height).
To sum it up, the more you do it, the longer you live. For example, 75 minutes of brisk walking per week equates to an extra 1.8 years of life expectancy as opposed to staying sedentary. Increase that to 150–299 minutes of brisk walking per week and the gain in life expectancy goes up to 3.4 years. Make it 450 minutes per week and the estimated life expectancy jumps by 4.5 years.
The study also found that people whose weight is above the recommended level still benefit from physical activity .
Men, women, normal weight and overweight people – all benefit from exercise in terms of longevity according to the study. However, it also indicated that the best results were obtained by those with normal weight who exercise. These people added 7.2 years to their life expectancy compared to people with a BMI of 35 or more (normal BMI ranges between 18.5 and 24.9) who undertook no exercise in their free time.
The research was published earlier this month in PLOS Medicine.
Source: Harvard Gazette
Has anyone done the maths...
I read years ago that the time spent exercising is approx equal to the time gained... So if you like the exercise then it is good to do, if not no need to bother......
I just ran the numbers..
For all of the categories, the benefit gained, diminished per hour of exercise the more which was done the less additional was gained......
The net gain, for the low and high exercise bands was about 1.3 years once the time spent exercising was subtracted... (using 75min.wk = 1.8 years, and 300 min/wk = 3.4 years gained.... )
Moral to the story is to stay active....
Another study reported that patients in aged care, don't die if they can walk faster than (I forget the rate) 1 km/hr or something..... That's because the grim reaper shuffles even slower..
Don't take it too seriously..
With sports, the body lasts longer. With thoughts, the mind lasts longer. I hope my body dies first.
No matter how long we have on the planet, in general, I'd much rather feel fit and alert than sluggish and bad tempered so, I'll take the fitness route but without the tofu, thanks.
Give up 1 hour a day to do exercise now and you get it back at the end of your life. If it were something other than exercise like sitting in a special room listening to your favourite music watching relaxing images on a screen I think almost everyone would do that. Why is it then when you say exercise that people shy away? Maybe sit in a relaxing room, listening to music while on a stationary bike? There is such popular distaste for exercise that I don't think people stop and consider all the options.
Now what I do value about exercise is that I can live in the NOW. I am healthier, stronger and active. I don't care that I will live longer for it, I enjoy the immediate benefits from it instead.
Pointless research.