Living a longer life could mean getting even more than the recommended amount of exercise per week, according to a new study.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adults should do between 150 and 300 minutes of moderate physical activity or between 75 and 150 minutes of intense physical activity per week. But people who exceed these levels live longer, compared to those who do not.
In a study published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation, researchers looked at more than 116,000 adults. Participants reported their leisure-time activity on questionnaires multiple times over 30 years, and the researchers estimated the association between exercise duration and intensity with death rates.
The biggest reduction in mortality was in people who reported 150 to 300 minutes per week of vigorous physical activity or 300 to 600 minutes of moderate activity — or an equivalent mix of the two, said study author Dong Hoon Lee, a researcher in the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.
“It is also important to note that we found no detrimental association among individuals who reported (more than four times) the minimum recommended levels of physical exercise,” he added.
Examples of moderate activity include brisk walking, mowing the lawn or playing doubles tennis, while intense activity includes things like rock climbing, running or playing soccer, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.
The study results support current WHO exercise guidelines, but also push for higher levels to yield even more benefits in living a longer life, Lee said.
How to exercise more
You might be thinking, “10 hours a week of moderate activity sounds like a lot. There’s no way I can do that with all my other responsibilities.”
This may take some intentionality and effort, but studies also show the best ways to incorporate exercise into your routine.
A large study published in December 2021 showed that the best exercise programs include planning when you exercise, scheduling reminders, offering incentives, and discouraging missing more than one planned workout in a row.
“If people are hoping to increase their physical activity or change their health behaviors, there are low-cost behavioral insights that can be incorporated into their routine to help them achieve greater success,” said the lead author of the December study, Katy Milkman of the University of Pennsylvania and author of “How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.”
You don’t have to add it all at once. Just 11 minutes of exercise a day made a difference in life expectancy, according to a 2021 study.
You could take a brisk walk outside or on the treadmill, do four sets of a three-minute bodyweight exercise routine, do yoga or choose three upbeat songs to dance to, said Dana Santas, a fitness contributor at CNNfitness specialist and professional sports coach.
