We’re all fully aware that regular exercise is good for our health.
As long as we’ve known it, it seems scientists have been trying to determine the types and duration of exercise that offer the most bang for our pushups.
In a new study in The British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers report that aerobic exercise — things like running, dancing or walking — or strength training, say, lifting weights or exercises like situps or squats, are both worthwhile.
But combining the two: engaging in one to three hours a week of aerobic exercise and one or two weekly strength-training sessions — is associated with an even lower mortality risk.
The researchers looked at data from the National Health Interview Survey, which followed 416,420 American adults between 1997 and 2014.
After adjusting for things like age and chronic health conditions, they found that those who did one hour of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity a week had a 15% lower mortality risk compared with those who didn’t. It was 27% lower for those who logged three hours a week.
But those who did combined aerobic and strength-training exercise fared best — they had 40% lower mortality risk than those who didn’t exercise at all.
Researchers continue to study the issue, looking for an ideal formula for how much exercise and what type is best.
If longevity isn’t your life goal, consider strength-training’s effect on life’s quality. It can counter many aging-related annoyances …. the inability to open jars. Or what feels like the world’s strongest gravitational pull keeping you in a chair.
It can keep you independent. And for many, that is precious.