Work Up a Sweat – Your Life May Depend on It

By Editorial Staff

We all know it's healthier to exercise regularly than to sit around doing nothing, but research has been mixed as to whether the type of exercise is more important than exercise itself. A recent study hints at an important answer, suggesting more vigorous exercise reduces the risk of early death. Specifically, exercisers who dedicated up to 30 percent of their workout time per week to strenuous exercise reduced their risk of early death by 9 percent compared to people who exercised, but not vigorously. Those who dedicated more than 30 percent of their weekly workouts to vigorous exercise reduced their risk by 13 percent. Vigorous vs. non-vigorous exercise was defined in the study as running vs. walking, playing competitive singles tennis vs. a casual doubles game, and so on.

By the way, a second study reinforced the concept that any exercise is better than no exercise, finding that even people who exercised a little every week were less likely to die prematurely than people who never exercised. The more exercise per week, the lower the risk of premature death.

Do you exercise regularly? If not, it's time to start. Talk to your doctor about the health benefits of a sensible, consistent exercise program. You'll look better, feel better – and live longer.