Good news for joggers. A new study shows that jogging — between one hour and 2.5 hours per week — can extend your life by up to 6 years.
Researchers at the Copenhagen City Heart Study in Denmark looked at a database of 20,000 joggers and non joggers, ranging in age from 23 to 93. They found that jogging, at a slow or average pace, extended the life expectancy of men by 6.2 years and of women by 5.6 years. Over a period of 35 years, those who didn’t jog had a total of 10,158 deaths, while there were only 122 deaths among those who jogged on a regular basis.
The study also suggested that breaking your runs into two or three sessions over the course of the week yields the best results. Likewise, high intensity speed intervals and training till exhaustion aren’t necessary. In fact, the study suggests that the risk of death was greater for people who logged in heavy miles (sorry, marathoners) or those who ran at faster paces. (Risk of death was also greater for people who ran less than one hour a week.)
And if that still isn’t enough to get you on the track, the study also reiterated all the health benefits we already know about jogging such as the fact that it lowers your blood pressure, improves cardiac function, and helps manage your weight.
[via The Atlantic: Jog 15 Minutes a Day, Extend Your Life by 5 Years or More]