Variety might be the spice of life – but it could also be the secret to a longer one.
We all know regular exercise is essential for good health, but according to new research, mixing up our exercise routines rather than sticking to the same thing day in, day out is the optimal way to extend our lifespan.
Scientists from Harvard University in the US tracked over 111,000 people over more than 30 years, examining the impact of activities including walking, running, weight training and tennis. While participating regularly in any one of these was linked to a lower risk of premature death, the greatest benefit was seen in those who combined several different sports and workouts.
The team found that those with the broadest mix of physical activity had a 19 per cent lower risk of early death from all causes. Meanwhile, the risk of death from heart disease, cancer, respiratory disease and other causes was lowered by between 13 per cent and 41 per cent.
Dr Yang Hu from Harvard School of Public Health, lead author of the study, says: “It’s important to maintain a high level of total physical activity – and on top of that, diversifying the types of activities may be more beneficial.”
Why it’s better to mix it up
According to Dr Hu, there are two main reasons for the study’s findings. Firstly, contrary to what we might imagine, the benefits of a particular activity do not keep increasing the more you do it.
“There are thresholds beyond which doing more exercise would not gain you additional health benefits,” he explains. For example, running for five hours per week is unlikely to deliver five times the benefit of running for one.“Mixing up activities with different thresholds may help boost the benefits.”
The second is that “different activities have complementary health benefits,” he says. “For example, aerobic activities mainly make the heart stronger and strengthen the circulation system, while strength training focuses on gaining muscle mass and preventing sarcopenia (the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength).”
Dr Henry Chung, a lecturer in physiology at the University of Essex’s School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences, says that when it comes to fitness, there are many different components, including cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength and endurance, anaerobic power, balance, coordination and flexibility.
“Research shows that improving any one of these significantly improves functional health and exercise performance and reduces the risk of chronic diseases,” he says. “So having a balance and aiming to improve all these elements is essential to maximise the benefits.”
There are other advantages, too. Studies show that variety increases enjoyment and motivation, which is vital for building long-term habits, while diversifying your routine can help drop the pounds, says Kate Rowe-Ham, a personal trainer and author of The Longevity Solution.
“Variety is essential for weight loss because challenging different muscle groups increases overall energy expenditure and prevents plateaus,” she explains. “It builds a stronger, more metabolically active body which burns more calories, even at rest.”
There are also other advantages to mixing it up – it lowers the risk of injury from repetitive strain and overuse, “helping people remain consistently active throughout their lifespan”, says Dr Chung.
What’s the optimal combination?
“Exercise is the most powerful tool we have to improve our future health outcomes,” says Rowe-Ham. “Ensuring we’re engaging our whole body and all our different muscle groups will give the greatest benefits.”
Ideally, we need to do a combination of aerobic activity, strength training, stretching and explosive movements every week to use every muscle group in the body, divided in a ratio of 4:3:2:1 – so, 40 per cent aerobic, 30 per cent strength, 20 per cent mobility and 10 per cent power.
So which sports make the perfect combination if you’re looking to get the balance right and fill in the gaps in your current routine?
If you’re a runner, add resistance training
If you regularly pound the pavements, you’re probably easily hitting the NHS recommended target of 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity activity, which is a key contributor to longevity.
“Cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with everything from a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death to a lower risk of dementia,” says Rowe-Ham.
But strength training is equally important, with multiple studies showing that people who engage in it significantly reduce their risk of premature death from all causes.
Regular resistance training helps maintain bone density and prevent muscle loss, or sarcopenia, which occurs naturally as we age. “Maintaining muscle also improves our blood sugar regulation and insulin sensitivity,” says Dr Chung. “Poor metabolic health is one of the strongest drivers of chronic disease.”
Rowe-Ham recommends incorporating three 20-minute strength routines into your weekly exercise schedule, focusing on seven patterns of movement: hinge, squat, lunge, push, pull, twist and gait.
“Four exercises each time is ideal,” she says. “For instance, bent-over rows with weights and an overhead press, in which you lift weights from shoulder height to a locked-out position overhead, are excellent. You could start with a small weight and increase it over time. Add squats and sit-ups with a twist from the waist.
“Next time, perhaps try a different combination, such as a reverse lunge to single-leg stand – step back into a reverse lunge, bend both knees, then push through the front heel and lift the back leg into a single-leg stand – push-ups and chest presses. They don’t have to be complicated.”
If you’re a cyclist, add plyometric training
Cycling is excellent for cardiovascular fitness and endurance, and the Harvard study found it cut the risk of premature death by four per cent.
But, like running and walking, it primarily uses our slow-twitch muscle fibres – those which contract more slowly and generate less force.
To balance things out, Dr Chung recommends adding two or three short weekly sessions of plyometric or power training. Explosive movements such as burpees, kettlebell swings, squat jumps and clapping push-ups stimulate fast-twitch muscle fibres, which contract quickly and produce greater force, and are the first to decline as we age.
“Power is crucial for ageing and longevity because the ability to generate force quickly declines earlier and faster than strength,” he says. “But it underpins many essential functions, such as preventing falls, climbing stairs and reacting to trips.”
If you’re a walker, add sprints
The Harvard research showed that walking was the single activity associated with the lowest risk of premature death – 17 per cent lower for those who did the most compared to those who did the least.
“Walking is brilliant cardiovascular exercise, and it also activates the parasympathetic nervous system, helping our mental health,” says Rowe-Ham.
It can also be easily adapted to boost its benefits. “You could use hand or ankle weights to add resistance, and for a more vigorous workout you could add some hills or a few higher-intensity intervals by sprinting for 30 seconds and then walking again,” she says.
“When we think about running, we usually think we need to sustain it for a long period, but the evidence shows that short bursts can be just as effective.”
Sprints not only raise your heart rate rapidly, improving VO2 max – one of the strongest predictors of longevity – but they also stimulate fast-twitch muscle fibres.
Finding a flight of stairs to climb is another excellent way to power up the benefits of a daily walk: the Harvard study found that doing so regularly was linked to a 10 per cent lower risk of premature death.
If you’re a yoga fan, add swimming
“While yoga supports flexibility, balance, mobility and some muscle endurance, as well as psychological benefits, it often provides limited stimulus for other components of fitness,” says Dr Chung.
He recommends adding moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise such as swimming to improve heart and lung health, cardiovascular fitness and metabolic function.
“Swimming offers a combination of low-impact, full-body engagement,” he says.
A 2024 trial found that a 16-week programme of structured swimming, including interval swimming, significantly improved cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength in older adults – and large-scale observational research consistently links swimming to lower mortality.
If you’re a gym bunny, add Pilates
Regular gym-goers are likely to meet their quota of cardio and strength training, but they would also benefit from getting off the treadmill and putting down the weights for some “dedicated mobility and balance work such as Pilates”, says Dr Chung.
“Gym workouts can sometimes neglect flexibility, joint range of motion, neuromuscular control and recovery,” he says.
Research shows that reduced ankle and hip mobility is associated with poorer balance in older people, contributing to falls.
A wealth of research has shown Pilates offers significant health benefits, including increased core strength, improved posture, reduced lower back pain and enhanced flexibility – keeping us mobile as we age and contributing to longevity.
If you love golf, try tennis
Many retirees’ sport of choice, golf has numerous health benefits, particularly if you walk the course rather than using a buggy to get around and carry your own clubs. A comprehensive systematic review found that golf is associated with improved cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic markers, all of which contribute to reduced mortality.
However, there are downsides: a review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that between 15 and 40 per cent of amateur golfers report injuries such as lower back pain and shoulder strain each year.
While tennis also carries the risk of injuries – “tennis elbow”, or lateral epicondylitis, being the most common – its benefits are greater. The greater variety of movements involved is likely to explain why the Harvard study found it cut the risk of premature death by 15 per cent.
“Tennis is a great all-rounder, as the stop-start nature gives interval training and explosive movement elements,” says Dr Chung. “It also offers endurance training and adds cardio.”