Fitness advice typically hammers home one core message: move more. But a new large-scale study suggests that for an exercise program to be truly effective, you need variety.
According to new research published in BMJ Medicine, people who regularly do a mix of different physical activities (not just one go-to workout) tend to live longer, even when their total amount of exercise stays the same.
The study followed more than 111,000 adults for more than 30 years, collecting data from two large cohorts. Researchers tracked participants’ exercise routines including walking, running, cycling, weight training, stair climbing, and racquet sports, and analyzed how exercise type and exercise variety impacts lifespan.
It’s all about variety
It’s no surprise that researchers found that more physical activity tends to result in longer lifespan, but the most interesting finding came when researchers zeroed in on how people were moving.
Participants who consistently did multiple types of exercise, for example, combining walking with strength training or mixing cardio with racquet sports, had a significantly lower risk of dying than those who stuck to just one activity. Even after evaluating how much people exercised overall, those with the highest activity variety had about a 19% lower risk of death compared to those with the least variety of exercise types.
In other words: Two people could log the same weekly workout time, but the one who spreads that time across different types of activities may come out on top.
Why mixing workouts may matter
Bringing variety into your exercise routine challenges the body in different ways, which may help explain the results. Aerobic activities like walking, running, or cycling improve cardiovascular fitness and metabolic health. While strength training builds muscle, supports bone density, and helps us maintain mobility and independence as we age. Then there’s activities that require coordination, like tennis or pickleball, that can support balance and agility. The benefits of changing things up goes beyond physical health. It boosts brain health too.
“Physical activity is going to increase our longevity beyond heart health and our emotional wellbeing,” Hilary Cauthen, Psy.D., CMPC, a clinical sport psychologist and certified mental performance consultant tells SELF.
“Doing a variety of things is where we actually improve the growth in our brain, our heart and our muscles. We’re fending off the declining thing that will happen [mortality], because our brain will eventually lose neural pathways as we age.”