Anyone for Tennis? ..Or Swimming? Or Aerobics?

We know that, just like taxes, death is inevitable, but wouldn’t it be nice to extend your years out a little bit longer? Well, a recent study has shed some light on what types of physical activity can help you extend your years. In a study of 80 306 English and Scottish residents (F 43 705, M 36 601; mean age 52yrs) it was found that those that participated in regular games of racquet sports (tennis, badminton, squash) had a significantly reduced risk of all-cause mortality of 47%. This was followed by swimming (28%), aerobics (27%) and cycling (15%). 

Furthermore, looking at reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, once again racquet sports showed its superiority by significantly reducing the risk by 56%. This once again was followed closely by swimming (41%) and aerobics (36%). (1) So there you have it, a robust study recommending that we should all dust off our tennis racquets, or channel our inner Jane Fonda or get down to our local pool for some laps and start adding some years to our lives. 

Remember exercise is medicine!! The World Health Organisation recommends 150mins per week of moderate-intensity exercise (22mins per day), or 75mins per week of vigorous-intensity exercise (11mins per day), and a minimum of 2 sessions per week of resistance training. 

Now go get some! Reference: Oja P, Kelly P, Pedisic Z, Titze S, Bauman A, Foster C, et al. Associations of specific types of sports and exercise with all-cause and cardiovascular-disease mortality: a cohort study of 80 306 British adults. British journal of sports medicine. 2016 Nov 28. PubMed PMID: 27895075. Epub 2016/11/30. eng.