A recent study has found that those who jog regularly are likely to live longer than those who don’t.
Danish researchers analyzed health and jogging patterns in adults aged 20-79. They studied each patient in two year periods in 1976, 1986, 1991, and 2001. Researchers found that subjects who ran at least an hour a week had lived an average of 6 years longer than those who did not run. Joggers also reported a better sense of well-being.
“The results of our research allow us to definitively answer the question of whether jogging is good for your health,” says Dr. Peter Schnohr, chief cardiologist from the study.”We can say with certainty that regular jogging increases longevity. The good news is that you don’t actually need to do that much to reap the benefits.”
Dr. Silverman Comments
Exercise improves your health. Everyone knows that, but does exercise translate to a prolonged life? According to this study, it does. Dr. Schnohr claims that people will live an average of 6 years longer if they jog at least 1-2.5 hours each week at a slow and steady pace.
These findings are not surprising and should provide a sense of relief to people. You don’t have to be training to win the Boston marathon to get the life extension benefits from exercise. Long, slow distance exercising has been part of human culture since the dawn of time. Christopher McDougal, author of the book Born to Run, makes a strong claim that running steadily for hours at a time is not only therapeutic, but natural.
So get off the couch, turn off the computer and hit the ground running. Even better, make it barefoot running and you’ll add years to your life and cut down on the risk of foot and ankle injuries.
Related Sources:
Medpagetoday.com