Get Running! This Form of Exercise Could Add 3 Years to Your Life

Ready. Set. Go! Did you know that runners could live longer than those who don't participate in this form of exercise?

A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that active involvement in this sport can increase lifespan by up to three years.

"People may not need to run a lot to get health benefits," said lead study author Duck-chul Lee, an assistant professor of kinesiology at Iowa State University, via Health Day. "I hope this study can motivate more people to start running and to continue running as an attainable health goal."

Current U.S. guidelines for physical activity recommend a minimum of 75 minutes per week of physical activity or other vigorous-intensity aerobic activity or 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week.

For some, getting in that much exercise everyday or even per week might seem impossible. Fortunately, study findings showed that even participants who exercised less still received significant health benefits from running. 

For the study, researchers examined data from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study to determine connections between running and longevity. They examined over 55,000 adults between the ages of 18 and 100 over 15 years, by recording their daily activities, including running. Regardless of other factors, including age, sex, weight and pre-existing health conditions, researchers found that the benefits of running lowered overall mortality risk by up to 30 percent and 45 percent from deaths related to heart attack or stroke.

Only 24 percent of those from the original sample who died (1,217) from cardiovascular disease reported running as a part time exercise.

The findings also showed that gaining the health benefits of the sport weren't about speed or endurance. Persistent runners who regularly participated in this form of exercise gained ample health benefits, no matter how fast they were going. In fact, as little as 5 to 10 minutes of running a day had an surprisingly good impact on overall health, according to Dr. Michael Scott Emery, co-chair of the American College of Cardiology's Sports and Exercise Cardiology Council.

Of course, determining the right exercise regimen for each person depends on many different factors. If someone has been leading a relatively sedentary lifestyle up until now, walking is always a good place to start. 

"Running is a vigorous-intensity activity, thus it is recommended that inactive people can start walking to reduce injury risk before they start running," Emery concluded.