Imagine yourself waking up to do yoga 🧘‍♀ , then getting some gardening 🌱 done before work. In the afternoon, you walk with friends to collect steps…and gossip. Sounds like a lovely day. And according to new research, a day like this reflects the kind of activity pattern linked to longevity. 

A huge study published in BMJ Medicine found that people who regularly participate in a more diverse mix of exercises have a lower risk of early death compared to those who repeat the same exercise, even if they work out a similar amount.

Exercise variety is getting hyped as a ‘secret ingredient for longevity’ 🧑‍🍳, but some exercises still might offer stronger longevity benefits than others.

Researchers followed 110,000+ people for about 30 years, tracking both how much and how many ways people moved, from walking and running to swimming, gardening, and climbing stairs. 

❗ Gardening has been linked to lower dementia risk and blood pressure, and it supports flexibility and heart health. It may not feel like ‘exercise,’ but decades of research show that moving more in daily life fosters resilient aging.

Healthy movement, they discovered, is variety over volume. People with the most diverse movement habits had about a 19% lower risk 📉 of dying than those who repeatedly did the same activities, despite how much they exercise.

More diversity doesn’t mean more working out. Time and intensity only benefit longevity to a point. Lifespan benefits seem to plateau at 300 minutes of moderate intensity activity (ie, walking) or 150 minutes of vigorous activity per week.

“One who can run marathons every day may not have a lower risk of dying than people who do regular brisk walking,” says researcher Yang Hu in National Geographic. 🚶

These findings might make sense, physiologically. “Doing a variety of things is where we actually improve the growth in our brain, our heart ❤, and our muscles,” says Hilary Cauthen, PsyD., CMPC, a clinical sport psychologist in SELF. 

 This even supports current research on the optimal fitness pattern for longevity: aerobic exercise 🏃 + strength/resistance training 🏋 .

Even still, specific exercises can have impressive longevity benefits in their own rite.

Nearly all exercise and movement support healthy aging. Yet, when you think about creating a diverse exercise routine, certain activities could have more benefits for healthy aging.

In this study, three forms of physical activity outperformed all others for longevity.

Just 10 minutes of vigorous walking can reduce depression and anxiety symptoms, while the literal impact on the brain is a 30% reduction in risk of dementia in adults 65+. Walking is still one of the best ways to improve cardiovascular fitness, making it a trustworthy exercise for reducing the risk of diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and heart attack.

Tennis is a full-body workout that can add 10 years of life expectancy. Tennis supports agility, balance, coordination, and strategy, which can promote long-term cognitive health and reduce fall risk, according to SELF. Meanwhile, short bursts of speed can boost cardiovascular health, while you also get upper-body resistance training and social connectedness. 

Calisthenics (bodyweight exercises) like push-ups, squats, planks, and lunges are as simple as they get, and they are effective at lowering disease risk. Rowing is a full-body low-impact workout that supports strength and improves VO2max, a biomarker of healthy aging that describes how well your body uses oxygen.

Weight/resistance training was linked to a 13% relative reduction in death from any cause. Since we begin losing bone density around the age of 30, being more intentional about maintaining strength and muscle can reduce the risk of osteoporosis and hip fractures.

Curiously, when compared to walking, weight training, and even gardening, swimming showed the least longevity benefits, despite helping the lungs, heart, joints, and mood. The authors suspect people overstated how intensely they swam. Swimming can certainly be part of a longevity-focused routine, and the benefits may be greater if it’s part of a diverse fitness routine.

Some activities might have the longevity edge, but like a varied diet or S&P500 investment, diversity counts. Mixing movement types can strengthen multiple aging systems that boost physical health, mental well-being, and preserve independence.

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