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A new study finds how precisely much exercise lowers your risk of premature death.
By Nicole Weaver — Written on Mar 20, 2020
If you're anything like us, you have a hard time factoring gym time into your life. There are months when we skip working out all together and then there are months when we hit the gym 5x a week to overcompensate for our previous laziness. To be totally honest, it just varies season to season.
SO. What is the proper amount of exercise required for a long, health-filled life?
A study from researchers of the National Cancer Institute collected data about exercise habits of more than 661,000 mostly middle-aged adults. They arranged the data according to people who never exercise to over-active folks who worked out 10 times or more than what's recommended, which tends to be 25 hours a week or more.
They then compared 14 years of death records for the group.
People who lead sedentary lifestyles were found to be at high risk for premature death. Those who exercised without meeting the recommended amount lowered their risk of premature death by 20 percent. But it was those whose workouts lasted 150 minutes per week lowered their risk by 31 percent.
People who had productive workouts, logging 450 minutes per week, have little to no cause for concern; they were found to be 39 percent less likely to die prematurely than people who don't exercise at all.
Keep in mind that going above and beyond the recommended amounts isn’t always necessary, so don’t stress when you can’t make it. However, we completely get it if you still go the extra mile — if it sheds a couple years and keeps you looking like a beach goddess 365, who can object?
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Nicole Weaver is a love and entertainment writer.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on April 20, 2015 and was updated with the latest information.