A study published online November 6 in PLoS Medicine pooled data from 6 prospective cohort studies and included 654,827 participants aged 21 to 90 years. Regardless of body mass index (BMI) those who exercised 75 minutes per week were likely to live 1.8 years longer. The more time spent brisk walking, running, swimming, cycling, or sweating in an aerobics class, they boost their life expectancy by 3.4 to 4.5 years. Interestingly, for sedentary people BMI made a larger difference with those at the higher end having the shortest lives. Within all BMI groups, exercising 150-299 minutes per week added 3.4 years to life expectancy, and 300-449 minutes per week added 4.2 years to life expectancy. On the other hand low levels of physical activity and a high BMI gave one the life expectancy of a smoker. Bottom line: exercise increases your chances of living longer regardless of your body weight. Don't wait to lose weight before you exercise. Start now!
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