30/04/2026
Do some varied exercise for good health benefits! Weekly, do at least 4-5 hours combining brisk walking, racquet sport, weight training, and swimming! (I think this aligns with public health guidance of ~150–300 minutes of moderate activity weekly.)
Reading: BMJ Group. "This one change to your exercise routine could add years to your life." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 April 2026. .... Over more than 30 years of follow-up, 38,847 deaths were recorded, including major contributions from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory illness, with higher physical activity levels consistently linked to lower mortality risk across most exercise types except swimming, though benefits plateaued beyond roughly 20 weekly MET hours. MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) is a measure of energy use, where 1 MET represents resting energy expenditure and higher values indicate greater intensity. Weekly MET hours combine intensity and duration, so 20 MET hours could be, for example, 5 METs of activity (brisk walking is 3-6 METS vs sitting which is 1 MET) performed for 4 hours. Walking showed one of the strongest associations (17% lower risk), followed by racquet sports (15%), rowing or callisthenics (14%), weight training and running (13%), jogging (11%), stair climbing (10%), and cycling (4%). Importantly, beyond total activity, greater variety in exercise further reduced risk, with the most diverse participants experiencing a 19% lower overall mortality risk and 13–41% lower risk across major disease categories.
Oddly, swimming was not found of benefit here, and I asked an AI, that said this: “no clear association” likely means no strong statistical signal detected, not that swimming lacks health benefits; controlled trials and physiology studies consistently show it improves cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, and metabolic health.
