The NY Times has an article today titled “How Much Exercise Do We Need to Live Longer?” https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/15/well/move/exercise-daily-steps-recommended.html
The article reports on two studies of exercise and longevity and concludes:
Both studies are associational, though, meaning they show that physical activity is linked to life span but not that being more active directly causes life spans to lengthen.
Together, however, they provide useful takeaways for all of us hoping to live long and well:
Both studies pinpoint the sweet spot for activity and longevity at somewhere around 7,000 to 8,000 daily steps or about 30 to 45 minutes of exercise most days. Doing more may marginally improve your odds of a long life, Dr. O’Keefe said, but not by much, and doing far more might, at some point, be counterproductive.
Accumulate and measure your activities “in whatever way works for you,” said Dr. Paluch. “Step counting may work well for someone who does not have the time to fit in a longer bout of exercise. But if a single bout of exercise fits best with your lifestyle and motivations, that is great as well. The idea is just to move more.”
They only cover longevity, not health or well-being.
I wonder what you think of these studies. Anything that encourages movement is clearly good, but I wonder about doing more possibly being counterproductive (at some point). It would have been nice if they mentioned the activity guidelines, including resistance training