Life is a marathon, not a race.
If you’re someone who dreads the idea of going to the gym several times a week — and cringes at the mere sound of the word “cardio” — have we got the breakthrough study for you.
On the heels of a study that ran in February in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, it turns out that “less is more” may actually hold true with regard to your cardio regimen. Go ahead, rejoice. The compiled research, a part of the Copenhagen City Heart Study, used data from 1,098 healthy joggers and 3,950 healthy non-joggers to try and investigate the association between jogging and lifespan.
Upon joining the study, participants informed the authors about their jogging habits — things like how often they run, how fast they run, and far they usually run. From there, the authors divided test subjects into three groups based on their intensity (light, moderate, strenuous). As the years went by, the study’s authors tracked the life spans of the participants — the results were somewhat shocking.
What wasn’t shocking was that joggers typically outlived their non-jogging peers. However, what did seem pretty interesting to me, was that it wasn’t the strenuous joggers who lived the longest. In fact, it was the light joggers who produced the lowest mortality rates.
Coming in second place were the moderate joggers, and tying for third place were the non-joggers and strenuous joggers. Yep, you read that right. In terms of life expectancy and mortality, there isn’t really much scientific evidence to defend sprinting a couple miles over eating a pint of Ben and Jerry’s on the couch. Well, maybe subtract the Ben and Jerry’s.
According to the study, the optimal amount of jogging is 1 to 2.4 miles…at a slow speed…two to three times a week. Come on, people, that doesn’t sound that hard. Most exercise enthusiasts who do “cardio” with any regularity will eclipse 2.4 miles in their first 20 minutes on a high speed. But, as Harley Pasternak — nutrition expert and celebrity trainer (with a blockbuster resume of clients) — writes for People, “The greatest benefit of exercise occurs in the first 20 minutes.”
Pasternak continues to explain how 150 minutes of aerobic exercise each week, in conjunction with some light resistance training two to three times, can decrease your risk of premature death by 20%. As if telling you to “try less and you’ll live longer” wasn’t enough of a reason for you to take it easy during cardio workouts, there are a number of other good reasons as well.
As Matt Forsman writes for Active.com, running slower allows your body to heal better between workouts. An avid runner myself, I can attest to this on a personal level. About a year ago, I was running almost 10 miles a day — at a good pace — in anticipation of a half marathon. To my dismay, I never got to run that race because what I thought was “intense training” really resulted in a common overuse injury called “iliotibial band syndrome,” or ITBS (not IBS). After that injury, I had to make changes to my own running habits and it wasn’t easy.
It’s hard to tell someone who’s used to running…fast…to just slow down. That would be like telling someone who golfs daily to just head to the course with their putter; it’s limiting. Most runners, like myself, who are passionate about running take pride in their performance. Runners work hard to maintain certain speeds and distances, so to hear that everything they work towards might all be going to naught is difficult.
However, I think the takeaway point from this study is to understand that, with running, less might actually be more. If you’re a veteran runner who scoffs at the idea of “taking it slow,” try to add more rest days. If you’re someone who hasn’t exercised in a long time and has been looking for the right reason to get yourself back in the gym, this might be your cue.
Slow jogging seems to be the most sustainable option with regard to the long-term picture. Not only is it correlated with longer lifespans down the road, but it will also help prevent injuries in the present. As Pasternak points out, your “slow jog” doesn’t really have to be much quicker than a brisk walk. If you’re looking to kickstart your new jogging career, don’t overthink it. The important thing is that you’re getting out and being active.
One suggestion Pasternak makes is to invest in one of those portable devices like Fitbit that monitors how many steps you take throughout the day, and “aim for 10,000 steps a day.” Otherwise, more “fun” hobbies like tennis, basketball, and bike riding can also provide easier ways to get your physical activity in.
Well, what the heck are you standin’ there for? Get up and get outta the door!