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Exercise & Fitness
Adding strength training to aerobic exercise may fuel longevity
- By Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
News briefs
Heart-pumping exercise goes a long way toward achieving robust health, but adding strength training to your regimen may be key to living even longer. That’s the finding of a large study published online Oct. 17, 2022, by JAMA Network Open. Researchers evaluated physical activity reported by more than 115,000 people ages 65 and older as part of the ongoing National Health Interview Survey. They compared exercise data with deaths over an average of nearly eight years. Regardless of how much aerobic exercise they did, participants who did strength training two to six times weekly were less likely to die from any cause during the study period compared with those who did less strength training. People who did at least two sessions of strength training as well as 2.5 hours of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity each week were 30% less likely to die during that time. The study was observational and did not prove conclusively that doing strength training or aerobic exercise caused people to live longer. Strength training includes activities such as lifting weights, using resistance bands, doing push-ups or sit-ups, or digging in the garden.
Image: © kate_sept2004/Getty Images
About the Author

Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
Disclaimer:
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
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Strength and Power Training for All Ages
Studies attest that strength training, as well as aerobic exercise, can help you manage and sometimes prevent conditions as varied as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and osteoporosis. It can also protect vitality, make everyday tasks more manageable, and help you maintain a healthy weight. Strength and Power Training for All Ages helps you take strength training to the next level by developing a program that's right for you.
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