Exercise helps you live longer

The list of excuses you can come up with for not exercising is virtually endless. But so is the list of benefits.

According to a new study published in Plos Medicine, the sky’s the limit when it comes to using aerobics for your heart health. Oxford University researchers looked at more than 90,000 people and found that not only is physical activity associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, but the folks that get the most exercise also reap the greatest heart health benefits.

What kind of exercise should you do? Well, that depends on your age, ability, physical/geographic circumstances, interests and goals. But no matter whom you are, a study by the Global Sports Institute at Arizona State University shows that everyone should be stretching every day. Stretching involves muscle, as well as connective tissue, including ligaments and fascia, which serve as the links in muscles, bone, blood vessels and organs.

Research in animal models has shown that stretching has anti-inflammatory effects. Now, the rats stretched twice a day for 10 minutes to gain the painreduction and mobility benefits, but you’ll have to see what works for you! For stretching instructions and videos check out https://health.clevelandclinic. org/tag/stretching/.

The Arizona State researchers didn’t just look at stretching benefits. Using exercise data on 26,727 American adults who enrolled in the National Health Interview Survey in 1998 and were followed for 17 years, they could evaluate the benefits of 15 forms of exercise — ranging from stretching to walking, running, aerobics, cycling, baseball, soccer, football, swimming, tennis, golf, weightlifting, stair climbing, to even playing volleyball.

The most important finding was that walking, running, aerobics, stretching, weightlifting and stair climbing were all associated with living longer lives.

So get started — doing anything you’re in the mood to try.

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare. com.