Sports That Can Help You Live Longer

Physical activity increases life expectancy. Study after study confirms this. People who exercise are less likely to struggle with obesity, heart disease, or diabetes. They are at a lowered risk for cancer. Not only that, they report feeling happier and more satisfied. 

Any exercise is better than none. Still, some sports add years to the average lifespan. Recently the Mayo Clinic examined research hoping to learn which sports are most associated with longevity. Turns out the best ones are about more than just exercise. Read on to find out which sports are associated with living longer and the surprising thing many of them have in common. 

The Study of Sport

Researchers with the Mayo Clinic examined responses to the Copenhagen City Heart Study (CCHS), focusing on questions about the sort of activity respondents enjoyed. Using a quarter-century of data, they looked at the lives of over 8,000 participants from 1991 – 2017. Then they compared an individual’s life expectancy to the average lifespan of people who didn’t engage in any physical activity. They singled out these sports or physical activities as helping to extend longevity. 

1. Tennis Is The Number One Longevity Sport By Far 

It wasn’t even close. The average tennis player in the study enjoyed almost ten years of increased life expectancy. The top longevity booster is a high-intensity cardiovascular activity that improves stamina and endurance. It’s an excellent way to improve eye-hand coordination and focus. However, what really sets tennis apart is how many of its players participate in the sport well into their 80s and even 90s. Although challenging to master, a few tennis lessons can help anyone learn the basics. 

So what makes tennis players different? It has a lot to do with their lung capacity. One of the best predictors of cardiovascular disease risk is a measurement of the maximum amount of oxygen the body can absorb and use during exercise. For most middle-aged adults, this VO₂ max measurement is between 30 and 40 ml.kg−1.min−1. The number climbs to 50 ml.kg−1.min−1 for middle-aged male tennis players and hits 44 ml.kg−1.min−1 for female tennis players in the same age group. 

That’s not all. The average middle-aged person has a resting heart rate of  75 to 90 beats/min while men of the same age who play tennis average 54 beats/min with middle-aged female tennis players averaging 61 beats/min.

Whether playing or taking tennis lessons, consistency is key. The added longevity benefits accrue with just a few hours of play per week, every week. To play year round, most participants will need an indoor court which can be pricey. Still, despite its country club image, thanks to free public courts and inexpensive tennis lessons offered though local community centers, tennis is incredibly accessible. Equipment costs are minimal with decent racquets available at discount stores. That’s one reason the sport’s popularity continues to grow with nearly 24 million players in the U.S. alone. 

Although tennis does attract a fair share of affluent participants and people of means tend to be in better health and less likely to smoke, drink to excess, or eat highly processed food – even when accounting for differences in income and behavior, tennis playing extended longevity.

2. Badminton 

A less popular and slightly less rigorous racquet sport, badminton comes in second. Around seven million adults play the sport in the U.S.; it’s much more popular globally. Badminton players enjoy more than half-a-dozen years of added life expectancy. Its effect on health hasn’t been as widely researched as tennis, although a recent examination of studies found that teens who play had better posture and muscularity than their non-playing peers, while adults benefited from higher high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels – the so-called good cholesterol associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. 

The sport was also associated with better coordination, and better development of arms and legs amongst teen girls. Adult badminton players have improved bone density – a huge benefit as people grow older.

Regardless of sport, it’s important to know the ways physical activity affects your body. That’s where at-home testing comes in. No matter how healthy someone may feel, there may be hidden issues. Heart disease, for example, is called the silent killer for a reason. It’s often symptom free and can greatly reduce life expectancy. Kyla offers a range of tests that provide information on cardiovascular health, hormone levels, and kidney function along with vitamin or nutrient deficiencies. While many companies charge hundreds of dollars for similar tests, Kyla’s is just $99. 

Start your longevity journey by completing a health quiz. This will let you see areas that need improvement. Then select your at-home blood tests. In two-to-four days, you’ll receive your blood test kit – complete with instructions for sample collection. Simply return it to our labs at no cost. After receiving your results, you’ll have the opportunity to consult with a Kyla doctor who will offer personalized advice to improve or maintain your results. From there you’ll be able to take control of your life expectancy by continuously tracking your progress using the Kyla app. You’ll discover nutrition and lifestyle enhancements while being empowered to set goals and take daily actions.

3. Soccer

What the rest of the world calls football, soccer is another sport requiring stamina and endurance. It’s also one with minimal equipment costs. However, many of the studies conducted on the average lifespan of soccer players were conducted with elite, professional athletes. While research suggests that they enjoy a higher average life expectancy than not only the general population but also elite athletes in other sports, there’s limited data on non-pro players. That’s beginning to change. 

Discussing an upcoming study on older soccer players, Dr. Felipe Lobelo, an associate professor at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health, and a lifelong soccer player, explained that, “In the U.S., for some reason, most people stop playing sports, even on a recreational level, in their mid-20s. … We think soccer has the potential to move the needle when it comes to the epidemic of physical inactivity.”

The challenge for older players may be finding leagues and other opportunities to play. However, for those who do it’s clear playing the sport can extend average lifespans with the Copenhagen study crediting soccer for adding nearly five years to a player’s average life expectancy.

4. Bike riding

Offering total body support and for many, the best way to commute, bike riding has a surprising benefit. In a recent study conducted by the National Institutes of Health some 2,600 men and women were asked about their physical activity. What’s compelling is that the participants’ average age was 64 years old and far from being competitive athletes, many of them were overweight. Despite this, “bicyclers were 21% less likely to have X-ray evidence and symptoms of osteoarthritis compared to those who did not have a history of bicycling,” study author Dr. Grace Lo of Baylor College of Medicine told NPR. 

Along with reducing osteoarthritis, bike riders have a higher VO₂ max reading than non-cyclists – leading to improved heart health and a higher average life expectancy. In fact, cyclists enjoy 3.7 additional years of life expectancy compared to the average. 

Although suboptimal during the winter months, bike riders often turn to stationary bikes at their gym. Besides being one of the best exercises to lose belly fat, thanks to comfort bikes where the rider maintains an upright posture it’s even one of the best exercises for lower back pain. What’s more, in a different study, cyclists with diabetes had a lower risk of death from cardiovascular diseases and other diseases than non-cyclists. In fact, when people took up bike riding midway through the study, they enjoyed increased longevity as well. 

Two things to keep in mind. E-bikes and other motorized bicycles are not as beneficial as ones that are “people-powered.” The other issue is that bike riding can be dangerous. Every year more cyclists are hit by cars or are injured falling off of their bikes – with some 850 dying in collisions with motor vehicles in 2021. 

5. Swimming

Like bike riding, swimming supports the body making it ideal for anyone with back or knee issues. Many find it meditative, as long laps allow swimmers to “zone out.” It’s a great way to get in the day’s “cardio” without feeling sweaty (although swimmers do perspire). While it requires finding a year-round pool, with the activity’s growing popularity more and more fitness centers offer them. 

Not only is swimming one of the best exercises to lose belly fat, but it increases lung capacity, improves cardiovascular fitness, and extends average life expectancy. One study compared walkers, runners, and swimmers. It found that compared to the other activities, swimming cut men’s risk of dying in half. “These lower rates in swimmers compared with walkers and sedentary men might well be expected,” pointed out exercise expert Dr. Stephen Blair, “but it is surprising that we also observed lower mortality in swimmers than in runners. Therefore, swimming appears to be a healthful alternative to other types of physical activity. Swimming provides a healthful alternative to traditional modes of exercise for improving cardiorespiratory fitness and health for the general population, as well as for patients suffering from chronic diseases.” Indeed, swimmers tracked by the Copenhagen study boasted 3.4 years of additional life expectancy compared to those who did not exercise. 

6. Jogging, Calisthenics, and Working Out

The Copenhagen study included jogging, calisthenics, and “health club activities” as life expectancy boosters. While runners have an increased average life expectancy of just over three years compared to those who are sedentary, most studies are hampered by the lower average age of the runners who participate. In other words, older runners have not been studied long enough to see if the benefits are even more substantial. 

Regardless, for ease of use few activities compare to running. There’s no need to pay for club memberships or expensive equipment. It can be done literally anywhere, at any time of day. Some workers even jog on their lunch break. It’s not recommended for those who don’t exercise regularly but by shifting slowly from a brisk walk to a jog it’s possible to get impressive benefits. 

For the average American, the inclusion of calisthenics may be surprising. A category than includes exercises like burpees, lunges, push-ups, planks, and crunches, it’s helpfully defined by the website Health as “…a form of resistance training that uses the weight of your body along with gravity to help strengthen your muscles, increase your endurance, and improve your mobility.” A decent calisthenics workout can be done at home or while traveling. It doesn’t require any equipment and with a few YouTube tutorials, even beginners can benefit. Practitioners not only enjoy increased muscularity but increased average lifespans as well – clocking three years more than those who don’t exercise. 

The final inclusion on the list, “health club activities” is less a sport than a diversion but it adds 1.5 years of lifespan. The bottom line is that exercise extends longevity. That’s why experts recommend that Americans get two and one half hours of moderate-to-vigorous activity each week. Of course tennis players, bicyclists, and many other sports enthusiasts get that in a single session. 

Examining a host of studies, researchers concluded that any consistent physical activity can lengthen average lifespan while reducing the risk of everything from high blood pressure to diabetes to cancer. People who exercise regularly are less likely to die from any cause than those who don’t. Or as Pekka Oja, retired scientific director for the UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research in Finland, explained to Time magazine, despite studies showing greater longevity among tennis players, for example, that doesn’t mean everyone needs to pick up a racquet. “They are all good,” Oja said. “It’s up to individuals to decide what they like and their circumstances for participating in different activities.”

The one difference with tennis, soccer, and many of the top-rated life-extenders? “Interestingly, the leisure-time sports that inherently involve more social interaction were associated with the best longevity – a finding that warrants further investigation,” researchers involved with the Mayo Clinic study wrote.

Sure, plenty of people have a work-out buddy at the health club while some tennis players spend hours hitting a ball against a wall. Still, most people who play tennis, badminton, or soccer do it in groups. So do many cyclists and runners. And a growing body of research suggests that not only can participation in social activities extend average lifespans but that it improves mental health as well. 

“While healthy networks of social connection provide powerful protective health effects, increasing odds of long-term survival by 50%, loneliness itself is associated with many distinct detrimental health impacts on sleep, physical health, and mental health,”explains Stanford University engagement research scholar Steven Crane, MS.

That’s why prioritizing group fitness activities may be the key to longevity. Another key? Accessing the revolutionary, AI-driven anti-aging treatments offered at Kyla Clinics. Not only can you take proactive steps to enhance your well-being with personalized recommendations. You can also take control of your well-being, prevent chronic illnesses, and extend your healthy years with at-home blood tests and personalized action plans. 

Kyla doesn’t just believe in lengthening lifespans but in extending “healthspans.” That’s the number of years when you are healthy, active, and loving life. So discover insights about your internal health and lengthen your healthspan by downloading the Kyla app today. Combining physical activities with Kyla’s insights is not only a great way to increase your longevity but the perfect way to love the life you live. 

Sources:

1. Schnohr, Peter. MD, DMSc, et al. “Various Leisure-Time Physical Activities Associated With Widely Divergent Life Expectancies: The Copenhagen City Heart Study,” Mayo Clinic Proceedings. September 4, 2018. https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(18)30538-X/abstract
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8. Aubrey, Allison. “Like to bike? Your knees will thank you and you may live longer, too,” Morning Edition, NPR. May 20, 2024. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/05/20/1251561467/biking-knee-pain-longevity-arthritis
9. Lo, Grace H et al. “Bicycling over a Lifetime Is Associated with Less Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis: Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.” Medicine and science in sports and exercise. April 11, 2024. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38600648/
10. Ried-Larsen, Mathias et al. “Association of Cycling With All-Cause and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Among Persons With Diabetes: The European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study.” JAMA Internal Medicine. September 1, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34279548/
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