March 6, 2026 If you’re in need of some motivation to get out and be active, then sit down and read this impressive list of exercise benefits. Better still, stand up and read it. Exercise is a key contributor to people living longer, healthier , more vibrant lives . LONGER LIFE It’s been over 30 years since researchers observed that physical activity extends life. One of the earliest studies found that champion male Finnish skiers lived, on average, over four years longer than average Finnish men.[2] More recently, an investigation of some of the longest-living people on earth— Okinawans and Seventh-day Adventists—showed that all of these groups engaged in plenty of physical activity as part of their daily living.[3,4] Researchers have examined many possible mechanisms by which exercise extends life. One study, using identical twins, probed the link between exercise and the length of telomeres. Telomeres are the protective ends of chromosomes that short...
