In what should come as welcome news to your high school gym teacher and a grim revelation to everyone who finds running to be dreadfully dull and monotonous, a new review published in Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases—easily my favorite peer-reviewed heart health publication, for the record—has concluded that running, more than any other form of physical activity, is the best exercise at the all-important task of keeping you alive.

After comparing the findings from a number of large-scale studies, the researchers calculated that runners have a 30-45 percent lower risk of "all-cause mortality"—or, in layman's terms, "dying early." Runners live about three years longer than non-runners, and roughly speaking, each hour spent running adds seven precious hours to one's lifespan. After controlling for smoking, booze consumption, body mass index, and the like, running still was found to reduce all-cause mortality risk by an impressive 25-40 percent. In other words, even if you're a larger individual who enjoys a good cigar with your beer, running is your best bet for ensuring that you have more days ahead in which to enjoy those things.

Unsurprisingly, people who run consistently and also engage in other forms of exercise, including cycling, swimming, basketball, and racket sports, among others, see the most significant health benefits. But among workout purists, interestingly, running is king—people who stick exclusively to running are significantly better off than those who stick only to, well, anything besides running. These findings suggest that if you have time for only one form of physical activity in your life, you should prepare to log some time on the treadmill.

As the researchers point out, their findings mean that running might just be the most cost-effective "life medicine" from a public health standpoint, since it's convenient and inexpensive for both the individual, who really only needs a good pair of shoes, and the government, which is (hopefully) already paving the streets and sidewalks. Plus, it correlates strongly with smaller waist measurements and lower body weights, so the time you put in will help you feel better and empower you to peel off your shirt at the right time. Most importantly, you don't have to treat every run like the Boston Marathon in order to reap the benefits—the authors note that "even slow jogging is consistently considered a vigorous-intensity [physical activity]," which means that you, a well-informed fitness enthusiast armed with a newfound appreciation for the art of the jog, get to spend less time exercising and more time doing whatever it is you do with your down time.

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