The exercise most strongly linked to a longer life isn't the one filling gyms, dominating fitness influencers' feeds, or exhausting people on treadmills.
There may be another confounding factor that has been overlooked. Tennis is a sport that requires a certain amount of wealth. So maybe another answer is that having money increases longevity. I’m not saying that the social interaction is wrong. It just might be an incomplete explanation.
Great article, when I started reading this I immediately thought it won't be gym or running, even though I've been a runner all my life, now 64 ha.. I thought more mind body spirit, taichi .. however I missed the interaction part and maybe t that's why ive thrived playing team sports right up till now as well.. thanks.
For years I have been following western practices on health. Having move to China last year I am learning the traditional chinese practices & have been told that I should only do brisk walk and every morning for the 1st hour when I wake not to talk as those are my precious Qi rising hours. At 68 I need to rebuild my health most of all rebuild my Qi Bank. We fall ill largely due to poor Qi. Qi is our battery that drives everything in our body. Now I don’t talk the 1st hour I wake.
"The human body ages alone. But it thrives together."
That line deserves to be read twice.
What strikes me about this research is how it reframes the entire conversation about what health actually requires. We've built a wellness culture around individual optimization — the solo workout, the personal macro targets, the biometric data that only you can see. And we've largely ignored the variable that may matter most.
For the women I work with on GLP-1 journeys, the social dimension of health surfaces in unexpected ways. The food noise quiets and suddenly the loneliness that food was managing becomes impossible to ignore. The meals that used to be about comfort become about connection — and when the relationship with food changes, the need for connection doesn't go anywhere. It just becomes more visible.
Movement with other people may be doing something that movement alone simply cannot. And that's worth building a life around.
Thanks for this great teaching! We are on our first small cruise and finding that conversations with other passengers has been one of the most valuable experiences we’re having.
There may be another confounding factor that has been overlooked. Tennis is a sport that requires a certain amount of wealth. So maybe another answer is that having money increases longevity. I’m not saying that the social interaction is wrong. It just might be an incomplete explanation.
Great article, when I started reading this I immediately thought it won't be gym or running, even though I've been a runner all my life, now 64 ha.. I thought more mind body spirit, taichi .. however I missed the interaction part and maybe t that's why ive thrived playing team sports right up till now as well.. thanks.
For years I have been following western practices on health. Having move to China last year I am learning the traditional chinese practices & have been told that I should only do brisk walk and every morning for the 1st hour when I wake not to talk as those are my precious Qi rising hours. At 68 I need to rebuild my health most of all rebuild my Qi Bank. We fall ill largely due to poor Qi. Qi is our battery that drives everything in our body. Now I don’t talk the 1st hour I wake.
The perfect exercise is one you are willing to do and look forward to doing again and again year after year. The human body requires movement.
Could apply to pickleball too.....
Marathon kayaking? I’m seventy soon and will paddle 5.5 miles at race pace in under 60 minutes on Monday morning.
Wait until they start to study pickleball!!
"The human body ages alone. But it thrives together."
That line deserves to be read twice.
What strikes me about this research is how it reframes the entire conversation about what health actually requires. We've built a wellness culture around individual optimization — the solo workout, the personal macro targets, the biometric data that only you can see. And we've largely ignored the variable that may matter most.
For the women I work with on GLP-1 journeys, the social dimension of health surfaces in unexpected ways. The food noise quiets and suddenly the loneliness that food was managing becomes impossible to ignore. The meals that used to be about comfort become about connection — and when the relationship with food changes, the need for connection doesn't go anywhere. It just becomes more visible.
Movement with other people may be doing something that movement alone simply cannot. And that's worth building a life around.
Sailboat racing for sure
Great post. I'm an avid walker and recently joined a community walking group. It is fun to have people to walk and talk with.
Great article, the best exercise is the one we love.
Thanks for this great teaching! We are on our first small cruise and finding that conversations with other passengers has been one of the most valuable experiences we’re having.