The biggest motivator I had when I chose running as my THING was a fact that I first came across in a 2013 British Cardiac Society study. The researchers in that study followed 1,878 joggers and 10,158 non-joggers over the course of 35 years and found that the age-adjusted increase in survival as a result of jogging was 6 years in both men and women. In other words, joggers in the study lived, on average, 6 years longer than non-joggers after controlling for age.

 

That certainly got my attention, but I was still skeptical. To squeeze an extra 6 years out of life, these people must be insanely dedicated runnners. I was picturing people with ironman tattoos on their calves and 26.2 stickers on the back of their cars. Shockingly, the researchers found the opposite to be true:

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“These remarkable benefits of jogging are most pronounced for those who jog between 1 and 2.5 hours per week, at a slow to moderate pace, at a frequency of about 2-3 times per week.”

 

When I read that, I thought, “Wait. I can run slowly for 1 or 2 hours per week and live 6 years longer? This sounds too good to be true.”

 

Not only is it true, things actually get better for those of us who are slow runners. The researchers go on to explain:

 

“For those doing higher volume and higher-intensity running, the long-term mortality rates were not significantly different than non-joggers.” 

 

The authors even suggest that overdoing running diminishes the remarkable gains in longevity conferred by moderate jogging. In simple terms, this massive 3-decade study suggests that my life-expectancy is better off if I casually jog 2-3 times a week rather than push myself hard for hours each week. I read more studies and came across similar findings over and over again.​