Leisure time exercise better than work-related physical activity

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Although exercise guidelines encourage all types of physical activity, a new study suggests that while leisure-time activity promotes cardiovascular health, job-related activity does not.

The study included than 104,000 men and women ages 20 to 100 living in Copenhagen who rated their leisure and work-related physical activity as low, moderate, high, or very high. After an average follow-up of 10 years, researchers found that the more leisure-time activity people reported, the lower their risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke. In contrast, the people who got most of their physical activity on the job were more likely to experience those cardiovascular problems.

These findings held after researchers adjusted for factors such as lifestyle habits, health conditions (such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol), and socioeconomic status that could sway the results. One possible explanation: compared with leisure exercise, work activity doesn’t raise a person’s heart rate enough to improve fitness. The study was published April 9, 2021, in the European Heart Journal.