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Slow down, Forrest! Slow down!
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February 10th, 2015
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This article is more than 9 years old.
Slow and steady vs fast and deadly
If you feel bad when you see all those fit Danes running around the lake in the freezing cold, don’t! You’ll probably outlive them anyway.
A recent study by Copenhagen City Heart Study researchers at Frederiksberg Hospital revealed that joggers who run at a pace of over 11km/h three times a week are more likely to die prematurely, compared to those who take it easy at 8km/h or even those who don’t exercise at all.
The study was performed on 1,089 runners. The fastest ones were nine times more likely to die prematurely than the ones who enjoyed a light run.
Moderation and a healthy lifestyle are essential
However, keeping a healthy lifestyle is paramount. An average of 60 to 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week will improve your health, as long as you keep your jogging to a maximum of three times a week.
"There may be an upper limit for exercise dosing that is optimal for health benefits," Peter Schnohr, one of the researchers, told the Guardian.
"It is important to emphasise that the pace of jogging corresponds to very vigorous exercise. When performed for decades, this activity level could pose health risks, especially to the cardiovascular system. If your goal is to decrease risk of death and improve life expectancy, jogging a few times a week at a moderate pace is a good strategy. Anything more is not just unnecessary – it may be harmful."
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