Jogging increases life expectancy of men by 6.2 years and 5.6 years for women. So says the Copenhagen heart study presented at the European Society of Cardiology's May 2012 EuroPRevent 2012 conference in Dublin. Nearly 20,000 men and women in this group have been studied since the 1970s. Hundreds of resulting studies have proven the benefits of lifestyle choices on health and longevity. The jogging subset of data obtained over the last 35 years suggests jogging reduces the risk of death in both males and females by 44%. We know the odds of dying doubles every eight years. It appears exercise may flatten the parabolic rise in risk of death with age allowing one to achieve another 5-6 years of longevity.
What is the optimum level of exertion and time spent jogging per week that is associated with the greatest benefit in life expectancy? In a U-shaped curve, the research suggests 1 to 2 1/2 hours a week, divided over two to three sessions per week, delivered at a slow or moderate pace was associated with the greatest benefit. There you have it folks. You can live 5-6 years longer just by hitting the streets or trails for a few minutes a day. Jogging is free. It won't cost you anything unless you want to buy a jogging watch to know exactly how fast and how far you're jogging. I have one and it's a fun way to measure progress.
On the other hand, ObamaCare is a bloated bureaucratic nightmare that promises to bankrupt this country to provide entitled care to millions of men and women who chose not to live up to their end of the social solidarity bargain. Instead of jogging, quitting smoking and losing weight, 46% of Americans are jumping with joy at the thought of never ever having to lift a finger and care for themselves again. There is a perfectly good hospitalist waiting to care for their every need. Why should they help themselves when some one else is there to pay for their action of least resistance. What does ObamaCare mean to joggers? It means 5-6 years of paying higher taxes to pay for the care of people who don't care.
