Variety may be the spice of life, but according to researchers, it’s also the key to longevity. Researchers tracked more than 100,000 people for 30 years and found that participating in a variety of exercises, rather than just doing more of the same exercise, significantly increases lifespan.

According to ScienceDaily, the findings published in the journal BMJ Medicine concluded that people who engage in different types of physical activity tend to have a lower risk of death.

The researchers analyzed data from two long-term studies including 121,700 female participants from the Nurses’ Health Study and 51,529 male participants from the Health Professionals’ Follow-Up Study.

In general, the more exercise a person did — except for swimming — the lower the risk of death. Swimming was not significantly associated with reduced mortality in this analysis. Walking had one of the strongest associations with reduced risk with dedicated walkers showing a 17% lower risk of death compared to those who walked the least. Tennis, squash, or racquetball were linked to a 15% lower risk while weight training and resistance exercises had a 13% lower risk.

However, engaging in a wider variety of activities produced even greater benefits. Study participants who performed the most diverse set of activities had a 19% lower risk of death from all causes.

In addition, they experienced a 13% to 41% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, cancer and other conditions compared to those who participated in fewer types of activities.  

"Overall, these data support the notion that long term engagement in multiple types of physical activity may help extend the lifespan,” concluded the researchers.