Swimming vs Running - What’s the best exercise for mid-lifers?
… Prof Hart talks to the Wall Street Journal
Best choice of exercise for mid-lifers
This week, Professor Hart appeared in a Wall Street Journal article exploring the pros and cons of different types of exercise.
Swimming and running are both increasingly popular with mid-lifers, yet hugely different in terms of their impacts and benefits for anyone wanting to stay active and healthy as they get older.
While swimming is widely accepted to be less ‘hard on the body’, our own research suggests that running brings other, quite different and sometimes unexpected benefits. So how do swimming and running compare as exercise choices, and what’s the best mix?
This week, Professor Hart appeared in a Wall Street Journal article exploring the pros and cons of different types of exercise. He points out: “By doing exercise, (our joints) actually repair, renew and improve. We know that bones respond to force. Running improves your knees by improving the quality of the bone on either side of the knee joint.”
The article explores lesser-known benefits of both activities — for example that swimming can enhance sexual function to an older age — and considers which activity to choose in different situations.