Study: Racquet sports in particular could help you live longer

By Sean Dowling, Buzz60

If you love swimming, tennis and aerobics, you're in luck! New research says these sports will help you live longer.

The study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

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European and Australian researchers studied data from 80,000 people about activity levels between 1994 and 2008. The average age of most surveyed was 52, and most didn't do much exercise.

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Only 44 percent of people met physical activity recommendations. For reference, that's about 150 minutes of moderate activity a week.

Racquet sports like tennis kept people the healthiest. They had a 47 percent lower risk of dying over the nine years after they were first surveyed.

This is compared to folks who didn't exercise at all.

Swimmers had a 28 percent lower risk of death, and those doing aerobics had a 27 percent lower risk of dying.

It is important to note the lead study author says the results aren't meant to endorse one activity over another. He says all exercise is good, as long as it's making you more active than you were before.