Why Mixing Up Your Workouts Might Help You Live Longer

Happy Friday!

This week, we're exploring why variety in movement is more important for longevity than sticking to one "perfect" workout, and why rage rooms are becoming an unexpected mental health tool for women who have spent a lifetime holding it all together.

We're also exploring whether ibuprofen might have anti-cancer properties (intriguing research, but don't start popping pills just yet), the protein question everyone's asking (can you have too much?), and why chasing sleep makes it harder to fall asleep. Plus, some fascinating findings on positive thinking and vaccine response.

As always, we share women’s health and wellness news that’s evidence-based and thoughtfully explained.

Wishing you good health and happiness!
Nicolle Sloane
Editor

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If you’ve ever felt guilty for not having one perfect workout, here’s some unexpectedly good news.

A growing body of research suggests that the number of different ways you move may do more for longevity than how devoted you are to any single workout.

In extensive, long-running studies tracking more than 100,000 adults over decades, people who regularly did a mix of physical activities — walking plus strength training, cycling plus yoga, tennis plus resistance work — lived longer than those who stuck to just one type of exercise, even when total workout time was the same.

The difference wasn’t subtle. Those with the most varied routines had about a 19% lower risk of death over time.

Different types of movement challenge the body (and brain) in different ways:

Together, these seem to create a kind of protective overlap, especially relevant for women navigating midlife, menopause, and beyond, when muscle loss, changes in bone density, and cognitive health become more central.

Interestingly, the benefits didn’t require extreme training. Longevity gains tended to level off at moderate activity levels, aligning with current guidelines (about 150 minutes a week of moderate movement plus some strength work). Even small daily bursts of vigorous activity showed benefits.

For many women, stress doesn’t appear as explosive anger — it manifests as tight shoulders, decision fatigue, migraines, stomach problems, or a constant low-grade hum of irritation. This may explain why a growing number of women are trying something unexpected: rage rooms — controlled spaces where people safely smash objects while wearing protective gear (yes, we have come to this).

What’s striking is not the destruction, but the response. Women who try it often describe the experience as surprisingly calm, contained, and intentional, more like a physical release than an emotional outburst. Several compare it to a reset button or a deep-tissue massage — leaving them lighter, clearer, and less keyed up.

Mental health experts suggest this might indicate a broader trend: women are often conditioned to suppress frustration and anger, especially when managing work, caregiving, and emotional labor. When those emotions are kept bottled up, they can emerge as anxiety, depression, chronic pain, or burnout.

The takeaway isn’t that everyone needs to smash a TV — but that anger itself isn’t unhealthy. Having safe, nonjudgmental ways to release built-up tension is obviously more important than we’ve been taught to believe.

It’s the bottle most of us have within arm’s reach for headaches, sore backs, and period cramps. But a few recent stories caught our eye because they suggest ibuprofen (a common NSAID) may have effects that reach beyond pain relief — including a possible link to lower risk of certain cancers.

Here’s the basic idea: chronic inflammation is increasingly understood as one ingredient in cancer development, and ibuprofen’s whole job is to dial inflammation down. NSAIDs work by blocking COX enzymes that make prostaglandins — chemical messengers that help drive inflammation. Some researchers think that lowering prostaglandin levels may also disrupt pathways that help tumors grow or persist.

One large analysis (using data from the PLCO cohort) reported that women who took ibuprofen more frequently had a lower risk of endometrial cancer compared with women who rarely used it. In that report, the association was strongest among women with heart disease. Importantly, this is an observational link, not proof that ibuprofen prevents cancer.

Also worth noting: aspirin didn’t show the same association with endometrial cancer risk in that particular analysis, which is a good reminder that “NSAIDs” aren’t all interchangeable when it comes to outcomes.

Beyond COX/prostaglandins, some lab research suggests ibuprofen may influence signaling pathways involved in tumor survival and stress responses (you may see genes and pathways mentioned in coverage — HIF-1α, NFκB, STAT3). That’s early-stage science, but it’s part of why researchers keep circling back to inflammation-targeting drugs as possible supporting players in prevention or treatment.

None of this means anyone should start taking ibuprofen “just in case.” Regular or high-dose NSAID use comes with risks, including stomach ulcers/bleeding, kidney injury, and (for some people) cardiovascular concerns, plus drug interactions (especially with blood thinners and some antidepressants).

Takeaway: The research is intriguing and points to how deeply inflammation is tied to disease, but ibuprofen is not a DIY cancer-prevention strategy. If you’re someone who takes it frequently already (for pain, cramps, arthritis, etc.), it’s worth a quick, practical check-in with your doctor about long-term safety for you.

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Protein is important, especially for women as we age. It supports muscle, metabolism, hormones, and bone health. But new guidance suggesting much higher protein intake has raised an obvious question: can more become too much?

The old baseline (about 0.36 g per lb of body weight) was designed for sedentary adults. Newer recommendations suggest 0.54 g/lb, largely to support muscle maintenance, especially with aging. This means many women are being encouraged to eat significantly more protein than before.

Here’s the nuance:

Bottom line: Protein is essential, but context matters. Activity level, age, kidney health, and overall diet quality matter more than chasing a number.