Fitter hearts beat less: How exercise may add years to life

Forget the myth that exercise uses up your heartbeats. New Australian research shows fitter people use far fewer total heartbeats per day - potentially adding years to their lives.

Athletes had an average heart rate of 68 beats per minute (bpm), while non-athletes had 76bpm. That translates to a total of 97,920 beats per day for athletes and 109,440 beats per day for non-athletes – around 10 percent less.

"That's an incredible saving of about 11,500 beats a day," says Professor La Gerche, head of the HEART Laboratory supported by the St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research (SVI) and the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute (VCCRI).

"Even though athletes' hearts work harder during exercise, their lower resting rates more than make up for it."

The study published in JACC: Advances found the fittest individuals had resting heart rates as low as 40 beats per minute, compared to the average 70–80 bpm.

That means over 24 hours, athletes use fewer total heartbeats than sedentary people, even after factoring in the spikes from training sessions.

The findings bust the long-standing saying, popularised by US President Donald Trump, that the body is a battery with a finite amount of energy and that exercise only depletes it.

The fitter you are, the more metabolically efficient your body becomes. Even if you're training hard for an hour a day, your heart beats more slowly for the other 23 hours. The net effect is fewer beats used overall."

Professor La Gerche, head of the HEART Laboratory 

This lower resting heart rate is not only a sign of fitness but also a predictor of better health outcomes. Professor La Gerche says increasing physical activity, when done safely, can improve heart function and reduce long-term cardiovascular risk.

"Exercise is strongly linked with improved mental health, longer lifespan and lower rates of heart disease," he says.

While extreme endurance events like the Tour de France can temporarily raise daily heartbeat counts, Professor La Gerche says the benefits of regular, moderate exercise far outweigh any risks.

"The biggest bang for your health buck is going from unfit to moderately fit. Just a few hours of purposeful exercise each week can transform your heart's efficiency and help make every beat count. It may even extend your life by years," he said.

About the HEART Lab

Professor La Gerche leads the Heart, Exercise & Research Trials (HEART) Lab, a team dedicated to understanding how exercise affects the heart, on behalf of SVI and VCCRI. By studying elite athletes, the lab uncovers insights that apply far beyond the sporting world, including to people living with serious heart conditions.