Optimal Exercise Calculator

TL;DR. Exercise buys you roughly 3.5 extra years of life - probably the largest reliable gain in longevity available to you right now. But the benefits plateau: once you reach about 5 to 12 hours per week (depending on intensity), more exercise neither helps nor hurts. I built a calculator that estimates your optimal level of exercise, taking into account not just the health benefits but also how much you enjoy (or dread) exercising.Disclaimer on health advice: This calculator is meant to give you ballpark numbers, not a precise forecast of your personal life expectancy. Please do not treat its output as medical advice.IntroductionA recent meta-analysis examines the effect of leisurely exercise on longevity. Its headline finding is that the benefits of exercise are enormous - but it does not answer the questions I actually have. Am I getting enough exercise? And how much should any of us exercise?To find out, I built a calculator that estimates your optimal level of exercise. Caveats apply. [1]The backbone of the calculator is the published model. To it I add one ingredient: how much you (dis)like exercise. The reason is simple: If you dislike exercise, you may be better off accepting a level that is slightly below the health-optimal one, in exchange for spending your time on things you enjoy.My experience from my own social circle is that people seem to fall into two camps: those who genuinely enjoy exercise, and those who do not. The first group exercises a lot. The second exercises little, if at all - and they grit their teeth when exercising. As it turns out, this behaviour may be perfectly rational.The calculator sheds light on a few simple questions.How much longer can I expect to live if I exercise a lot?About 3.5 years. That is a large effect - probably the biggest reliable gain in longevity available to you right now. I was genuinely surprised that it is this large.How much should people who love sports exercise?If you love sports, the calculator is useless