The new year brings with it the promise of a fresh start. A chance to renew your lifestyle goals and often, a new gym membership. However, research indicates you may be able to forgo a traditional workout and still add years to your life.
While movement remains key, the type is less important. In fact, any physical activity, regardless of intensity, combined with less sedentary time is associated with increased longevity. This comes from a large study reported in the British Medical Journal in 2019. The data from six studies included more than 36,000 participants with an average age of 62.6 years.
This means that even if you don’t participate in formal exercise, but do gentle everyday activities such as cleaning, making a meal or going for a stroll, you are less likely to die prematurely than those who sit for the majority of the day. In fact, a significantly higher risk of death is observed for those who are sedentary for greater than 9.5 hrs per day.
Any activity, regardless of how small it is, can improve longevity. Previous studies showed similar results but were small or focused only on a certain population group such as men, women or the elderly, making it difficult to generalize the results to others.
In this study, they divided the participants into four categories based on how often and how intensely they moved.
- The least-active group consisted of people who were sedentary for long hours and almost never formally exercised.
- The second least active group consisted of those who moved about for approximately 1 hr each day, even if their activities were gentle.
- The two most active groups moved with moderate-to-vigorous intensity and vigorous intensity physical activity, respectively.
They found that the risk of premature death in the most active group was about 60% lower than for those in the most sedentary group. But what was surprising was that the participants in the second-least active group were also significantly less likely to have died than those in the least active group, even though their activities were mostly everyday activities such as cooking, house cleaning and gardening.
The more you move, the better your longevity, or healthy lifespan. To meet your longevity needs you should complete 25 minutes per day of moderate exercise, such as brisk walking, or 300 minutes per day of light, gentle activity. The researchers controlled for body mass, smoking, diets and other factors and this relationship between moving more and living longer persisted.
The Risks of a Sedentary Lifestyle
The reasons why a sedentary lifestyle can be so harmful to your health are complex and multifaceted. The two most prominent factors are the impact on your metabolism and muscles.
Extended periods of inactivity can reduce metabolism and impair the body’s ability to control blood sugar levels, regulate blood pressure, and break down fat. Moving your muscles helps your body digest the fats and sugars you eat. If you spend a lot of time sitting, digestion is not as efficient, so you retain those fats and sugars as fat in your body. Humans are built to stand upright. Your heart, cardiovascular and digestive systems work more effectively that way.
Sitting for long periods can lead to weakening and wasting away of the large leg and gluteal muscles. These large muscles are important for walking and stabilizing. If these muscles are weak, you are more likely to be injured from falls, and from muscle strains while exercising.
Sitting causes your hip flexor muscles to shorten, which can lead to problems with your hip joints. It can also cause problems with your back, especially if you consistently sit with poor posture or don’t use an ergonomically designed chair or workstation.
Simple Changes You Can Make Today
If you’re sitting for many hours, try incorporating standing or walking breaks into your day. A standing desk, frequent stretching or other movement breaks are encouraged for those spending 8 or more hours in a seated position.
A motivating approach to keep moving is to focus on steps. This can add a fun challenge to your routine and assist with accountability. For those over 60, the ideal range is 6,000 to 8,000 steps to aid in longevity. Those under 60 years of age see the most benefit with 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day. Steps can be easily tracked on your smartphone or watch.
Move More, Live Longer
The bottom line is to find ways to move more throughout the day. Data suggests you can add nearly seven high quality years to your life. Focusing on any movement and not a specific exercise regimen can help remove the stress and guilt you may feel if traditional exercise is not something you feel you can maintain. Instead, embrace the movement you can do.
At Harrison, we lead with compassion and want to help you live a long, healthy life in ways that suit your specific needs. If you’ve become more sedentary since retiring, after an injury, or are seated for more than 9.5 hours per day at work, it is vital to introduce more movement into your lifestyle. Speak with your care team to learn what you can do to add years to your life.
