Mounting research suggests that even if you exercise regularly, you might still succumb to the ill effects of too much sitting.
A recent study concluded that adults who spend an average of six hours a day in front of the TV will cut their life expectancy by nearly five years, compared to someone who does not watch TV.
Even for people who are otherwise active, sitting for long stretches seems to be an independent risk factor for conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease.
An earlier study, published in 2009, also highlighted much of the recent evidence linking sitting with biomarkers of poor metabolic health, showing how total sitting time correlates with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other prevalent chronic health problems, even if you exercise regularly.
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Avoiding the temptation to stay rooted to the couch may be particularly important for seniors. If you’re older, you’d be wise to make a concerted effort to spend more time doing low-intensity, everyday activities. Any activity will be better than no activity.
A recent Swedish study concluded that those who live a generally active life have better heart health and live longer than those who remain sedentary for most of the day. This held true even for those who didn’t engage in a regular exercise routine. ‘We have known for 60 years that physical activity is important for the heart,’ said lead author Elin Ekblom-Bak... But until recently the research has mainly focused on exercise and has "forgotten" about the background activity that we do during daily life...
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In the featured study, participants who were signed up at the age of 60 were tracked for more than 12 years, and the findings were quite telling:
· Those who reported overall higher levels of daily intermittent movement suffered fewer heart-related problems
· For every 100 of the sedentary people who experienced a heart attack or stroke, only 73 of the highly active group had such an event
· For every 100 of the least active who died, only 70 of the most active died
· Those who had high daily activity levels and engaged in a regular exercise program had the lowest risk profiles overall
Another recent study found that seniors who exercise experience less depression, dementia, and other chronic health problems, including diabetes and cancer. The benefit of exercise was major; increasing the odds of healthy aging as much as sevenfold! Best of all, even those who didn’t start exercising until they were in their later years were still able to boost their odds threefold.
According to David Dunstan with the Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, the lack of muscle contraction caused by sitting decreases blood flow through your body, thereby reducing the efficiency of biological processes.
Many health problems that people suffer today are linked to lack of movement. If you have a sedentary job, standing up every 10 to 15 minutes may compensate for the majority of the damage from sitting. Also, pay careful attention to your sitting posture.
Last but not least, instead of parking yourself in front of the TV at night, consider doing something else, or at the very least engage in some minor activity while the TV is on.
For More Information:
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2013/12/13/sitting-standing-up.aspx