Increasing your physical activity later in life can greatly reduce the risk of many diseases according to NPR.
How many hours per day do you sit? Let’s say you commute to work, sit at a desk at work for eight hours, then commute home. You are probably exhausted after all that. So you may decide to binge watch your favorite show on Netflix and order takeout. If this is the case, you have probably spent well over half of the day sitting. It is important to start increasing your physical activity!
This study in the Journals of Gerontology surveyed adults ages 50 to 71 from the mid-1990’s until 2005. This was before the explosion of online streaming of shows and movies, which has made society even more sedentary. The results were as expected; those who moved around the least had three times more difficulty walking by the end of the study than the more active participants. Those who watched five or more hours of TV per day had the greatest decreased mobility later on.
Vigorous exercise is not always possible, whether it be due to physical limitations or not having the time. A leisurely walk around the neighborhood or gardening can help to combat the development of illness. By increasing your physical activity just a bit, there is hope for us couch potatoes.