A recent study by National Institute on Aging shows that active seniors are 70% likely to live longer. This should serve as an important reminder for Couch Potato lifestyles that some of the retirees of baby boomer generation may adopt.Drop that remote: try walking up to the TV to change the channels.
Instead of watching TV, walk to your car, take a walk in the park, work in your garden, even wash dishes, fold your laundry but do something with regular activity. Simple Yoga poses will be a great way to get started if you can handle them.
This again brings into light the value of exercise for healthy living. Even if you fear the dreaded routine of exercises, just any reasonable activity is better than not activity at all. You can do some simple exercise, but at regular frequency.
Government now recommends a minimum of 30 minutes a day of moderate activity, such as brisk walking. However, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 1 in 3 men and 1 in 2 women over age 75 are not physically active at all.
The new study, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association , did a complete study of 300 men and women and found that the least active group was three times as likely to die.
The researchers also found that an average older person, would burn the necessary calories to stay healthy by doing about hour to hour and half of household chores, or any other volunteer work that doesn’t involve just sitting in one location.
If you are younger or middle aged you need to do much more than that.
This study is important because it provides credible evidence that everyday simple activities may be beneficial.