While it might be easy to list off all of the benefits of exercising, we don’t typically talk about the cost of being sedentary.
In fact, a recent study published in JAMA followed over 100,000 adults for more than 8 years and measured their fitness using a treadmill.
The participants were arranged by age and gender into performance groups: Low, Below Average, Average, and Elite.
The Results
Not surprisingly, the study found that death from any cause was lowest among the Elite group. This makes sense as this group of people had the highest cardiovascular fitness. Similarly, death rates were highest among those in the Low category.
This is to be expected, as those individuals displayed the lowest levels of cardiovascular fitness, often combined with multiple co-morbidities such obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
Shockingly, the study found that the risk of death for those in the Low group was equal (or greater than) the risk of death from smoking, diabetes or heart disease.
Needless to say, it pays to be active!
Question is, what do we need to do in order to be “above average”?
Don’t worry – we are here to help you. Firstly, if you’re currently living a sedentary lifestyle, start moving!
We know that making changes like starting an exercise program can be a challenge, so make sure to start with small steps and build on them as you go.
Follow these 3 easy steps to get started:
- Start with short episodes of activity: try doing 3-4 bouts of walking for 10 minutes at a time. You can spread these throughout the day.
- Try new activities! Don’t be afraid to experiment – exercise is much easier when you’re doing an activity that you enjoy.
- Look to improve your NEPA (Non-Exercise Physical Activity), such as taking the stairs or parking farther away.
Need help getting started? Check out these recent Blog posts:
Our mission is to Improve Human Lives, and often times this quite literally means: “Help people get moving again”!
That’s why so many of our previous Blog posts have made this a key topic:
- Fitting Exercise Into Your Daily Schedule
- Getting The Right Amount Of Exercise
- Exercise: Working Out The Details
Did you know you have Direct Access* to Physical Therapy? No referral, no problem!
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