Normal Daily Activities Can Extend Your Life
Seniors everywhere should be interested in this. Research published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that senior citizens who are actively involved in normal household and daily living activities live longer than those with sedentary habits.
In a rigourous study over eight years of men and women ages 72 to 80, those with the most active energy expenditures daily were 50% more likely to survive than the lower energy expenditure groups.
The really good news for seniors like myself is that these folks in the most active range weren’t marathoners or physical fitness buffs. They simply did housework, gardening, walking, climbing stairs, volunteering, and other activities that any reasonably healthy person can do. Note, watching TV was not listed as an active physical activity.
Furthermore, this was not a case of the healthier people being able to do more, therefore they lived longer because of better health. People across the range of activity levels shared the ills of the elderly: more than half the participants had arthritis, heart disease, or diabetes.
The research study was funded to discover if normal daily living activities, termed free-living activities, could extend life. The researchers used sophisticated techniques to measure energy expenditure rather than relying totally on reported activities.
Regardless of your age, research studies show that activity level enhances your health. Physical exercise strengthens the immune system, reduces stress, burn calories making weight maintenance easier, and now is shown to extend life in those age groups most vulnerable.
What can you do?
- Walk
- Clean your home
- Park far from the mall doors and walk
- Climb stairs instead of using elevators
- Garden
- Use a push mower to cut your grass
- Turn off the TV
- Play with your kids, grandkids, or the neighbor’s kids
- Ride a bike
You get the picture. Be active. Do things that get your body moving. Use it or lose it.
The full report in all it’s scientific jargon is available at no cost here.