News: Study suggests surprising secret to a longer life

If you want to live a little longer, you may want to stand up.

According to a new study published in British Medical Journal, you can add two years to your life if you do.

Looking at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers examined the effects of sedentary behaviour on life expectancy in the USA.

They found that reducing the daily average time people sit to less than three hours would increase U.S. life expectancy by two years‘even if they already exercise daily.

‘This should not be interpreted to mean that people who are more sedentary can expect to live 1.4 or 2.0’years less than someone who does not engage in these behaviours as much,’ the study’s author, Dr Peter T Katzmarzyk, wrote.

Rather, it means that the life expectancy of the entire U.S. population could increase over time if everyone sat less, and exercised more.

Still, given the latest research on sitting and its contribution to disease, it’s always good advice to get up and move around during the day, and avoid being sedentary when possible.

Health Canada recommends that adults be active at least 2.5 hours a week to achieve health benefits, but there are still another 165 hours in a week’what should we do with those?

According to this study, the answer isn’t ‘sit.’

Unfortunately, I sit at a desk all day’for at least seven hours’and probably spend another two hours at night reading, watching TV and eating dinner. While I offset that by biking to and from work, going for a walk at lunch and doing yoga, running or playing sports in the evening, the fact remains: I spend a lot of time sitting.

What about you? How many hours do you spend sitting a day? Do you make an effort to get up and walk around when possible?

-Katharine Watts, Associate Web Editor

Related:
‘ Is the Blue Zone diet the secret to a long life?
‘ Your desk job is giving you a big butt (in addition to other health problems)
‘ Sitting may be bad for your health