Improved health through walking
Everyone knows exercise is good for them, but what many don't realize is that it's a matter of life and death.
Can you believe sitting kills more than 300,000 Americans annually making sitting the third leading cause of death in the US, right after heart disease and cancer. Sitting related deaths however are due to more than one disease, being sedentary is linked to a wide range of debilitating ailments--from diabetes and depression to osteoporosis, certain cancers, and even sexual dysfunction. It affects nearly three out of four adults and a growing number of children and is estimated that it will cost the US $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years.
And it's not just Americans that are affected because sitting around is a worldwide phenomenon, last year, the World Health Organization announced that about 2 million deaths annually worldwide are attributed to sedentary lifestyles and chose physical activity as the theme for World Health Day.
Of the many ways to combat a sedentary lifestyle and reduce the claims we make on our health insurance regular exercise is one of the most important. Probably the easiest form of exercise we can all participate in is walking. A recent study by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society stated that older people risk problems in the future with walking and mobility if they don't exercise now. The study also showed that even people in their 70's can improve their mobility if they regularly walk for 1.5 to 2 hours each week.
In another study the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study (Health ABC Study) followed 3,075 men and women between the age of 70 and 79 years over the course of seven years. Through annual exams and telephone interviews, researchers discovered that mobility was maintained in older persons who exercised and had an active lifestyle.
"Several studies have shown that becoming active at an old age still has positive health effects, showing that it is never too late to start being active," said Marjolein Visser, PhD, lead author of the study.
"Health care providers should be aware of these beneficial effects of physical activity and communicate this to their patients," she says.
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