Fitness Can Lower Down Negative Effects Of Continuous Sitting

Researchers have suggested that following the public health guidelines for physical activity alone is not enough to escape from the negative effects associated with an inactive lifestyle for seniors. A new study reveals that fitness can play a protective role in protecting the body from all the hazardous risks such as heart disease and other conditions.

Living a sedentary lifestyle, such as sitting for a longer time can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and other conditions such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and cancers. Even when adults lay down for 12-13 hours per day, if they are fit, they are less prone to cardiovascular diseases. Lack of physical activity can also cause Type II Diabetes, anxiety, obesity, and depression. Sitting for a longer time reduces metabolism and thus affects the blood sugar level and blood pressure.

A good amount of regular physical activity is significant for healthy aging. Adults who are above 65 years of age should follow a regular exercise to gain a variety of health benefits. According to a report published in Medical News Today, the Physical Health Guidelines urges the older adults to do moderate-intensity exercises such as a small walk for at least 150 minutes per day. Muscle strengthening activities for two or more days per week can be an extra boost to a successful health life.

High levels of cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with reduced levels of cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity, type II diabetes, and dyslipidemia. According to Medical Times, a group of researchers from Norwegian University of Science and technology aimed to find out whether meeting physical guidelines would reduce the adverse effect of prolonged sitting. Cardiorespiratory fitness is considered to be an important health indicator and it can predict death caused due to cardiovascular diseases.

An average American sits continuously for nearly 9-11 hours. The NTNU research found that respondents who were in the least sedentary third of the study still spent 12-13 hours per day. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of exercise training on mortality in the older adult population. The team conducted a cross-sectional study of 495 women and 379 men from Norway who belonged to the age group of 70-77 years. Researchers went on to compare various levels of activity with fitness level and clusters of cardiovascular risk factors.

The study revealed that when compared with men and women who were the least sedentary, women and men from the most sedentary group were 83 percent and 63 percent were more likely to have cardiovascular risk factors. Thus, a healthy fitness can contribute to a healthy lifestyle including a good health during old age.