Previously, we discussed a recent study that measured the effects of a sedentary lifestyle. The study yielded surprising results, namely that being sedentary had a greater risk of death than cardiovascular disease, smoking and diabetes.
Researchers of the study believe that being unfit and sedentary should be treated as a disease, which needs a prescription. And that prescription is exercise. They posit that diabetes and cardiovascular disease are two of the most expensive diseases in the U.S., requiring more that $200 billion per year to treat these conditions and their respective complications. Rather than shelling out so much taxpayers’ dollars, the researchers believe that exercise is a cost-effective cure.
Another revelation of the research came to light: there seems to be no limit to the benefits of aerobic exercise. Previously, there was concern that too much exercise might result in a higher risk of death, but the study counters this position. The participants of the study that were high performing, and deemed to be ultra-fit had lower mortality. In fact, the most fit participants had the lowest mortality. As long as people have been cleared by their physicians, exercising with high intensity poses no dangers.
The study, which monitored more than 122,000 participants, indicated that women of all ages benefited the most from exercising. Overall, the consensus was that those that led a sedentary lifestyle had a 390% higher risk of death than those that exercise regularly. Indeed, the human body isn’t designed to be largely sedentary; we’re meant to move, whether that’s by walking, running, and exercising. Bottom line : get healthy by moving, and live longer.
