Get up and Get moving to live happier and longer
We’re all familiar with the notion that long periods of inactivity are bad for our health, but researchers from Cambridge and Edinburgh Universities are fed up of focussing on the negative impacts of a sedentary lifestyle. Instead, they conducted a descriptive study that looked to celebrate the benefits of doing more physical activity, as opposed to highlighting the heightened likelihood of disease and death strongly associated with too much time sitting on the sofa. Using global data on physical activity prevalence and relative risk of disease, the researchers were able to calculate the number of premature deaths averted as a result of regular physical activity, shining a light on the positive impacts an active lifestyle can have on human health and lifespan.
What were their findings?
After scouring over 15 years of previously obtained global data regarding physical activity prevalence and relative risk of disease, the researchers came to the conclusion that roughly 3.9million deaths are prevented through an adequate amount of physical activity. When this result was split out into a country-by-country estimate, this study suggests that a physically active lifestyle prevents around 26, 600 early deaths per year in the UK alone. This should not detract from the fact that physical inactivity still remains one of the leading causes of ill health and premature death in today’s society, but hopefully by framing the opposing positive side of the coin, these researchers have afforded a greater motivation to the UK population –encouraging us to get moving in any possible way.
But what if I dislike ‘exercise’?
For those among us who can’t bear the thought of joining a gym, taking up a new sport or forking out for a new pair of running shoes –and don’t worry, many of us are in the same boat! –it’s important to realise that living a physically active lifestyle doesn’t have to revolve solely around ‘exercise.’ Yes, physical activity of a vigorous intensity is great for us, but this is only a small part of the full physical activity picture. There are many different ways we can get moving to benefit our health and well-being, a lot of which you might already be doing as part of your normal daily routine.
How can KiActiv® help me?
At KiActiv® we know that physical activity is multi-dimensional, and our personalised online programmes help you find the value in every single movement you make, whether it be running a marathon or hanging the washing on the line, and everything in between, it’s all activity and it will all accumulate over the course of the day, week, month and year to benefit our health. Each dimension of physical activity has equal value independent benefits to your health, so how you would like to go about improving is entirely up to you.When an activity appeals to you personally, you’re far more likely to sustain, and even enhance, the amount of this activity within your daily routine -even if it is something as simple as getting up to make a cup of tea!As the researchers from Cambridge and Edinburgh have shown, getting and staying active is a brilliant way of minimising your risk of an early death, so why not use that as motivation to get up, get moving and live a happier, healthier, fuller life.
