If you’re hitting middle age, scientists say there’s a simple way to live significantly longer — but unfortunately, it’ll involve getting off your butt.
What does exercising as much as the most active 25 percent of Americans over 40 look like?
Match those levels of physical activity on a daily basis, midlifers, and your life expectancy shoots up from 78.6 years to 84 years — over six years more than the current life expectancy in the country.
And remember: the physical activity you do doesn’t have to be literally hours of walking.
“Infrastructure measures that encourage active transport, walkable neighborhoods, as well as green spaces might be promising approaches to increase physical activity and resultant healthy life expectancy at the population level,” the authors wrote.
There is a straightforward method to live a lot longer if you are approaching middle age, according to scientists, but it will sadly require getting off your ass.
New research suggests that if US adults over 40 exercise as much as the top 25% of the population, they can extend their lives by an additional five years.
The study, which was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, estimated the benefits of physical activity on life expectancy by developing a predictive model. While the findings are unlikely to surprise anyone, they do support the widely held belief that regular exercise is crucial for healthy aging.
What’s remarkable, if anything, is the extent of the effect. The study’s authors stated that the “findings suggest that [physical activity] provides substantially larger health benefits than previously thought, which is due to the use of more precise means of measuring it.”.
The researchers drew upon recent Census Bureau population data, activity tracker data from a national health survey for adults over 40, and 2017 death records to develop the predictive model.
According to the study, walking at a reasonable pace of three miles per hour for 160 minutes each day is equivalent to exercising as much as the most active 25 percent of Americans over 40.
Midlifers who maintain those levels of physical activity on a daily basis will see an increase in life expectancy from 78 to 86 years, which is more than six years longer than the nation’s current average.
It is estimated that the least active quartile of Americans would live an additional 11 years if they continued to walk for almost two hours each day at the same pace.
It’s important to remember that because this study was observational, cause and effect cannot be determined.
Still, if you can, exercising can’t hurt. Additionally, keep in mind that your physical activity doesn’t have to consist of walking for hours on end. You can fit in an equal amount of exercise by working out more quickly and intensely. It is up to you whether you decide to dust off your old road bike or take up a sport.
Having said that, the researchers recognize that there are numerous obstacles that people must overcome in order to get the exercise they desire. Getting people off the streets rather than into the gym, as they propose, may be the answer on a societal level. And in order to accomplish that, we must alter the layout of our cities.
“At the population level, infrastructure measures that promote walkable neighborhoods, active transportation, and green spaces may be promising approaches to increase physical activity and consequently healthy life expectancy,” the authors wrote.
Regarding health, another “fitness” influencer passed away a few days after turning thirty.
