Studies show that being active is important, REALLY important. The health benefits of exercise can be the difference between living until your 70 or living well into your 90’s. By exercising regularly you are lowering your risk of a stroke by 27%, which in turn reduces the chance of both high blood pressure and Alzheimer’s disease by 40%, cuts chances of developing diabetes by 50%, and lowers your risk of developing colon cancer by an astounding 60%. To put it in simple terms…eating good healthy food and hitting the treadmill might just be the answer to living a longer life. An apple a day does keep the doctor away!
A study out of Australia shows the health risk of being inactive can be critical. The study from the physical activity lab at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Victoria, Australia found that the more television its subjects watched, the greater threat they had of dying at a younger age, in particular from heart disease.
When time is spent sitting for hours on end, negative health consequences such as high cholesterol levels and a larger waistline develop. TV is great for entertainment, but shouldn’t become a crutch for not experiencing real life. If watching television is important, try it while walking on the treadmill or lifting small weights. Eat well, put down that TV remote and get moving for a better life!
