Being Inactive for More than Two Decades Doubles the Risk of Premature Death

Stay Active As Much as Possible to Stay Away from Ill Health

It doesn’t surprise me when someone who has been healthy (on the outside) all these years despite being sedentary suddenly suffers serious health problems. It also doesn’t bother me when some people try convincing me that it’s all in the gene whether we would fall victims or not to health problems in life despite our regular activity schedules. All said and done, staying active and being energetic will never go in vain and every person who takes every effort to lead an active lifestyle will surely witness the fruits of his/her efforts one fine day in life. Though the quote ‘better late than never’ is true and starting to be active sometime in life is better than not taking any steps for the same, there are indeed differences in the benefits that we reap too! A study tried to analyse how differences in the time we pursue physical activity and start becoming healthy affect our scope of protection against diseases and health problems.
​
There have been studies associating continuing physical activity with longevity in adults but most of them probe into the individual’s activity levels only once before the study. Isn’t it only fair that physical activity is a continuous process and also might change constantly in people depending on their time and availability? Hence, looking at it from a longer perspective on how such changes have an impact on risk of death is the need of the hour and the HUNT study in Norway did exactly this.

The study invited all citizens of Norway aged 20 years and above to participate in the study at three different intervals: 1984-86, 1995-97 and 2006-2008. All the participants were asked about their physical activity levels during all three times and the study used data from first and third surveys alone. The study included a total of 23,146 men and women whose physical activity levels were categorized as inactive, moderate (less than 2 hours per week) and high (two or more hours per week) and each participant was put into one of the three groups depending on the activity level. Researchers analysed the risk of death in each group compared to the reference group (where individuals performed high levels of exercise). It was seen that compared to the reference group, individuals who were inactive in 1984-86 and 2006-08 were at a 2-fold higher chance of all-cause death and almost had a 3-fold increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease while moderately active individuals had a 60% and 90% increased risk of death from all-cause and cardiovascular problems respectively.

This clearly shows the importance of exercise in our everyday lives. While the recommendations stand at 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week it is essential to realize that there is more to physical activity beyond the stipulated duration. It depends on the individual to use his/her time available and perform maximal activity during that time. Any activity, even those done below recommended levels are sure to garner only advantages. Perform activities that suit you and choose the right activities that can give you maximized results by visiting the website www.firsteatright.com. Use every opportunity possible to stay active-it might be taking the steps instead of the elevator or getting down a stop ahead of your destination and walking. It was also seen that those who moved from being inactive to highly active had a mortality rate that was between those who were continually active or sedentary. On the other hand, those who shifted from being highly active to inactive were at a similar risk of dying like those who were inactive. Staying active since childhood attunes the body to well-being and good health that’s beyond death. Living a good quality of life with utmost cognition and well-performing body organs is the ultimate requirement of every individual residing in this world.