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Sitting down frequently increases risk to your health even if youre young, study shows
Unfortunately, the 60 hours you spend sitting per week are not mitigated by your evening walks or the 20 minutes you spend walking the dog in the morning.
On our journey for the cup of eternal youth, we have come across countless ways to live a longer life including the magical gerontology-approved meal. But while increasing your life expectancy is always an option on the table, don’t aim to live above 100 before the year 2100.
Physical activity guidelines are not enough
Between eight hours of office work, you’re addiction to TikTok, and getting your recommended amount of sleep a week, there isn’t a lot of time for fitness or simply staying on your feet.
In a recent report, the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of California Riverside studied data from 1,000 Colorado residents, including 730 twins.
Young adults tend to think they are impervious to the impacts of aging. They figure, My metabolism is great, I dont have to worry until Im in my 50s or 60s, said first author Ryan Bruellman. But what you do during this critical time of life matters.
On average, residents reported sitting for at least nine hours a day, whether that be because of work or personal lifestyle choices. In extreme cases, people were sitting for 16 hours. They further reported between 80 and 160 minutes of moderate fitness a week and less than 135 minutes of vigorous exercise.
Though we know that body mass index is not the best stat for measuring health, the researchers analyzed BMIs alongside total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein. Essentially, they found that the longer someone spends sitting the older they look.
Using twins sheds light on the best course of action
Because twins are genetically identical, scientists often use them to highlight what is down to genetic factors.
When looking at a comparison between sets of twins, the researchers identified that replacing sitting with exercise seemed to work better at improving cholesterol than adding fitness to a packed day of sitting.
Our research suggests that sitting less throughout the day, getting more vigorous exercise, or a combination of both may be necessary to reduce the risk of premature aging in early adulthood, said the studys senior author Chandra Reynolds, a professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the Institute for Behavioral Genetics.
Consider splitting up your day of sitting with activities like taking regular walking breaks, or perhaps invest in a standing desk to cut out a big chunk of your sitting time. We also know that intense workouts at the weekends are beneficial.
