HEALTH & WELLNESS
Want a longer, better life?
The secret to a longer life may not be much of a secret at all: One recent study of more than 5,700 men showed that those who continued to be moderately physically active later in life lowered their risk of death. According to the study, increasing physical activity benefited life span as much as quitting smoking.
This study involved men born from 1923 to 1932 who had a health check in 1972 – 73 and again in 2000. Of the men who led sedentary lives— couch potatoes who didn’ t exercise— 51 percent died during the follow-up period between early 2000 and late 2011. However, only about 25 percent of those who were moderately to vigorously active died during the same time period.
The message, plain and clear: Just 30 minutes of moderate activity six days a week was associated with a 40 percent lower risk of death.
In another study, 334,000 women and men tracked their waist circumference and self-reported their level of physical activity over the course of 12 years. The researchers found
HEALTHY LIVING TIPS FROM that eliminating physical inactivity would reduce the number of deaths twice as much as eradicating obesity.
These results lend further support to the role of exercise in preventing mental decline, maintaining function and enhancing cardiac fitness, among other benefits. The good news? Even small amounts of exercise— as little as 20 minutes of walking a day— reduced the risk of early death by up to 30 percent.
Ready to start improving your quality of life so you can increase your longevity? Just get moving! Watch TV while pedaling a stationary bike, walk as you talk on the phone, take the stairs at work— every little bit of exercise counts and will pay big dividends toward greater enjoyment of your life!
For an appointment with a Deborah specialist or more information about how Deborah Heart and Lung Center’ s leading-edge technologies can improve your quality of life, call 800-555-1990, option 4, or request info or an appointment at www. demanddeborah. org.
78 NEW JERSEY COPS ■ APRIL 2017