RitzyToo! June- July 2015 | Page 11

Better Health & Longevity for Hobbyists? You bet! Most can do this and get started today! Here are some quick facts for hobbyists to think about: • Walking for 30+ minutes to an hour a day can add years to your life provided you walk where it is safe. • The World Health Organization declares that physical inactivity is the 4th biggest killer of adults worldwide! Did you know that? • A sedentary lifestyle raises your risk of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, hypertension, osteoporosis, and even clinical depression leading to as much as a 7-year reduction in longevity expectations when compared to your more physically active counterparts. • Here's some great news: it takes only 30 minutes to 1 hour of walking 5 or more days a week to protect you from becoming a cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and premature death statistic! Safe Walking Will Increase Your Longevity Making the transition from inactivity to moderate activity is easy when taken step-by-step—literally! The American Heart Association recommends just 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. That breaks down to just 30 minutes of fun walking 5 days a week. Being physically inactive identifies you statistically in the same high-risk category for premature death as smokers, excessive drinkers, and obese individuals, each of whom whack 3-5 years off their respective lives for each health risk they engage in. Another fascinating study found that adults who watched television for 4 or more hours a day had a 46% increased risk of death from any cause and an 80% increased risk of death from heart disease. Need more convincing? Two studies cited by researchers at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rottterdam, Netherlands substantiate these observations. • The Framingham Heart Study (a large-scale analysis of suburban Boston residents) analyzed more than 4 decades of research. They grouped 4,121 men and women according to low, medium, and high activity levels. At age 50, moderate exercisers had a life expectancy 1.5 years higher than low activity exercisers, and high activity exercisers had a life expectancy 3.5 years longer. • Yet another smaller-scale study concluded that walking for just 30 minutes a day 5 or more days a week at both a moderate or brisk pace improved cardio-respiratory fitness. The same was shown in individuals who walked with brisk pace 3-4 days a week. Additionally, those who engaged in fast-paced walking 5 or more days a week experienced a reduction in cholesterol levels. RitzyToo.com | RitzyToo! | June-July | 11