NEWSWEEK – Swapping just one hour of TV time per day for walking or standing can improve your chances of a healthy old age.
A recent study from the JAMA Network Open highlights the critical role of light-intensity physical activity (LPA) in promoting healthy aging among older women.
The study, conducted by a team of researchers, followed over 45,000 participants from the Nurses’ Health Study for 20 years to examine the impact of sedentary behaviors and light physical activity on healthy aging.
Overall, they found three key points.
The study found that increased time spent sitting, particularly watching television, significantly decreased the odds of healthy aging.
Each additional two hours per day spent watching television was associated with a 12 percent reduction in the likelihood of maintaining good health into older age, the study reported.
In contrast, engaging in light physical activities, such as standing or walking around at home or work, increased the odds of healthy aging, the study found.
For instance, replacing one hour of television time with light physical activity at home or work increased the odds of healthy aging by 8 percent and 10 percent, respectively …
