Move or Die!

In a study published in The American Heart Association journal Circulation, researcher Dr. David Dunstan; head of physical activity at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia discovered that you are likely to die an early death by an increase of 18 % from cardiovascular disease and of 11% from all other diseases for every hour you spend sitting around, be it watching TV or doing any other physically passive activity during your day. And the bad news just keep piling on: as it turns out, people who spend four or more sedentary hours during their day, be it watching TV, reading or lounging around, raise the volume on calling the Grim Reaper by 46% through all other disease channels and by a whopping 80% through the popular cardiovascular disease way.

Now, if you are the kind who gets your daily dose of exercise out of the way in one daily hourly session, only to revert back to your default couch hopping sedentary habits during the rest of your day, you might want to reconsider that practice.  You are not much the better off for that: if you workout intensely for only one hour a day, and sit around for the rest, you are not doing enough to stab off the Grim Reaper, he has a whopping 15 to 16 waking hours on you, to ensure that your couch hoping hastens his coming.

What can you do?

First: Get used to the fact that no way, no how, are you leaving here alive.  Let’s face it, we are all going to die at some point, it’s natural; death is a part of life.

Second: Once you are at peace with the reality that your forever is limited to your lifetime; you will die at some point, focus on living your life to the fullest.

Third: Make it a habit to get up and move around during your day, avoid sitting or lying around for long periods of time –more than an hour at a time- during your waking hours. Get up and walk around, move around.

Lastly: In addition to your newfound mobility, incorporate healthy food choices into your eating habits.

As they prolong your life and delay the inevitable date you have with the Grim Reaper, these practices will also enhance your quality of life. New mobility will help put a stop to the buildup of cholesterol plaques in your arteries, preventing the onset of the deadly cardiovascular diseases. As you move around you will increase your blood flow through your body, breathing the life giving oxygen and more energy into your organs. As a result, you will have a better outlook and disposition towards life as a whole. Now, get up and move, then let’s talk about you!