Life expectancy is at its all-time high! The fact that so many people are living longer, well into their 80s and 90s is a wonderful idea, however, the sad reality is that living longer doesn’t always include a good quality of life. It’s not a done deal.
Swallowing handfuls of pills every day, losing independence and requiring nursing care is not the way most people would choose to spend their last years.
The good news is that there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of this outcome. Making a conscious decision to take small steps (literally) from today, could make all the difference in your life going forward.
Physical activity, when performed regularly, has been proven to prevent and help manage more than 20 chronic conditions. These include coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity, mental health problems and musculoskeletal conditions.
Sadly, you can’t bank the benefits of exercise from your youth. Ideally being active throughout your lifespan would give optimal health benefits, but research has shown the health gains achieved through physical activity can be attained at any time. So, it doesn’t matter when you start, as long as you start!
Regardless of your activity starting point, there are benefits to be gained for anyone who increases their activity levels. Individuals that follow the recommended physical activity guidelines have shown to have optimal health benefits of a 39% reduced risk of dying from any disease.
The truth is that doing anything is better than nothing – even doing half the amount of the recommended weekly activity has shown a 20% lower risk of mortality.
Regular physical activity also roughly halves your chance of developing some cancers, like bowel and breast cancer. Studies have shown that people who continued to exercise once diagnosed with cancer had significantly less cancer deaths and any-cause death than those who were inactive.
I’ve created a bank of leaflets that provide advice on improving your activity levels. I have also included information on specific conditions such as COPD, Type 2 Diabetes and Depression, as well as the impact of increased activity on things like dementia and poor balance. These leaflets are FREE and downloadable at the link below, so please check them out.
Start your journey to a longer , and better quality of life.
