Sitting long now creates problems later
Sitting down for long periods increases your chances of mobility problems later in life, scientists have claimed.
Prolonged periods of sitting and watching television causes a three-fold increased risk of developing a walking difficulty in later life, a new study has shown.
The study , which followed a group of healthy people between the ages of 50 and 71for 10 years, found that prolonged sitting was particularly harmful when combined with low levels of physical activity .
Participants who watched 5 or more hours of TV per day had a 65% greater risk of reporting a mobility disability at the study’s end, compared with those who watched the least amounts of television (less than 2 hours per day) -regardless of their level of physical activity .
“As we age, the less we use our muscles, the worse they become in terms of quantity AND quality … The key message is use it or lose it!“ said Dr James Brown from Aston University.
The minimum recommended amount of exercise we should do is 10 minutes of walking at brisk intensity every day.
