A new study finds that the older you are, the more active you need to be to maintain a high quality of life.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge studied 1400 participants aged 60 and above. They found that even spending fifteen minutes a day less engaged when older can lower quality of life, leading to a increased risk of hospitalization and early death.
“Keeping yourself active and limiting—and where you can, breaking up—the amount of time you spend sitting down is really important whatever stage of life you’re at. This seems to be particularly important in later life, when it can lead to potentially significant improvements to your quality of life and your physical and mental well-being,” said Dr. Dharani Yerrakalva from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge.
Anything that can break up extended times of sitting, including walking or gardening, can help.
“There are several ways in which improvements in our physical behaviors might help maintain a better quality of life. For example, more physical activity reduces pain in common conditions such as osteoarthritis, and we know that being more physically active improves muscle strength which allows older adults to continue to care for themselves. Similarly, depression and anxiety are linked to quality of life, and can be improved by being more active and less sedentary,” said Yerrakalva.