Leading a Sedentary Lifestyle Is Not All Bad

Leading a sedentary lifestyle has long been known to have serious health effects, but according to the researchers at Colorado State University, this does not apply to the brains of older adults. In fact, some level of sedentariness has shown to be beneficial in their cognitive health.

Assistant professor Aga Burzynska, in the CSU Department of Human Development and Family Studies, studied 228 healthy older adults, ages 60 to 80, and observed the relationship between sensor-measured physical activity and their cognitive performance.

The study was published in Psychology and Aging, and findings show that adults who engage in more moderate to vigorous activity have better speed, memory, and reasoning abilities. But those who led a more sedentary lifestyle were better in cognitive tasks like vocabulary and reasoning tasks. 

With aging comes a normal decline in speed, overall functioning, and memory, this is applicable to all people age 60 and up even if they do not have any cognitive impairments. This decline, if within the normal range, should not cause any problem. According to Burzynska, their study aims to understand how behaviors and habits may correlate with cognitive outcomes in older age.

The older participants were monitored for 7 days based on the sensor attached to their hip. This sensor was able to detect the amount of time they spent daily sitting or engaged in light activity as compared to those who are more into moderate to vigorous physical activity.

The results show that those who engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity scored better in fluid tasks, such as speed and memory, problem-solving, and reasoning skills. This suggests that exercise can reduce the typical effects associated with brain aging.

Although earlier studies may indicate that people age faster if they spend more time being a couch potato, on a cognitive level it shows sitting time may also be meaningful. While regular exercise is good generally for the overall health, for older adults who may experience a hard time to remain physically active, choosing to engage in more cognitively demanding activities may be beneficial. 

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A Sedentary Lifestyle and Health Risks

The more sedentary your lifestyle is, the higher the health risk as well as the potential for premature death.

According to World Health Organization, approximately 2 million deaths per year are attributed to physical inactivity, this was the cause of alarm that WHO had to issue a warning that leading a sedentary lifestyle could very well be among the 10 leading causes of death and disability in the world. 

Being sedentary is actually one of the serious public health problems but is seldom addressed, children who are insufficiently active can have serious implications for their future health. 

How To Get Started With Exercise?

For someone who has been inactive for a long time, getting back on your feet may seem difficult at first. This is why you need to add exercise into your routine gradually so that you will not get overwhelmed. Eventually, you will be able to reach the recommended amount of exercise for your age and health. 

Further reading: Computer Vision Syndrome: What Is It and How To Prevent It?

Check out more news and information on Aging on MD News Daily.