Heart disease is the leading cause of death of women in the U.S. As people spend more and more time sitting thanks to computers, televisions, and sedentary jobs, the risk of cardiovascular disease continues to be a major problem.
Despite multiple reports tying exercise to decreased risk for CVD events, a recent study shows that older women spend almost two-thirds of their day in a sedentary state.
Sedentary Lifestyle Risks
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed the sedentary behavior of more than 7,000 women with an average age of 71 years. All women wore an accelerometer for seven days while awake, for an average of 14.8 hours each day.
Researchers found that the women spent an average of 65.5% of their day sedentary, which equals roughly 9.7 hours. In addition, as age and BMI increased, participants’ activity level decreased.
Extended sitting time has been tied to increased risk for heart disease, stroke, and CVD, particularly for women 70 years of age and older.
In a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, women who are physically inactive and spend 10 hours or more sitting each day are 63% more likely to have a CVD event compared to those who spend five hours or fewer each day sitting.
How do you stay active?
In a world where an increasing number of jobs require sitting at a desk all day, it’s difficult for most people not to be sedentary for more than five hours each day. However, there are ways to compensate for this even while working.
- Walk around the office or around the building periodically throughout the day. This will stimulate the metabolic process and help keep your body burning fat.
- If possible, try a sit-stand desk, or simply take advantage of moments when you can stand while on the phone, etc. Standing at a desk instead of sitting for three hours a day can burn an extra 144 calories.
Even for those of retirement age or older who have never exercised regularly, it’s not too late to start.
In a study conducted in London, researchers tracked 3,500 people aged between their mid-50s and early 70s for more than eight years. They ranked participants according to overall health, labeling those who fell in the top 19% as “healthy agers”.
The study found that people who took up exercise later in life were still three times more likely to be in the healthy agers category than those who remained inactive.
What are your recommendations for remaining active later in life? Do you try to incorporate activity into your workday? We will be continuing this conversation inside our online physician community, if you’re an M.D. or D.O., please join us.
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