The Easiest Way to Add YEARS to Your Life

There are all sort of things that can kill you.

Some you expect… like heart disease, cancer, or even an accident.

Others you’d never give a second thought to.

And as it turns out, chances are there’s something you’re doing every single day that’s dramatically increasing your risk of dying early.

The good news? It’s a surprisingly simple lifestyle fix that you can change—starting today—to add years to your life.

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicinefound that simply sitting 8 to 9 hours a day can increase your risk of an early death.

You’d be hard pressed to find someone these days who DOESN’T sit for that long throughout the day. A good portion of the workforce is sitting front of a computer all day… and the rest of the population is plopped in front of the TV.

Here’s the catch: Spending 30 minutes a day on the treadmill (after you’ve been sitting in your car to get to and from the gym) isn’t going to solve the problem.

This study specifically showed that sitting for long periods of time increases the risk of death even in people who exercise regularly. 

Let’s look at the numbers. 

The people with the highest risk of death were the ones that sat for 8-9 hours a day and did not exercise. They experienced a 40% increase in the risk of dying early.

But even those who exercised regularly (but still sat most of the day) had a 10% increased risk of death.

Specifically, sitting for long periods of time was connected to a 14% increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease and a 13% increased risk of cancer.

But the worst connection of all? A 91% increased risk of diabetes (a condition that then increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, and death).

That’s not surprising since long periods of sitting is known to increase insulin resistance—the hallmark of diabetes.

This study makes it clear that the problem can’t be fixed by spending some time at the gym. That’s because it’s a lifestyle problem, not a gym membership problem.

Humans were never meant to live a sedentary lifestyle. And while we’ll never go back to our nomadic, hunter-gatherer days, there are things you can do every day to be more active.

Take a up a hobby. Play with your grandkids. Park farther away at the grocery store. Go the park. Walk the mall. 

Besides living healthier and longer, you’ll find that doing activities like these help you live happier.

Running marathons or working up a sweat is not the goal. 

The goal is simply to get moving…while you still can.

To a brighter day,

Dr. Richard Gerhauser, M.D.