Physical Activity

shows that people who spend less time sitting and more time physically active have a lower risk for chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, breast cancer, colon cancer and others.
Even just standing more and sitting less appears to make a difference to health and quality of life, say Sara Rosenkranz and Richard Rosenkranz, both assistant professors of human nutrition, who led the study.
Prof. Richard Rosenkranz says:
"Not only do people need to be more physically active by walking or doing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, but they should also be looking at ways to reduce their sitting time."

Breaking up long periods of sitting, by exercising or simply standing, promotes better health and 'successful aging.'
Image credit: Kansas State University

The researchers had already shown in earlier work that the more people sit, the greater their chances of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and premature death.
For their new study, reported in the journal BMC Public Health, the Rosenkranzes and colleagues wanted to take a positive approach and find out to what extent increasing physical activity might benefit health and quality of life.