A few hours of light physical activity every week may help elderly live longer. Light exercises like walking the dog or taking stroll in the garden could effectively pend the risk of death in older men.According to the findings reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, if a full-fledged workout is getting tad too much to bear for the elderly, they must not give up. Light or moderate physical activity is also an effective way to keep diseases at bay.The study challenges two long-held assumptions about the benefits of physical activity for the elderly i.e,
1. Improving health
2. Reduce the risk of dying
According to many health experts, strenuous and more long lasting workouts are the key to good health and keeping the risk of early death at bay.
The elderly in Britain are advised to do moderate-to-intense exercise at least 150 minutes per week. However, UK and US physical activity guidelines don't mention any benefits of light activity, said the researchers. There isn't enough evidence in the guidelines to make a recommendation.
For the study, the researchers tracked 1,200 men without heart disease in their early 70s and late 80s, says such guidelines should be revised.
The results suggest that all activities -- no matter how modest -- are beneficial, noted one of the researchers adding that older adults must be encouraged to engage in no-sweat exercise too.
According to the findings, only 16 percent of the volunteers lived up to current British exercise guidelines in sessions of at least 10 minutes. Two-thirds, however, did hit the weekly, 150-minute quota in shorter snippets of activity.
The data for the study was drawn from the British Regional Heart Study, which began in 1978 with nearly 8,000 participants aged 40 to 59 from a couple dozen towns scattered across Britain. As a follow up, in 2012, the 3,137 men still living underwent a physical check-up. They were made to answer questions about their lifestyle and sleeping patterns.
For the study, the participants wore an accelerometer -- a device that tracks the volume and intensity of physical exercise -- for seven days.The men, who averaged 78 years old, were monitored for five years, during which time 194 of them died.
Each additional 30 minutes-a-day of light-intensity exercise was associated with a whopping 17 percent reduction in the risk of death. Naturally then, a half-an-hour of moderate-to-vigorous activity reduced the risk by even more -- 33 percent.
What mattered eventually was the total time spent exercising, not how the time was divided up, noted the resaerchers.
Mowing the lawn, swimming, walking briskly , were the kind of light activities followed by the men, and they were found to be as likely to delay the risk of death as men whose exercise time was parcelled into longer sessions.
For both groups, the chance of dying was 40 percent lower compared to men who did not move at all.
The researchers also pointed that the study was only observational, and not a clinical trial- thus no conclusive results in terms of cause-and-effect can be drawn at this stage.
It was also not clear whether the findings would apply to older women, as they didn't have the necessary data for women.
In addition to exercise and fitness levels, there are many healthy dietary choices one can make for a longer and healthier life. Here are some foods that may increase your life expectancy-
1. Ginger
The presence of various antioxidants makes ginger a superfood for increasing life expectancy. It is believed that it contains about 25 different types of antioxidants. Antioxidants fight disease causing free radicals in the body and protect against a host of health risks like heart trouble, arthritis and cancer.
2. Cardamom
It is said that drinking cardamom tea is known to be the secret of longevity. It helps in flushing out toxins and keeps your internal systems clean.
3. Ajwain
Ajwain seeds are heart friendly. They contain niacin and thymol that maintain heart health. Ajwain also acts as a natural antibiotic.
4. Honey
Honey is considered to be one of the top superfoods as it has been used a great beauty ingredient that can help slow down signs of ageing. It is full of natural minerals and living enzymes that fortifies your immune system.