THE ONE DAILY ACTIVITY THAT CAN ADD OVER 10 YEARS TO YOUR LIFE REVEALED BY SCIENTISTS

It's normal to want to curl up inside, watch a movie every night, and do very little else when Christmas is approaching. Nonetheless, if you needed encouragement to get out, a study found that one incredibly easy daily activity could extend your life by five to ten years. Technically, you are not even required to leave your home.

The study

The study, which was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, examined the differences in life expectancy based on varying levels of physical activity. It was based on mortality data from the National Centre for Health Statistics from 2017 and was based on a life table of the 2019 American population.

People 40 years of age or older who wore "hip-worn accelerometers," which are activity-tracking devices like your smartwatch, for at least 10 hours over four days or more were asked to measure their physical activity.

The study states: "The benefits of an hour of walking, a common and typical physical activity behaviour, were estimated by applying average physical activity levels by age (40 - 49.9, …, 80+ years) to the US Statistics Bureau’s 2019 American population data."

However, what is the actual impact of walking for an hour each day on life expectancy estimates?

The results

According to the study, if all Americans aged 40 and older in 2017 were "as active as the least active 25 percent," life expectancy would have decreased by 5.8 years. The average life expectancy in the US was 78.6 years in 2017.

However, the life expectancy at birth for all Americans over 40 would be 83.7 years, or "an increase of 5.3 years," if they were "as active as the top 25 percent of the population."

And should you spend 160 minutes a day walking? Your life expectancy may then rise "up to 10.9 years."

"Each additional single hour of physical activity would prolong life by an average of 169.1 minutes," the study states.

The benefits

Dr Lennert Veerman, a senior study author and professor of public health at Griffith University's School of Medicine and Dentistry in Australia, told CNN that he was "surprised to find that the loss of life years in the USA due to low levels of physical activity might rival the losses due to smoking and high blood pressure."

"Regular physical activity provides significant physical and mental health benefits," according to the World Health Organisation.

Physical activity helps adults avoid and manage noncommunicable diseases like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. It also improves brain health, lessens the symptoms of anxiety and depression, and can enhance general well-being.

"Physical activity improves motor and cognitive development, supports healthy muscle growth and development, and supports bone health in children and adolescents."