Physical Activity

Americans have more luxuries and more opportunities to lay back and do nothing than perhaps any other country in the world. Perhaps that’s why on a global scale, the U.S. is one of the laziest countries on Earth, according to a Stanford University study. [1]
The great Ron Swanson once said:

“The whole point of [America] is if you want to eat garbage, balloon up to 600 pounds and die of a heart attack at 43, you can! You are free to do so. To me, that’s beautiful.”

Type 2 diabetes, a serious disease (especially if left untreated) that can result in amputations and lifelong complications, can usually be prevented through healthy diet and exercise, and that’s exactly what needs to happen, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns. The number of people with the condition has quadrupled in less than 40 years, with approximately 422 million people now suffering from the ailment.

You might have heard that exercise treats the symptoms of depression and helps you prevent conditions like heart disease and diabetes. Well, you may be surprised to hear that some research even suggests that exercise can help improve your vision.

Exercise can undoubtedly help you live better, but what about longer? Are there certain activities that are better than others? Yes, and yes. A study published in the BMJ suggests that exercise can reduce your risk of death from cardiovascular-related issues (think heart disease or stroke), and there are certain activities that may be more beneficial than others. [1]

If you’re a drinker, carving out 2 to 2.5 hours a week to exercise may reduce your risk of dying early from alcohol-related cancer and other health problems.
Not drinking would eliminate that risk, but let’s be realistic.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) gave the University of Utah College of Health more than $700,000 to study mentions of food on Twitter to find out about Americans’ relationship with food. Guess what? Kale didn’t make the list; far from it, actually. [1]
Researchers, led by assistant professor Quynh Nguyen, collected 80 million tweets from 2015-2016, and found out that nearly 5% of them were about food. [2]

The Finnish government has recently introduced physical fitness guidelines, stating that children need at least 3 hours of exercise per day. Finnish children are known the be among the world’s most physically fit. [1]

A new study suggests that you’re never too old to get moving, showcasing how exercise can help improve memory and reverse muscle loss in older adults – ultimately helping them to recover from disability and regain independence.
Dr. Thomas Gill, a professor medicine at Yale University School of Medicine, and a team of colleagues followed more than 1,600 elderly adults who were mostly sedentary at the beginning of the study. [1]

Sitting for long periods is bad for you – this isn’t anything you probably don’t already know. But a leading cardiologists’ group warns that even if you exercise, spending too much time on your tush still takes a major toll on your heart. [1]
Let me be specific: you can’t just exercise a couple of times a week and expect to make up for 5 straight days of sitting, according to the American Heart Association (AHA) panel.

Stroke is the 3rd leading cause of death, and the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States. Approximately 795,000 people in the U.S. suffer a stroke each year, and about 140,000 strokes are fatal. [1]
Source: UF Health Shands Comprehensive Stroke Center