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I stand up at work. A number of years ago, several reports came out linking prolonged sitting with metabolic problems associated with shorter life expectancy. I asked for confirmation from a friend who does research at The Institute of Aging and he confirmed it.He also told me that Denmark passed a law stipulating that workers have a standup desk option. Denmark has national health and they wanted to lower the incidence of medical problems.A recent study was summarized in Time with a link to the article in JAMA.One in four American adults sit for more than eight hours a day, according to new federal research from investigators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The study, which was published in JAMA, analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which collects health information on a representative sample of adults over 18 years old. The nearly 6,000 people who responded reported on the number of hours a day they spent sitting — at work, home and during their commutes — as well as how many hours they spent doing moderate to vigorous physical activity each week. About 25% said they spent more than eight hours a day sitting, and 44% said they did no moderate to vigorous physical activity each week. About 11% said they sat for more than eight hours a day and also did little leisure-time physical activity. Only 3% said they sat for less than four hours a day and were active.Sitting has been called “the new smoking” when it comes to the wide-ranging health problems it can trigger. Studies show that people who spend more time sitting have higher rates of heart problems and certain cancers compared to people who spend less time sitting, and they are more likely to die early. The negative health effects are due to a combination of what sitting does to the body — it can lead to weight gain and poor circulation, which are risk factors for heart disease — as well as to the fact that people who sit more are less physically active.The data are only the latest to quantify how prevalent sitting is in the average adult’s daily life, and they highlight the importance of finding ways to sit less in order to lower rates of obesity, heart problems and cancer. Incorporating more physical activity, even if it doesn’t completely meet the recent government recommendations of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a week, can help to offset some of the negative health effects of sitting. “If a person does sit for eight hours a day for their job, it’s best to reduce some of that sitting time with physical activity, and every little bit of exercise helps,” says Emily Ussery, an epidemiologist in the division of nutrition, physical activity and obesity at the CDC and the lead author of the study.Ussery says that the recent physical activity guidelines from the Department of Health and Human Services support the idea that any physical activity is better than none, and everything from more activity-friendly policies like standing desks and walking meetings, to individual, conscious efforts to simply get up periodically throughout the day and take short walks can help. “Five minutes here, 10 minutes there, all adds up and can have positive health benefits,” she says.

Image source: Aging 101: Biological causes of aging - Work for human longevityUntil not too long ago scientists thought that aging was a one-way street. Your DNA ages, mitochondria, the cells’ power plants age and the telomeres get shorter as we age. At the end we run out of steam and die. In one study the telomere length at the age of 100 was only 40% of the average length of telomeres of the group at the age of 20.Now we are learning that telomeres can be lengthened by healthy lifestyles. It has been shown in humans that increased physical activity elongated telomeres. So did vitamin C, E and vitamin D3 supplementation, resveratrol, a Mediterranean diet and marine omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. In addition higher fiber intake, bioidentical estrogen in women and testosterone in men, relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation are also elongating telomeres.Mitochondria can be preserved through exercise, CoQ-10 supplementation and caloric restriction: 3 Ways to Tune Up Your Mitochondria and Enhance EnergyAnother factor of aging is hormone deficiency in general and growth hormone (GH) deficiency in particular. Here is a review article about human growth hormone deficiency that may be mind-blowing to you: Adult growth hormone deficiency. When people age, they lose GH production, which puts them at a considerable risk to get heart attacks and strokes, but they are also at a higher risk of serious falls due to muscle weakness and balance problems. When the doctor detects low IGF-1 levels in the blood and confirms low GH metabolites in a 24-hour urine sample, the time has come to do daily GH injections with human GH. This can be done using a similar pen that is used for insulin injections. The dosage is only between 0.1 mg and 0.3 mg per day, given before bedtime. This is remarkably effective not only for heart attack and stroke prevention, but also to treat muscle weakness, lack of mental clarity and general well being. Patients report that their joint and muscle aches disappear and they can engage in physical activities again. But GH is not the only hormone that needs to be observed and possibly be replaced by nature-identical hormones: effects of hormones on the heartConclusionWe have the tools nowadays to postpone aging considerably. The key is to approach this scientifically; think about your mitochondria (where energy comes from), your telomeres, because you need healthy DNA; your hormones, good nutrition and exercise. This provides a healthy framework on which you can build healthy aging.

This advice applies to everyone, essentially get yourself into a state of maintainable financial and physical health. At 50, you probably have 35 years, at least, to go. You could die tomorrow, but you probably won’t.So, start here:Quit smokingMaintain a healthy weight, ditch the muffin topDevelop an exercise habit. If nothing else, walk and gardenDrink alcohol moderately, if at allBrush and floss dailyMaintain, fix, or end unhealthy rellationships and jobsDevelop non-work interests and activities that don’t involve sitting around on your smartphone or watching TVIf you haven’t started saving for retirement, don’t waste any more time!Pay off your debts.DONT carry a credit card balance.Consider downsizing your house so you can avoid a mortgageVisit your doctor and ask for your 50k mile checkup. Do NOT be bashful about the usual colonoscopy, mammogram, stool samples, or prostate exams they will recommend.