10 Ways to Increase Your Physical Activity

Participation in sport is associated with a with a 20—40% reduction in all-cause mortality compared with non-participation. Exercise might also be considered as a fifth vital sign, according to the Lancet: http://goo.gl/gyxYf

Here are some helpful tips from one of the PLoS blogs, Obesity Panacea:

1. Take the stairs as often as possible.
2. Drink plenty of water.
3. Park as far from the front door as possible.
4. Clean your home regularly.
5. Gardening and yardwork.
6. Disconnect your cable for the summer.
7. Buy a pedometer.
8. Use active transportation and public transit.
9. Have “walk-meetings”.
10. Go for a family walk after dinner.

If you need any more convincing, please see this Thai Health Promotion Foundation video that clearly shows the benefits of exercise:



Telomeres are the chromosome tips which shorten each time a cell divides, making them a possible marker of aging. Exercise delays telomere shortening, and potentially slows the aging process in humans. A study of 2400 twins showed that physically active people had longer telomeres than sedentary people. According to the authors, this provides a powerful message that could be used by clinicians to promote the potentially antiaging effect of regular exercise.


Human chromosomes (grey) capped by telomeres (white). Image source: Wikipedia, public domain.