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Low-level exercise can still save lives

A leading UK sports consultant has said that the public should be encouraged to do more ‘low-level’ exercise and that standing up for three hours a day can extend life span by two years. [s]The Independent[/s] quotes Dr Mike Loosemore, head of the [b]Institute of Sport Exercise and Health[/b] at [b]University College London[/b], as saying: ‘There is now enormous evidence that simply standing makes huge differences to your health. Low-level activity, even regularly getting off your seat, can change your life forever. Active individuals reduce their risk of heart disease by 40% against their inactive counterparts.’ Loosemore warned that government’s guidelines advising adults in the UK to do 30 minutes of ‘moderate’ exercise five days a week were ‘impractical or unobtainable’ and that ‘barely 7% of men and 4% of women were carrying out enough activity to fulfil them.’

[s]Reuters Health[/s] reports that according to a new study the next office innovation should be standing while meeting. Researchers at [b]Washington University[/b] in [b]St Louis, Missouri[/b], report that groups working together on a project while standing are measurably more engaged and less territorial than while seated. The researchers found that working in the room without the chairs increased group arousal, decreased territorial behaviour and increased sharing of information and ideas to statistically significant degrees.

[link url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/stand-up-for-three-hours-and-live-two-years-longer-says-top-uk-medical-consultant-9552467.html]Full report in The Independent [/link]
[link url=http://www.bbc.com/news/health-27904822]Full BBC News report[/link]
[link url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/20/us-psychology-group-meetings-productivit-idUSKBN0EV29V20140620]Full Reuters Health report[/link]
[link url=http://spp.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/06/12/1948550614538463.abstract]Social, Psychological and Personality Science abstract [/link]

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