Active Senior's Live Longing

The Boston Globe reports:

The simple activities of daily life, such as washing dishes, walking to the car, even fidgeting, may help older people live longer, according to a study published today that is the first to measure the energy used for these tasks and its effect on longevity.

Senior citizens who were most active, regardless of whether they exercised, were nearly 70 percent less likely to die during the six-year study period than those who were most sedentary, the study found. The results shed new light on how much exercise is needed to maintain good health.

``Any movement is better than no movement to lower your risk of death," said Todd M. Manini, a research scientist at the National Institute on Aging who led the study. ``A lot of older adults are intimidated by organized exercise. Our study suggests that it's the accumulation of activity throughout the day that matters."

Keep exercising.