How much television do you watch? Could this impact your likelihood to develop a disability later in life?
Recent studies show that people from the age of 50-71 years old that watch more than 5 hours of television a day and spend fewer than 3 hours a week being physical active are 3 times more likely to experience a mobility disability. A mobility disability may be referred to a person’s inability to go from one place to another without the assistance of someone or something, and that can mean being unable to walk in the grocery store unassisted or being unable play with your grandchildren.
Perhaps the good news for some of us is that we can enjoy up to 2 hours of television per a day without seeming to increase our risk of a mobility disability. However, 3-4 hours of television watching was associated with 25% higher odds for a mobility disability, and more than 5 hours of television watching was associated with a 65% higher odds for a mobility disability. The research shows that television watching seems to have a correlation to mobility disability due to the prolonged period of time without any breaks for physical activity.
In order to combat this, minimally, take some breaks between your favorite shows, stand up during commercials, and avoid sitting throughout an entire show or movie. No matter what your age, physical activity can help prevent mobility disability. If you don’t use the mobility that you have, you lose it. Lets get up and move around to ensure that we can move throughout life without any disability.
If you have any ailments that prevent you from moving, the therapists at John Goetze Physical Therapy can help improve and maximize your movement potential to ensure that you can keep moving and still enjoy a little tv!
Reference: https:academic.oup.com/biomedgerontolgy/article/doi/10.1093/gerona/glx122/4056501/The-Joint-Associations-of-Sedentary-Time-and
www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/09/04/547580952/get-off-the-couch-baby-boomers-or-you-may-not-be-able-to-later
