Lifestyle for a lifetime

[3]. It was reported that high-intensity intermittent exercise significantly improves heart structure and function. b) Sitting is bad for children indicating that children who sit too much may face adult-sized health consequences [4]. After a single session of prolonged inactivity, children developed changes in their blood flow and arteries which would herald the start of serious cardiovascular problems in adult life. c) Fidgeting (i.e. playing, toying or jiggling) may counteract the negative effects of prolonged sitting. A recent study about fidgeting found that fidgeting may actually counteract the negative effects of sitting behind a desk all day [5]. The authors used data from the UK Women’s Cohort Study, following 12,778 women aged 37–78 years over a 12-year period. Women who were sitting for seven or more hours daily had a 30 % increased risk of dying from any cause, compared with those who sat less than 5 h a day. d) Seniors who work longer are healthier than those who are retired [6]. Researchers from the University of Miami examined data on more than 83,000 Americans, all of whom were at least 65 years old when they were interviewed; 13 % of them were still working part time or full time. Of those still working, 61 % held whitecollar jobs. Compared with people with white-collar jobs, those who were unemployed or retired were almost three times more likely to report their health as ‘poor’ or ‘fair.’