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People who get even a small amount of exercise may be less likely to die prematurely than their more sedentary counterparts, a research review suggests. Researchers examined data from 10 previously published studies that used accelerometers that track movement to measure the exact amount of active and sedentary time spent by more than 36,000 older adults. After an average follow-up period of 6.7 years, a total of 2,149 people died, or about 6 per cent of the participants. Compared to people who got virtually no exercise, people who got the most physical activity were 73 per cent less likely to die during the study, regardless of how intensely they worked out. With even a little exercise, people were 52 per cent less like to die. When researchers looked only at people who did light workouts, they again found that even a little bit of low-intensity exercise was associated with a 40 per cent lower risk of death during the study compared with doing nothing at all. People who got...

Young children should not spend more than an hour a day watching television and videos or playing computer games and infants less than one year old should not be exposed to electronic screens at all, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday. Limiting, and in some cases eliminating, screen time for children under the age of 5 will result in healthier adults, said WHO, adding that quality sedentary time spent in interactive non-screen-based activities with a caregiver, such as reading, storytelling, singing and puzzles, is very important for child development. Taking away iPads and other electronic devices is only part of the solution. Children under 5 should also get more exercise and sleep in order to develop better habits, said WHO. Failure to meet current physical activity recommendations is responsible for more than 5 million deaths globally each year across all age groups. Physically active and good sleep key for kids under 5 The United Nations agency, issui...

Business Standard : Engaging in moderate physical activity including walking, cycling or jogging in the evening does not cause sleep problems, suggest researchers. The research challenges previous studies that suggested that sleep quality can be improved by avoiding exercise in the evening. The findings showed that doing exercise for four hours before going to bed does not have a negative effect on sleep. However, vigorous training within an hour before bedtime may have a negative effect on sleep. "If doing sport in the evening has any effect on sleep quality at all, it is rather a positive effect, albeit only a mild one," said Christina Spengler, Deputy Head from the ETH Zurich in Switzerland. In the study, published in the journal Sports Medicine, a small group of people after taking part in some kind of sport in the evening, spent 21.2 per cent of their sleeping time in deep sleep , compared to 19.9 per cent following an evening without exercise. ...