Everyone knows people lose height as they age, but according to a recent 20-year study, your life gets shorter as you get shorter! Researchers at the University of London found a strong correlation between losing height and mortalityiv when they divided 4,200 men aged 40-59 into 4 groups by how much height they lost over 20 years.
- Less than 1 cm
- 1-2 cm
- 2-3 cm
- Over 3 cm
Men who lost over 3 cm of height had 1.45 times the risk of dying as compared to those losing less than 1 cm. The authors speculated that the physical restriction of the lungs and abdominal organs caused significantly greater risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and respiratory mortality. In other words, if you Stand Taller you Live Longer.
Ironically, another reason to keep your body moving as you advance in years, and why posture-related problems are a growing epidemic in seniors, is that as healthcare improves in other areas people are living longer. The person who suffered a heart attack at age 65 that would have been fatal ten years ago now may live another twenty years, and is at greater risk of posture- and joint-degeneration. The longer people live, the more time the accumulated consequences of postural “sins of their youth” have to catch up with them.
We’ve all heard, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.” Half of the body is muscle, bone, and joint, and its purpose is to move. If you don’t keep your body moving, you will gradually lose the ability to move well. Bodies all have a basic need to move. people lose height as they age people lose height as they age
So . . . Posture and motion don’t only affect how long you live, but also how
well you live.
from Stand Taller-Live Longer, the 7 week program to strengthen YOUR posture. Read more about this posture program . . .
