Sure, actually. “One of many largest killers of older folks is falls,” Buettner declares. Enable us to remind you of the next stats: When you’re over 65, there’s a one in 4 probability that you will fall3, and when you do, research present your possibilities of falling once more double. When you fall and break your hip,4 there’s a 30 to 40% probability5 that you’ll die inside a 12 months (not essentially from the autumn itself, however maybe from different issues associated to the accident).
Whenever you sit on the ground, nonetheless, you consistently prepare your decrease physique power and stability—particularly when you’re getting up and down off the ground a number of occasions a day.
“Lo and behold, in Okinawa, [they have] far fewer falls,” says Buettner. “Within the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica, they’re sitting on furnishings, however they’re additionally of their gardens. After they’re of their gardens, they’re on their knees, they’re bending over, [they’re using] the identical kind of muscle tissue that we by no means use once we’re sitting in our places of work, watching TV, and so forth.”
In fact, sitting on the ground is not the top all, be all for longevity; however Buettner counts it as a type of “counterintuitive” practices that helps these folks reside for much longer, more healthy lives. “[They] add as much as a a lot larger piece of the longevity pie than we predict,” he provides.