Shaping Our Future DHS Divisions Director Equal Opportunity Chief Counsel Admin. Shortly after I graduated from high school, one of my classmates died of cancer. I do not think her lifestyle caused her death.
Some events are beyond our control.
Yet, there is growing evidence we can shape our future. What we do in mid-life and late adulthood influences how long we live and what disabilities we may encounter in old age. Researchers looked at twins to see if differences in lifestyle made a difference in their health status. Even after taking genetics into account, leisure-time physical activity was found to have a powerful beneficial influence in reducing death. The researchers found that among the twin pairs who had one person that was physically active and another that was sedentary, conditioning exercisers had a 56 percent reduced risk of death, and occasional exercisers had a 34 percent lower risk of death when compared to those that were sedentary.