How building design can increase your lifespan | Opinion
Do you want to have a longer and healthier life but hate the gym? Start by ditching the elevators! If you want to know the science behind this rather simple advice, keep on reading.
Some regions in the world, known as “blue zones,” have a high percentage of their population living beyond 100 years. Although there are many contributors to their longevity, including diet and genetics, one of the common habits of people living in these places is that physical activity is part of their routine. Whether farming, gardening or walking long distances, physical activity, though vigorous, is neither exhausting, nor reserved to twice a week sessions in the gym.
A recent study from an international group led by scientists at the University of South Wales in Australia followed more than 25,000 people (average age 62 years old) for about seven years. Participants used smart watches that registered their activities. The study showed that small increases in physical activity during daily routines significantly extended participants’ lifespans. Relatively modest intermittent vigorous physical efforts (one to two minutes of fast walking or climbing stairs) were associated with a decrease in mortality related to all causes, including strokes and cancer. This lifestyle, in many cases, produced benefits that were similar to the ones experienced by people who do more traditional exercise routines, which were already known to produce significant anti-aging benefits.
These findings not only help explain the remarkable longevity of “blue zone” inhabitants, but provide a blueprint to increase healthy lifespan for all of us. However, for that to happen, we need to change the way we think about physical effort. For thousands of years, humans had to work hard to survive, and short bursts of vigorous physical activity were not a choice. From the beginnings of feudal systems, and at a faster pace since the Industrial Revolution, intermittent vigorous physical activity became relegated to people of lower means, whereas comfort and inactivity reflected wealth and success. This perception is very much alive today.
Most western cities’ daily routines aim at minimizing physical activity. Think moving walkways, escalators, elevators, working desks, etc. A typical office building in a city center has sophisticated and attractive elevator systems, to which the public is always directed when entering the building. On the other hand, chances are you will have a difficult time finding a staircase, as it is usually hidden. If you find it, it will be dark, dirty, essentially a very unpleasant place to be. Of course, elevators have a critical role in helping people with limited mobility, but for the ones that can move relatively well, they should be more than an afterthought in place only because of fire codes.
Two fundamental changes are required if we want to incorporate life-extending habits related to physical activity to our daily routines. First, all of us should change our perception so that short, vigorous physical activity is seen as a positive. The benefits are palpable. Based on the study mentioned above, if you are 60 years old, this change in lifestyle would reduce your chances of dying in the next seven years by half. This is obviously an approximation, but not far off. Every time you have to decide whether to take the stairs or the elevator, consider that climbing those three, four or even eight flights of stairs, which will make you breathe faster and accelerate your heart rate, will also give you a few more days of healthy life. Compare and contrast this healthy lifespan gain to the extra 30 seconds you may lose by not taking the elevator. As a note of caution, it is important that you consider your overall health and fitness (in consultation with your physician) to determine how to push yourself.
Second, those involved in designing buildings and regulating construction should provide ready opportunities for people to raise their heart rate for a few minutes. Studies done almost 20 years ago showed that simple design changes such as aesthetically pleasing staircases can result in increases in physical activity. A pleasant environment with attractive designs, increased width, abundant lights and decorated walls, might be enough to motivate more people to take the stairs.
Several additional incentives could be put in place. Would a poster highlighting the benefits of climbing stairs influence your choices? What if you are provided wellness benefits by your employer (through an app), so that every time you climb a flight of stairs you get points? Would “game-like” motivators incorporated into stairs’ design entice you to climb? Architects and designers should consider those issues, emphasizing features that induce routine physical activity. In parallel, public officials should develop educational campaigns on the benefits of everyday physical activity. Innovative environments will extend both our health and lifespan.
Carlos T. Moraes is a neurology professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and Sergio T. Moraes is an architecture and urbanism professor at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina in Brazil.