Want to live longer? Then drop the fitness regime and put your feet up
By Roya Nikkhah (Filed: 09/01/2005)

It is the news that all sloths have been waiting for. Scientists in Germany
have found that too much exercise is bad for you and that doing less could
lengthen your life.

In a new book called The Joy of Laziness: How to slow down and live longer,
Dr Peter Axt, retired professor of health science at Fulda University near
Frankfurt, and his daughter, Dr Michaela Axt-Gadermann, a GP, say that everybody
has a limited amount of "life energy" and that the speed with which it is consumed
determines their life span.

They argue that high-energy activities, such as pounding the treadmill at the
gym, accelerates the ageing process and makes the body more susceptible to
illness.

"A more relaxed way of life is important for your health," said Dr Axt-Gadermann.
"If you lead a stressful life and exercise excessively, your body produces
hormones which lead to high blood pressure and can damage your heart and arteries."

Dr Axt-Gadermann said that one key difference between the lazy and those who
exercise was that the more active body produces more "free radicals" - unstable
oxygen molecules that are believed to speed the ageing process.

She added: "Laziness is also important for a healthy immune system because
special immune-cells are stronger in times of relaxation than stress. During
relaxation or `down time', your metabolism is less active, which means the
body produces fewer free radicals.

"If you do a lot of sport or are permanently stressed, then your body will
produce more free radicals and that is one reason why your life could be shortened."Dr
Axt-Gadermann, 37, and her 65-year-old father, who are both reformed long-distance
runners, also say that laughing is healthier than running.

"When you laugh, your body produces the hormone serotonin which makes you feel
happy and relaxed," said Dr Axt-Gadermann.

"The heartbeat races and blood pressure is raised for a short while, without
activating your metabolism and producing the free radicals which spend your
life energy. Basically, laughing is a good training session without the negative
side-effects."

The book also says that laziness is good for the brain. It says that exercise
and stress can cause the body to produce the hormone cortisol, which can damage
cells in the brain and lead to memory loss and premature senility.

To illustrate the theory that laziness equals longevity, The Joy of Laziness
also suggests that early risers are more prone to stress and that late sleepers
live longer because they conserve their energy. "People who would rather laze
in a hammock instead of running a marathon, or who take a nap instead of playing
squash, have a better chance of living into old age."

Dr Axt and his daughter advise readers that gentle walking, their own preferred
form of exercise, is sufficient to keep people in shape if combined with a
sensible diet that is low in carbohydrates and high in protein.

"We try to put our own ideas into practice but this does not mean that we do
nothing all day," said Dr Axt-Gadermann. "Laziness should not be to the extreme
and work is an important part of life, but recreation and relaxation should
not be underestimated."

The Joy of Laziness, which is published tomorrow, will be essential reading
for Dan Kieran, the 29-year-old deputy editor of The Idler, a literary magazine.

"This book definitely makes sense to me," said Mr Kieran, who lives in south
London. "I spend one day a week in the office and the rest of my time involved
in a lot of relaxation. Having the right amount of laziness in your life is
a vital component to being happy. We live in a culture of guilt, where laziness
is scorned.

"However, I firmly believe that we do not need to do half as much exercise
as people think and it is very important to just lie down and do nothing sometimes,"
he said.

The medical establishment, however, is sceptical. Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the
head of science and ethics at the British Medical Association, said that moderate
exercise should not be set aside in favour of lazing around.

"It is a very tempting theory as so often, many of us feel that we cannot be
bothered with exercise," she said.

"However, I would not agree that people have a set amount of expendable energy
during a lifetime and that exercise is bad for you. In fact, done sensibly,
exercise lowers the blood pressure, improves your metabolic state and can improve
health and contribute to a longer life."

Dr Graham Archard, the vice- chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners,
said: "I can understand why the book might sell well as it is always nice to
be told that you can sit on your backside and do nothing.

"However, 20 to 40 minutes of exercise, three times a week, is the best way
to improve cardiovascular health, the immune system and general physical well-being,"
he said.

A spokesman for the Keep Fit Association, an organisation that promotes fitness
through exercise and dance, said: "This is a most unusual idea for a book.
Exercising and building up fitness actually improves your mental state and
helps you keep pace with the demands of modern life.

"If you neglect exercising and laze around too much, you will not be doing
much for your mind or body."