Archive · 25 Aug 2026
Everyday Habits Linked to Longer Life, Without Supplements
Dr Sudhir Kumar shared everyday habits that are linked with living longer.
They include moving regularly, sleeping well and avoiding very long workweeks.
Running, brisk walking and taking more daily steps may help health.
Strength training twice a week may also be useful.
The thread said that about seven hours of sleep is a good target for many people.
Sleeping too little or too much was linked with higher health risks.
Working 55 or more hours each week was linked with higher risks of stroke and heart disease.
Dr Reddy said people should start slowly and build consistent habits.
He also explained that fitness, measured partly by VO2 max, is strongly connected with health.
These studies show patterns in groups of people and do not prove that one habit alone guarantees a longer life.
Dr Sudhir Kumar highlighted running, walking, daily steps, strength training, sleep and working hours as longevity-related habits.
The thread said even less than 50 minutes of running weekly may provide much of running’s observed benefit.
It cited lower mortality risks among people who walk briskly, average at least 7,000 steps daily and perform resistance training.
About seven hours of sleep was described as a favorable target, while very short and very long sleep were associated with higher risk.
Dr Palleti Siva Karthik Reddy emphasized that the figures show associations, not proof that any single habit directly causes longer life.
- Who
- Dr Sudhir Kumar presented the lifestyle advice, and Dr Palleti Siva Karthik Reddy provided medical context.
- What
- The article examined six everyday habits associated with longevity: running, walking, daily steps, strength training, sleep and working hours, along with cardiorespiratory fitness.
- When
- Dr Kumar’s thread was dated August 8, 2026; the article also said longevity had been trending on Google during the previous 24 hours.
- Where
- The advice was shared on X, and the expert comments were provided to indianexpress.com.
- Why
- The article aimed to explain practical, data-linked lifestyle habits while cautioning that associations do not prove direct cause and effect.
Thread’s Practical Longevity Claims
Expert Evidence Caveats
Meaning of the statistics
Thread’s Practical Longevity Claims
Dr Kumar presented specific percentages and targets as data-backed guidance for living longer without supplements or biohacks.
Expert Evidence Caveats
Dr Reddy said the evidence supports activity and health benefits but emphasized that these are associations, not biological thresholds or proof of direct causation.
Exercise targets
Thread’s Practical Longevity Claims
The thread highlighted 7,000–10,000 steps, less than 50 minutes of weekly running and about 60 minutes of weekly resistance training.
Expert Evidence Caveats
Dr Reddy said consistency matters more than exact numbers and advised sedentary people to begin with regular walking and gradually add strength exercises.
Sleep and overwork
Thread’s Practical Longevity Claims
The thread described seven hours as a favorable sleep target and warned of elevated risks from very short sleep and working 55 or more hours weekly.
Expert Evidence Caveats
Dr Reddy agreed that inadequate sleep and long working hours can harm health but noted that very long sleep may also reflect underlying illness, rather than simply causing higher mortality.
- Running
- The thread cited 27% lower all-cause mortality, 30% lower cardiovascular mortality and 23% lower cancer mortality among runners versus non-runners.
- Walking
- About 11 MET-hours per week, described as roughly 25–30 km of brisk walking, was linked to an approximately 11% lower all-cause mortality risk.
- Daily steps
- A daily average of 7,000 or more steps was associated with a 50–70% lower mortality risk than fewer than 7,000 steps.
- Strength training
- About 60 minutes of resistance training weekly was linked to a 27% lower all-cause mortality risk, with benefits described as plateauing.
- Sleep
- The thread called seven hours a mortality sweet spot and linked sleeping under five hours with a 40% higher all-cause mortality risk versus seven hours.
- Long working hours
- Working at least 55 hours weekly versus 35–40 hours was linked to 35% higher stroke risk and 17% higher risk of death from heart disease.
- VO2 max
- Dr Reddy described VO2 max as a broad measure of how efficiently the heart, lungs, blood vessels and muscles work together during strenuous exercise.