2. You’re sitting down for more than a few hours every day. Two whole years of your life could be cut just from sitting more than three hours a day. Australian researchers found that even regular exercise couldn’t deter the potential negative effects of sitting for long stretches of time.
3. No Friends. People with weak social connections were found to die at much higher rates than their counterparts, according to research.
On top of all this, elderly people with large circles of friends were found to be 22 percent less likely to die over a tested study period, and those social connections generally promote brain health in aging brains.
4. You’re vegging out in front of your TV. Watching just two hours of television a day can lead to an increased risk of premature death, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, according to Harvard researchers. The negative effects of watching television seem to overlap with the potential negative effects of sitting too much, but watching television seems to make the negative effects of sitting even worse. ”
5. You’re eating too much unhealthy food. Perhaps this sounds obvious, but the truth is that so many of us continue to do it. As far as what foods to especially avoid, eating red meat seems to shorten life expectancy by as much as 20 percent when eating extra portions.
6. You’re still looking for a job.
Being unemployed can increase a person’s risk of premature death by 63 percent. Other more specific studies found that “the two factors most strongly associated with higher death rates were smoking and not having a job.” Another found that older people who lost their jobs during the recession could have seen their lifespan decrease by as many as three years.
7. You’re dealing with a long commute. Commutes of about an hour have been found to increase stress and have been linked to the same negative effects as sitting. Long commutes also reduce the likelihood that individuals will consistently participate in health related activities. The greatest lifespan risk is with female commuters, who were found to have significantly shorter lifespans after consistently commuting for 31 miles or more.