Ditch cell phone to stay fit

Glued to your cell phone? It may reduce your fitness and physical activity.
High cell phone use is associated with poor fitness in college students, a new study has found.
Researchers from Kent State University in US were interested in the relationship between smartphones and fitness levels because, unlike the television, phones are small and portable, therefore making it possible to use them while doing physical activity.
They found that despite the phone's mobility, high use contributed to a sedentary lifestyle for some subjects.
More than 300 college students from the Midwest were surveyed on their cell phone usage and activity level. Of those students, 49 had their fitness level and body composition tested.

The researchers' results showed that students who spent large amounts of time on their cell phones - as much as 14 hours per day - were less fit than those who averaged a little more than 90 minutes of cell phone use daily.

The study is believed to be the first to assess the relationship between cell phone use and fitness level among any population.
Researchers Jacob Barkley and Andrew Lepp, faculty members in the College of Education, Health and Human Services at the University concluded that their findings suggest that cell phone use may be able to gauge a person's risk for a multitude of health issues related to an inactive lifestyle.

The study was published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.