Those politickers leaning to the far right or left get about one hour more exercise per week than centrists sitting on the fence - at least in Europe, according to researchers from the University of Sydney's School of Public Health, The Huffington Post reported.
"Both left and right wing ideologues were significantly more physically active, and those on the right spent less time sitting than those in the centre even after we had adjusted for age, sex, education and country," the report found.
"Busy people at both ends of the political spectrum do not seem to have as much time for idleness. The increased time spent walking and doing vigorous physical activities suggests that they might be out agitating in the field, mobilizing the community, and actively distributing ideas and propaganda."
The study, published in The BMJ, examined data from a 2005 Eurobarometer survey conducted for the European Commission, which polled people from 32 European countries and asked participants to rate their political leanings on a scale of one to 10 and asked questions that assessed physical activity and siting time.
According to the self-reports, those on the far left and right reported more vigorous activity each week than centrists. But those who were politically disengaged were even less active than those in the center.
"Centrists and the politically uncommitted may be at greater risk of non-communicable diseases because of their inertia," the study found. "The politically uncommitted and centrists could consider adopting a stronger political stance for their health. This may also reduce their sitting time, particularly if they shift their views to the right."
The mean age of the 29,193 respondents was 46.7 years. Nearly 7 percent reported their political affiliation on the extreme left and 6.5 percent reported being to the far right, while 60.5 percent reported centrists views. Data for 26.2 percent of respondents was missing.
