What are the Health risks of a sedentary lifestyle?

Sedentary behavior is increasing

As we end up becoming more and more technologically advanced, we’re testing new boundaries. We’re broadening our horizons and pressing the limits of what’s possible.

At the same time, we’re turning more and more into lazy-bones. Sedentary behavior is increasing on a worldwide scale due to our prolonged sitting.

These studies are still emerging. Yet, there’s a lot of data that warns of the health dangers and diseases brought on by being inactive.

Below the top 10 illnesses triggered by leading a sedentary lifestyle.

 

What is a Sedentary Lifestyle?

James A. Levine, an obesity expert at the Mayo Clinic, is the very first one to coin the expression ‘sitting illness. His 2005 article in Science Magazine centered on the negative health impact of sitting for extended periods.

Little did he know how spot-on his theory would become. Neither did anyone realize the extent of devastation it can unleash on our bodies.

Those living a sedentary lifestyle aren’t satisfying the nationwide physical activity standards. These guidelines specify that adults must get no less than 150 minutes of exercise each week.

While this may seem simple to accomplish, it appears that just 21% of adults are meeting these guidelines. Given that we’re creatures of habits, our extended durations of lack of exercise can trigger major health dangers.

Keep reading to discover what these health risks entail.

10 Diseases Caused by Being Sedentary

The American Heart Association has recorded an 80% increase in sedentary jobs since the 1950s. Not only that, however, our commutes are longer. That by the end of the day, we come home so worn out we need to sit some more.

All this sitting is taking a toll on our health. It’s increasing our danger for establishing serious illness as the 10 we’ve discussed listed below.

sedentary lifestyle, infographic of the hours we sit down in a day

1. Weight Gain

This should not be a surprise! The most obvious health risk of extended periods of sitting is that you burn fewer calories. Plus, your metabolism slows down because you’re not moving as much so you do not require as much energy. When the metabolic process is impacted, it can impact the method your body breaks down fats and sugars for energy.

So, what your body used to burn for energy is now being stored away as fat. Even if you’re not eating processed, or fried foods, you’ll still put on weight. In the long run, this can result in obesity, which is the second leading cause of avoidable deaths in the US.

weight gain

2. Back and Neck Pain

Your blood circulation doesn’t flow as freely when you’re not moving. This means your muscles aren’t getting as much oxygen as they need. As an outcome, they tighten up, then become unpleasant and stiff.

You can especially feel this in your lower back and neck. It impacts different muscles in different methods. Your glutes and abs, for instance, end up being weaker.

3. Cardiovascular Diseases

With less activity comes poor blood circulation. This weakens the immune system and causes a hormone imbalance. It likewise leads to high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels.

Anyone who walks less than 1000 steps a day is at a higher danger for heart diseases. Integrate that with sitting for more than 8 hours a day, and you have about a 147% more possibility of developing cardiovascular disease.

heart disease

4.Type-2 Diabetes

The more time you invest sitting down, the greater the danger of developing type-2 diabetes. As a matter of fact, those who lead inactive lives have a 112% increased threat of developing this persistent disease.

Without sufficient exercise, your body ends up being resistant to insulin. When your body can’t launch insulin when it’s most required, this results in type-2 diabetes.

diabetes

5. Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is when you suffer from three or more health threat aspects. The less exercise you do, the higher your risk is for metabolic syndrome.

The most important risk elements for metabolic syndrome include the following:
– A large waistline (35 inches or more for ladies, 40 inches or more for guys).
– High blood pressure (130/85 mmHg or higher).
– High fasting blood sugar level levels (100 mg/dL or greater).
– Low HDL levels (less than 50 mg/dL for ladies and 40 mg/dL for males).
– High triglyceride levels (the ‘bad’ cholesterol: 150 mg/dL or higher).

There are many methods to help boost your metabolic process.

Build Muscle: Those living a sedentary way of life tend to have bad muscle tone and excess body fat. The basal metabolic rate of an individual with more muscle tends to be greater. Each pound of muscle burns 6 calories each day sustaining itself whereas each pound of fat uses simply 2 calories.

Aerobic Workouts: Calorie burn boosts in the hours after an aerobic exercise and the more difficult you can push yourself safely the more calories you can burn.

Choose Protein over Fat: Just as toning your muscles and burning fat can boost your metabolism, consuming protein burns more calories than consuming carbs or fats.

Eating Healthy: In balance with exercise a healthy diet plan that is low in fat and products enough calories to match your body’s requirements helps maintain a strong metabolism.

6.      Osteoporosis

This health risk isn’t one of the obvious ones when it comes to sedentary behavior. Yet, physical inactivity weakens your bones and may lead to osteoporosis.

Another reason why osteoporosis is a result of a sedentary lifestyle is the lack of sunlight. Less sunlight means less vitamin D, which has a negative impact on the strength of your bones

osteoporosis and sedentary lifestyle

7. Muscle Degeneration

That saying ‘If you don’t utilize it, you lose it’ is totally true when it comes to muscles. When you do not utilize your muscles, they become weaker and you lose muscle strength.
Did you know that we lose from 3% to 5% of our muscle mass starting at the ripe aging of 30? Mix that with inactive behavior, and you’ll just make it worse.

8. Mental Health

The absence of physical activity leads to a higher threat of developing psychological health disorders, such as depression. This is because workout, even low-impact exercises, boosts blood flow. It likewise signals your brain to launch ‘feel-good’ hormonal agents that eradicate stress and stress and anxiety.

9. Cancer

Lack of physical activity has actually been linked to an increased risk of certain types of cancer. This consists of colon, breast, and uterine cancer.
With excess weight and increased swellings, the body’s defense systems end up being weaker. Therefore, irregular cells discover it easier to develop and infiltrate healthy tissue.

10. Death

Leading an inactive lifestyle increases your danger of premature death. The World Health Organization (WHO) mentions that approximately 85% of the global population isn’t getting sufficient exercise. As an outcome, inactive behavior is the fourth leading danger element for mortality in the world.

Ways to Combat Sedentary Behavior

Fear not. All these health dangers can be reversed. All you have to do is start forming excellent routines. Start with a few easy changes to your day. Soon, you’ll be getting in those 150 minutes of exercise every week– if not more.

Here are a couple of good routines to try today:

  • Park further away from entryways
  • Take the stairs instead of the elevator
  • Walk or stand around every 30 minutes for no less than 10 to 15 minutes at a time
  • Walk while talking on the phone
  • Stretch and exercise daily, even for a minimum of 15 minutes
  • Use sit/stand desks in your office
  • Keep moving while watching TELEVISION
  • Do more housework, backyard work, or gardening
  • 50   Ways To Move More And Sit Less

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