The term “sedentary life” refers to an inactive life in which a person spends most of their time sitting. Although it may sound pleasant and enjoyable, it is the opposite, maintaining a sedentary life can affect our health in many ways. We know that exercise not only serves for aesthetics (see us fitness), but also to keep us healthy.
In recent decades, we have become dependent on technological gadgets or objects, for example; We use the car for everything, we avoid exercise since we prefer to use our free time to use the computer on Facebook or the phone on Instagram, etc., which has caused the increase in many diseases.
we introduce you to the 7 diseases that you can suffer from leading a too sedentary life and we give you some tips on the exercises you can do (without needing so much time) to avoid these pathologies.
If you suffer from diseases that do not allow you to do all kinds of exercises, you can consult your specialist to find out which ones can help you in your specific case.
The muscles of the body need to move, as do the joints, since they are our daily engine to be able to walk or even sit. As we have mentioned before, inactive life can lead us to suffer from different types of diseases, some of these include:
1 Cardiovascular diseases
People who are physically inactive are more prone to cardiovascular mortality and hypertension.
2.Obesity or being overweight
Being sedentary can also lead us to gain a lot of calories and gain weight. What later can also lead us to many types of diseases such as: cardiovascular, arterial, respiratory, joint diseases, among others.
3 Sarcopenia
Sarcopenia is the disease of loss of muscle mass that can be caused by lack of physical activity and mainly aging. What leads the muscle to not work in the best way or as it used to, being a risk to maintain a good quality of life since it can cause physical disability, falls and frequent weaknesses.
4 Cancer
A sedentary life increases the risk of some types of cancer such as colon, uterus and breast.
5 Anxiety and depression
Exercise can help us mentally stimulate ourselves, maintaining self-esteem in us. So a sedentary life could also lead to anxiety and / or depression.
6 Osteoporosis
The disease that weakens and thins the bones, becoming brittle. Which could cause these to break easily. Generally, this disease is silent, so many people can suffer without knowing it until they break a bone.
7 Thrombosis
Thromboses occur when a clot forms inside a blood vessel. This can even cause acute myocardial infarctions. If you spend a lot of time sitting or lying down, the chance of having a thrombosis increases.
Sedentary life is considered one of the most important factors in the world that cause deaths. According to the WHO, at least 60% of the world’s population does not perform the physical activity necessary to maintain stable health. Being sedentary the cause of 6% of deaths of people worldwide.
Proposals for exercises against sedentary lifestyle
There are many ways that can help us maintain continuous physical activity, it does not take hours to exercise, taking a few minutes a day can help your body. Some tips you can follow to achieve this include:
i. Yoga: Doing some yoga movements can help the body stretch and stay active. You can do these exercises before starting your day, right after you wake up. In addition, these exercises are considered to help mentally keep calm and active during the day.
ii. Bicycle: Riding a bicycle for even 20 minutes a day can do a lot for your body. You can use an exercise bike or go out with it.
iii. Walking: you do not necessarily have to go to a track to walk, you can use the streets of your house or subdivision to do it. At least 15 minutes of walking will help your body physically and mentally.
iv. Move your body: you can be watching the phone, the computer or the television while moving some parts of the body like the arms with a dumbbell or the legs. You can also stretch and thus maintain two activities at the same time.
v. Daily tasks: Cleaning the house and garden also count as physical activities, you can give yourself one day a week to do these daily tasks yourself and thus move your body. Put on some music to make it even more fun!
Due to confinement, certain activities may seem impossible, but the amazing thing about exercise is that you can do it even in your bedroom. You can play some music and dance in your living room or bedroom, avoiding going out and improving your physical activity.