Health impacts of a sedentary lifestyle
Table of Contents
Learn about the sedentary lifestyle side effects and how the negative consequences impact your health.
What is a sedentary lifestyle?
The definition of sedentary is (of work or a way of life) characterized by much sitting and little physical exercise.
Furthermore, activity that requires sitting, lying down, or resting against something is referred to as sedentary behavior. For instance, your job can demand you to spend a lot of time sitting at a desk.
Technology allows individuals to be more connected than ever before, but excessive use of mobile devices has been related to physical ailments such as eye strain, depression, and effects of being sedentary.
Additionally, due to health issues that make it difficult for us to perform daily duties, as we get older, we are more likely to lead a sedentary lifestyle.
Physical activity levels decrease with age. Regardless of whether they are employed or not, those over 60 are the least active and spend the most time being inactive of any age group.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read our affiliate disclosure.
Sedentary lifestyle influences
Allergies or air pollution are only two examples of various reasons that may drive you to lead a sedentary lifestyle. If there is heavy traffic, you might have to sit for an extended of period of time, if you have to travel far.
Another big influence of a sedentary lifestyle includes binge watching TV series. Also, sitting for extended periods of time scrolling through your phone.
Sedentary lifestyle side effects
According to this report, an adult’s population life expectancy in the USA would increase by 2 years if they decreased their daily sitting time to less than 3 hours, and it would increase by 1.38 years if they reduced their daily television viewing to less than 2 hours.
Being Sedentary has a number of detrimental effects on your health and general wellbeing. Such as:
- Type 2 diabetes,
- cancer
- cardiovascular disease
- obesity
- early mortality
- impair blood sugar
- metabolism
- blood pressure
- osteoporosis
Sedentary lifestyles have negative psychological repercussions as well. It may also alter your mood and your conduct. For instance, tension and rage levels grow as depression levels do.
Are you, on the other hand, more forgetful? Are you constantly misplacing items? This might also result from inactivity.
According to research from the University of Maryland, the blood flow to the brain, particularly the hippocampus, decreased in athletes who took a week off from exercise. Our memory is controlled by the hippocampus, a region of the brain.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like forgetting the name of someone who just gave it to me a short while ago.
7 Lifestyle changes to reverse the sedentary lifestyle side effects
Let’s talk about 7 lifestyle changes you can make in your day, now that you are aware of the sedentary lifestyle side effects.
- Stretching: Do some stretching to loosen muscles first thing in the morning.
- Walking: Go on a brisk walk during lunch hour or after having dinner.
- Standing: If you must stand for a prolonged amount of time, do some back kicks or squats while you are standing. Be creative!
- Biking: Bike riding is a great way to enjoy the outdoors. Alternatively, you can use a stationary bike when the weather is undesirable.
- Get a Hobby: Choose a hobby that gets you moving. For instance, taking up dancing lessons, gardening, or walking other people’s dogs.
- Exercise: or buy exercise equipment for your home.
- Move: Be mindful of your activities.
Sedentary lifestyle side effects can be detrimental on your health and well being. Make a resolution to to make healthy lifestyle changes.
