More people in America and around the world are becoming increasingly sedentary. The health risks of a sedentary lifestyle are clearer than ever as more research is dedicated to determining the cause and learning how to fight it. In most cases, having an inactive lifestyle leads to weight gain, which can harm your health. Reducing your overall weight to healthy levels can often help you to live longer and enjoy a more active lifestyle.
The Effects of Sedentary Lifestyle on Health
Although watching TV, computer screens, or cell phones for hours is easy, realize that it leaves less time for other activities. The result is a significant gain in weight, which can lead to even less activity. Unfortunately, this is the exact opposite of what people need if they want to live longer.
An inactive lifestyle has many potential health risks. The major ones are cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and early death. Any one of these diseases, and more, can shorten your life. Although they cannot always be prevented, increasing your activity can reduce your risk of death.
Other problems brought on by a sedentary lifestyle include a higher risk of depression and developing a mental health disorder. The dangers of obesity are that it can lead to a wide range of mental disorders, including eating disorders, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, personality disorders, somatization disorders, and more. It can also lead to cognitive impairment, hypertension, and musculoskeletal disorders.
The Dividing Line of a Sedentary Life
Researchers have found that people who sit more than 10.5 hours a day are much more likely to have a shorter lifespan. Sedentary habits slow several normal body processes, including a slower heart rate, which means less nutrition and oxygen to your body parts, and they reduce insulin sensitivity and sex hormones – which can elevate your risk of some cancers.
Due to complications of an inactive lifestyle, early deaths are increasing worldwide. About 3.2 million deaths occur every year due to this problem.
Exercise May Not Be Enough
People who sit for lengthy periods each day may find that even though they exercise, it may not be enough to offset the harm done as a result of being sedentary for so long. Even those who do some exercise may reduce their risk of an early death a little, but they will likely find that their risk is not reduced by much.
Moderate to Intense Exercise Can Help
Unless the exercise is more than light intensity, it will not reduce the risk much. You need more than 22 minutes each day of moderate to intense exercise to make much of a difference.
Regular exercise can help you live longer. Because of the many health problems a sedentary lifestyle can cause, exercise is necessary because it can help you avoid them. People who exercise, stay active, and maintain a healthy weight tend to live about seven years longer than those who do not.
Most people do not exercise enough to do them much good – let alone undo the damage of being sedentary for years. Exercise should be conducted at a moderate level or higher, and you should get in a minimum of 150 minutes per week (30 minutes a day).
If you have not been exercising but want to increase your longevity, you need to start slowly and increase your time and speed. Adding resistance training two days a week will help you increase strength. Vary the exercises to keep it interesting.
