If you are reading this article while sitting in a chair in front of your desktop or if you are going through this on your mobile device while lying in a couch, get up! Ditch the couch as it’s time to do something about your sedentary behaviour. The statistics are telling. As per a Lancet report, inactivity is killing about 5.3 million people around the world every year. According to another study, done by an international team of researchers, a sedentary lifestyle cost the world a whopping $67.5bn in 2013. And hold your breath, this figure matched the total GDP of Costa Rica in the same year. Another report in The Lancet had a more disturbing finding — it showed that one in 10 deaths are attributed to a lack of physical activity.
To put it simply, a sedentary lifestyle is one which involves little or no physical activity. Experts say that such a life is being considered the world’s biggest public health problem of the 21st century. Although India-specific studies on the repercussions of leading a sedentary life are hard to come by, the fact of the matter is physical inactivity is leading to a wide range of lifestyle diseases across the country, according to health experts.
What research saysNot too long ago, a seminal study was done to check how deeply sedentary behaviour or lifestyle affects our overall well-being. According to the oft-quoted report, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, more than half of our waking hours are spent just sitting — we are either watching television or slouching over our work desks or commuting in cars or doing things that require a minimum physical effort. The Canadian researchers, who prepared the report after going through 47 studies across the world on sedentary behaviour, also covered people who exercised for up to an hour a day. The conclusion: the more you sit, the faster will be the route to mortality. Over the course of these studies, the researchers found that people who sat for extended periods of time had a higher risk of dying from all kinds of causes, even those who exercised regularly. Needless to say, the negative effects were more visible in people who did no exercise. Analysing global data relating to the correlation between disease and a lack of physical activities, researchers from the Harvard Medical School found that just a failure to exercise for about 150 minutes per week lead to 6 per cent of all heart disease cases, 7 per cent of Type 2 diabetes cases, 10 per cent of breast cancer cases, and 10 per cent of colon cancers.
As health experts never fail to point out, a sedentary lifestyle is at the root of all kinds of lifestyle diseases. Chronic diseases of lifestyle are often described as a group of diseases that share similar risk factors as a result of exposure, over many decades, to unhealthy diets, smoking, a lack of exercise and possibly stress. The major diseases include metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes and obesity. The latter in turn can lead to even more serious conditions. For instance, doctors say people with metabolic syndrome face a higher risk of coronary heart disease and other diseases related to plaque build-ups in artery walls (such as stroke and peripheral vascular disease) and Type 2 diabetes.
The dangers of obesityLet's first deal with the problem of obesity that can result from our sedentary lifestyle. According to all estimates, obesity is a grave health epidemic all over the world. While it affects one in four Americans, studies show that around 30 million people in India are obese. The figure is expected to rise by 50 per cent in the next five years. A back of the envelope calculation of the body mass index (BMI) can tell how obese a person is. As per World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, a BMI of 25 is considered overweight. But, in general, a BMI of 30 and above is considered obese around the world.
Needless to say, there are several health hazards associated with obesity. A recent study from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) shows that many young adults with abdominal obesity are at a heightened risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Another study done in Canada says that people who are obese in early adulthood face a heightened risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). Add to the list diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Sedentary lifestyle and child obesityChild obesity is a also growing problem in India now. A recent report from the World Health Organisation shows India reporting around 22 per cent higher prevalence rate over the past five years - the lifestyle disease is affecting children and adolescents aged between 5 and 19 years. Making your children do their physical exercises regularly can be an uphill task for many parents. There can be a lack of motivation on your child's part. So the onus is of course on you to make them leave their favourite spot in front of a TV set and help them get involved in some physical activities.
Motivating kids to exerciseHere are some simple steps to motivating your child to exercise:
Pay heed to what your child wants: Not all children love sports. So don't push your child for any sporting activity that he or she might not like. Instead find out if there's any kind of physical activity that your child has developed a special liking for. It can be any dance form or just bicycle riding. The chief objective: Make exercise a fun activity for your child.
Choose places which combine exercises with learning: There are several new age fitness studios for kids in metros these days. Pick one which combines fitness exercises with learning. This will help you save time and children can enjoy both learning and exercise. "Action-based learning system is a trend now in the West. It's said that kids are kinesthetic learners - they learn better when they move," says Hena Nafis, a nutritionist who also runs a children's fitness studio in Kolkata. "In such a new age fitness studio, there will be modern learning-enabling equipment - for instance, children can bring their study material and keep them on such machines and learn when they exercise."
Cut down on screen time: These days, children are usually overburdened with homework, projects and various school activities. But you must make a schedule for them where physical activities are accommodated. To do so, you can calculate how much time they might be spending watching TV, playing games or surfing the Net. Accordingly, you can cut down on screen time and make room for exercises.
Get involved and be a role model: Children will love it if you exercise with them too. Be proactive and make strict fitness routines for yourself so that you can be a role model.
Don't go overboard: Make sure that you are fully aware of your child's fitness or development needs. Don't push for physical activities he or she might not be able to take part in. Exercise and physical activity should not be taxing for them. Go slow.
Other diseasesA lack of physical activity can contribute to heart damage, among many other factors, in people who are depressed, a Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) in the US has shown. What's more, doctors say that prolonged sitting - for instance, if you spend countless hours in front of your television or if your job demands that you are at your desk for most of the time in office - can significantly raise the risk of developing venous thrombosis (this condition occurs when fatal blood clots form in the deep veins of the legs), according to a study covering over 15,000 people. The study further say that people who watched television the most had a 70 per cent higher risk of venous thrombosis, compared to those who rarely watched TV.
Simple hacks to lead an active lifeThere are WHO guidelines on how one can counter sedentary behaviour with some simple activities and lifestyle changes. The organisation has also stipulated the minimum number of exercise hours required to stay fit and active. According to WHO, for adults aged between 18 and 64 years, physical activities can include leisure activities such as walking, dancing, hiking and swimming), transportation (such walking or cycling), occupational (work), such as household chores, games, sports or planned exercise. Apart from battling obesity, such activities improve cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness and bone health and significantly lower the risk of depression.
As per the WHO guidelines, adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activities throughout the week or they should opt for at least 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercises. What's more, it suggests that aerobic activities should be performed in short spells of about 10 minutes each.
Researchers who have come up with the Annals of Internal Medicine study suggest moving your body every 30 minutes to counter the vicious effects of a desk job. For instance, if you sit at home and at work all day, you must make every effort to take a break from sitting, every half an hour. You should make this a habit. Researchers also warn that exercise is not enough to counter the perils of sitting, particularly sitting in long bouts. So even if you exercise, take the breaks from sitting. You can set a timer - set the alarm on your smartphone to go off every 30 to 60 minutes during the day when you are sitting for long stretches of time. As soon as the alarm goes off, start moving in your space.
Start moving moreHere are some other simple measures that can help you get rid of a sedentary life:
Ditch the car: Depend less on commuting in a car. Walk as much as possible and make use of public transport whenever you can. If you are using a car, park it in a spot at a distance from your destination and walk to it.
Workout breaks: If you are watching TV, use the commercial breaks to do some simple exercises for a couple of minutes. For instance, just swing your arms or do some leg lifts.
Walk while you call: Don't sit for a prolonged period while you talk on the phone. Walk and talk on your phone.
Cleaning the house: Believe us, simple household chores such as dusting your furniture or cleaning the floor can help you stay active as well.
Walking meetings: These are increasingly becoming popular now. Conduct such meetings during which you and your colleagues will meet while walking instead of sitting in a conference room.
Wear fitness trackers: Basically, wearable health devices give you customised, instant and goal-oriented feedback about your health and fitness by tracking data via sensors or otherwise. Smartwatches or wrist bands are more popular forms.
Fitness buddies: If you do not get the motivation to work out, pair up with a friend or your bae. Studies have shown that in the presence of a fitness partner, one tends to exercise more.
While at your office deskMany jobs today require long hours at the desk. But don’t let that thwart your fitness plans. Here are some expert-backed measures that you can follow while in office:
Chair gomukhasana: Sitting for long hours can make you slouch, leading to stiffness of your shoulders. The gomukhasana is great for maintaining mobility as it works a great deal of muscles. Extend your right arm towards the sky, then bring it down to the centre of your back. Bring your right arm to the centre of your back but from below. Try holding your palms together. Hold the pose for 10 seconds on each side; repeat three times.
Work the glutes: The continuous pressure on our gluteal muscles from sitting all the time can cause them to not only lose their strength, but also their tone. To strengthen the glutes, while sitting in your chair, push your heels into the floor as if digging them into the ground and simultaneously squeeze your butt very hard by pulling your tailbone in for 5 seconds. Relax for 5 seconds; repeat for 10 to 20 times.
Shoulder blade squeeze: Pull your shoulder blades as far back as possible, as if trying to squeeze a pencil between them, with your elbows bent. While doing this, stretch your neck by stretching the top of the head towards the ceiling and the elbow tips towards the floor. This is also a great move to improve posture.