Physical inactivity increases the risk of chronic diseases
According to WHO, physical inactivity is the 4th leading reason for deaths around the world.
A physically inactive lifestyle is when you don’t get the recommended amount of activity in a day and live a sedentary lifestyle. This involves sitting, lying, or being in a resting position throughout the day without movement or exercise.
Physical inactivity is one of the main causes that lead to chronic conditions.
What are Chronic Conditions?
Chronic conditions affect the body in the long term. These diseases progress slowly with lifestyle habits and worsen over years. Chronic conditions prevent the body from functioning normally and impair daily activities. If not managed properly, they can lead to critical health problems.
Chronic conditions are more common than you think. Six out of every ten people live with a chronic disease.
How does physical inactivity affect the body?
In a sedentary lifestyle, a person spends most of their time sitting or at rest. When you don’t get the recommended amount of movement and exercise to stay healthy, your health declines over time.
Short-term effects of physical inactivity
- Physical inactivity leads to weight gain since you don’t burn the calories you eat.
- It affects your mental health. Lack of exercise leads to higher levels of adrenaline and cortisol, the hormones responsible for stress.
- Not getting enough exercise affects other aspects of life. Low energy, poor focus, and loss of muscle strength are common short-term effects.
Long term effects of physical inactivity
- Excessive weight gain caused by physical inactivity can lead to obesity.
- It weakens the body’s immunity system and causes weakness.
- It can lead to chronic conditions that impair daily life.
- A sedentary lifestyle can lead to an early death.
Chronic Conditions Caused due to Physical Inactivity
1. Obesity
Obesity is the result of excessive weight gain around the body. It has been classified as a disease and can lead to life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, etc.
Lack of exercise leads to obesity.
Being physically inactive affects all major aspects of life. It leads to poor sleep, increased stress, hormonal imbalance, and higher appetite. All these factors contribute to over-eating. When the calories consumed aren’t burned by exercise, it leads to excessive weight gain.
Other causes of obesity are poor nutrition, eating processed food, environmental stress, genetics, etc.
2. Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure will affect 29% of the world’s population by 2025. This is a condition where blood flows through the arteries at a higher pressure than normal. It increases the risk of heart failure, stroke, and sudden death.
A physically inactive lifestyle leads to weight gain. This increases the risk of hypertension. Other causes of hypertension are high cholesterol levels, stress, lack of sleep, and unhealthy habits such as excessive caffeine, smoking, etc.
Exercise helps in controlling hypertension.
WHO recommends physical activity as one of the first methods of treating hypertension. Regular exercise helps in regulating blood pressure and is recommended to prevent and regulate high BP in adults.
3. Type 2 Diabetes
Around 415 million people around the world suffer from diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is caused by a condition called insulin resistance.
Insulin helps the cells of the body store blood sugar as energy. When the body becomes resistant to insulin, blood sugar levels rise. In the long run, excessive blood sugar can damage nerves and organs of the body.
Weight gain increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Physical inactivity is one of the direct causes of weight gain and obesity. Other causes of type 2 diabetes include an unhealthy diet and genetic conditions.
Exercise helps in controlling blood sugar levels by using up the sugar stored in the muscles and the liver.
4. Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a group of chronic conditions that result in an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. These conditions include:
- High blood pressure
- Excess body fat (especially around the waist)
- Abnormal cholesterol levels
Physical inactivity increases the risk of all of these conditions.
Other causes are obesity and insulin resistance (caused by high blood sugar levels).
How to prevent the chronic conditions caused by physical inactivity?
Make exercise a part of your lifestyle
Doctors recommend getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week. This includes activities like brisk walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, and playing sports such as volleyball and tennis.
Count your steps
Research says that increasing your daily step count can help you live a longer, healthier life. Walking helps in improving metabolism and cardiovascular health. Simply walking 7,000 steps every day decreases your risk of death by 50%.
Experts recommend walking 10,000 steps daily to stay fit and maintain a healthy weight. Do this by moving around the house, taking the stairs, and walking to nearby places instead of driving.
Eat a healthy diet
A diet with balanced nutrition gives the body enough strength and energy to support an active lifestyle. It also prevents weakness.
For the average person, a balanced diet contains sources of protein, fiber, fats, whole carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.
Consult a physician
An appointment with your physician will help you come up with a thorough plan to manage chronic conditions.
She will also be able to help you with the correct amount of nutrients you should include in your diet according to fulfill your body’s requirements.