Health risks associated with the lack of physical activity

What does it mean to be inactive ❓:

In this present age 📆, I don’t think we can even imagine a life without technology. Be it a mobile phone , television, computer/laptop, it would be really difficult if we didn’t have these in our lives. We have even familiarised the younger generation with this and I mean even toddlers, making them have food while staring at a screen, providing them with computer-based games, PS4,💻 etc. Okay wait, don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about tech, it definitely would be boring to not have these entertainments in our life 📵. So I’ll get to the point, I’m talking about being inactive as a downfall to these technologies, and not necessarily because of technology, just being a couch potato in general and leading a sedentary life being loafers and refusing to get any form of physical exercise or movement that increases our heart rate💤. And as a consequence, we are bombarded with a lot of health risks. Apart from health, exercise helps us to have a balanced and peaceful life while regulating our mood and sleep🛌. And hence, many organizations including the WHO and NHS have released guidelines for any individual in different categories to avoid inactivity and in turn, its detrimental effects as well. Just to give a heads up, in case you thought that the walk of hunger from the couch to the fridge was included in this, I’m sorry to disappoint you.

Inactivity: Not engaging or involving in any form of physical activity

Health threats of being inactive:

 Obesity⛔

 Cardiovascular risks ( Heart diseases)⛔

 Hypertension (High Blood pressure )⛔

 Stroke⛔

 Insulin resistance⛔

 Diabetes mellitus (high blood glucose levels)⛔

 Dyslipidaemia ( High Cholesterol levels)⛔

 Osteoporosis and low bone density⛔

 Cancers involving uterine, breast, and colon⛔

 Metabolic syndrome⛔

 Haemostasis⛔

 Polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD)⛔

 Diverticulitis⛔

 Feelings of depression and anxiety⛔

These are just a few that are named, there may be many more adverse effects that come as a by-product of being inactive and idle💤. Much more research is still necessary to find the absolute course of physical inactivity linking it to chronic non-communicable diseases. Lazing around and being sedentary is also attributed to low moods and energy levels. It even affects our metabolism and is one of the major causes of obesity which in turn leads to so many health-related issues😱. Ever heard of Sedentary death syndrome❓ It’s a major public health burden as it is responsible for many premature deaths and chronic diseases😢 exacerbated by physical inactivity each year as per an article published in PubMed in 2004. Another subject for thought is the Cycle of inactivity; if you avoid activities that make you breathless, your muscles become weak. And these weak muscles need more oxygen than usual to work. Over time ⏰ to compensate for the idleness, you either become more breathless or just stop moving around and lose the function of your muscles. Now, this is not somewhere we want to end up, do we❓ So isn’t it best if we start moving our lazy selves around and avoid of the situation in the first place.

UK Guidelines (NHS) :

Don’t you agree that health care workers and scientists 👨‍⚕️have put in a lot of research into matters before publishing something or releasing a statement about it❓ I do, and I feel that if it wasn’t authentic it would have been revised or banished for the right reasons. So here’s a short brief of the required amount of physical activity published on the NHS website.

Guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64:

Aim to be physically active every day📈, any form of activity is better than none. Strengthening activities that work all the major muscles must be done at least twice a week🏋. At least 150 mins of moderate-intensity workouts a week or 75 mins of vigorous activity a week👍. Avoid long periods of not moving (sitting, lying down) with some activity. These guidelines are also suitable for disabled adults, pregnant women, and new mothers. The NHS website has an entire article regarding how much exercise is required for different age groups, what are considered as low, moderate, and high intensity (vigorous) workouts, etc. They also have some interesting exercise tips and fitness guides including workout videos for your reference. I’ll provide a link here for you to have a read 📚.

Exercise - NHS

Benefits of exercise:

So now that we have gone through the health risks and deleterious effects of being inactive, it’s safe to say that you understand or can guess the positive outcomes that come with physical exercise. Basically, the opposite of all that I have been saying am inactive individual has in store:

 Physical activity helps with burning calories and increasing our metabolism rate which prevents us from being overweight and the health risks associated with it.✅

 Harmful outcomes of obesity including chronic diseases (High blood pressure, increased levels of cholesterol, heart diseases, etc.) can be prevented if we keep track of the exercise that we do.✅

 Exercise helps take our minds off things and puts us in a better mood. It increases the blood flow to the brain and also releases chemicals called endorphins which are the body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators.✅

 It can slow down the process of loss of bone density that comes with older age and also helps with arthritis.✅

 After a session of workout, the core body temperature is raised, a decrease in this temperature leads to the causation of sleep. Also, it decreases the time one has to lay awake in bed to fall asleep, thus improving the quality of sleep.✅

Asking someone to work out who has never exercised in their life is easier said than done. It’s probably simple to start, but to be consistent and get into a routine of doing this might be difficult. Things to motivate oneself must always be at the back of the mind, whether it is to treat PCOS or to decrease cholesterol levels or just to lose weight to fit into older clothes, maybe such thoughts could help prevent relapses💪. There’s no other shortcrust than to be determined so that you could be in good shape and have a better lifestyle and life expectancy.

Exercises that can be done at home 🏥:

For those of you who find it difficult to take the time⏰ out to go to the gym and get things done, here is a list of simple tasks that can help you while at home💡:

Going for evening walks along with your family, friends, or even your pet and exploring your neighbourhood.✅

Breaking up continuous sessions of watching TV and lazing around by walking every 20 mins from the living room to the bedroom and back.✅

Walking and talking on the phone rather than being put in one place.✅

Efforts to move around at work 💻:

Well, this could be quite challenging depending upon your job. If you’re someone who is on more of a technical job specification, then I guess moving around comes naturally with the description, whether it’s an electrician, plumber, mechanic, some sort of construction employee, a salesperson, or for that matter even a health care worker (the hustle on an on-call day), getting to move around or to be in that groove can be quite simple💡. But on the other hand, if you’re someone with an 8-hour desk job, then moving around should be done intentionally to get those steps covered.

 Try to get a hand on a fitness tracker to track the number of steps you take in a day. Set a target that you think is attainable and move toward it.✅

 Use stairs whenever possible and avoid elevators to the maximum.✅

 Carry small capacity water bottles with you (around 250ml) so that you can get them filled frequently hence, increasing the times you need to walk toward the water filter.✅

 Try to get into the habit of using the copier and fax machine on your own instead of relying on someone to do it for you.✅

 Try to move around at least once in an hour for 2-3 mins✅

 Utilize your lunch break to incorporate some sort of movement that can be contained in the lunch-room or your cabin✅

Conclusion💡:

Now coming to an end of this blog, all I wanted to convey was the importance of exercise and physical activity in our lives and to get you all into the spirit of physical movement. Get this from someone who once weighed 85kgs, I feel a lot more efficient and energetic at the weight I’m now(62kg)🙌. Being a Doctor, I felt it was my responsibility to be at a more balanced weight of my life with a healthy lifestyle as I didn’t want to be a hypocrite when I advise my patients. And I do experience the benefits of it as well ( I cannot speak of the long-term outcomes now though). Lastly, just would like to remind you of the well-versed saying prevention is better than cure, and there’s nothing more relaxing than knowing that the course of our health is in our hands, at least the ones caused by our poor choices. 

So what are you waiting for❓ Get up and move along❗

By,

Dr. Shreya P. Joseph

References:

Sudden Death Syndrome

Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle: MedlinePlus

How will being active affect my breathing? | British Lung Foundation, Cycle of Inactivity

Exercise - NHS

Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity - Mayo Clinic Benefits of exercise