How Sedentary Lifestyle Affects Your Body

Prolonged sitting at a desk, whether behind the wheel or in front of a screen, can be detrimental to your health. Before breaking down all the ways sitting can damage your body, let’s look at some statistics to get a glimpse of the current situation in the USA.

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that:

  • 25% of Americans sit for more than 8 hours a day.
  • 44% report no moderate to vigorous physical exercise at all weekly.
  • 11% spend 8 hours or more per day sitting with little physical activity in their spare time.
  • Only 4% spend fewer than 4 hours per day sitting while also being active.

It means 1 in 4 Americans sit for more than 8 hours a day. If you wonder why it is important and why we should worry about sitting too long, here are more alarming facts about a sedentary lifestyle:

  • A 2010 study with 184,190 participants found that people who sat for more than 6 hours per day with little physical activity had a 71% higher mortality rate.
  • A sedentary lifestyle is the fourth biggest risk factor for worldwide death, according to the WHO (World Health Organization).
  • Physical Inactivity causes 6% of deaths worldwide.
  • If the world’s population was more active, an estimated four to five million fatalities might be avoided each year.
  • Physical inactivity increases the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes by 20–30%.

If these facts didn’t make you stand up and stretch your limbs, we don’t know what will!

How Physical Inactivity Affects Your Body

Sitting and Obesity

Sitting is a common position for working, eating, driving, socializing, watching TV, reading, and a whole lot of other activities. So, at the end of the day, an average office worker spends over 15 hours sitting. All of that inactivity is taking a toll on your health.

Standing, strolling, cooking, and even taking a shower are all non-exercise activities that burn calories. This type of energy expenditure is known as non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), and its absence is a major risk factor for weight gain.

The fewer calories you burn, the more likely you are to gain weight. That’s why physical inactivity is directly linked to obesity.

Sitting and Cardiovascular Health

Numerous studies have now linked sitting time to a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Worse, some studies have concluded that prolonged sitting has an equally bad effect on the cardiovascular system as smoking.

The heart is a muscle, and like all muscles, it requires physical activity or exercises to function effectively. When you’re active, your lungs perform a better job of getting oxygen into your blood, where it can be pumped to all of your body’s tissues and cells.

By being physically active, you can reduce your risk of getting certain cardiovascular problems by 35%.

Sitting and Diabetes

Evidence suggests that a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 112%.

Walking fewer than 1,500 steps per day, or sitting for long periods without cutting calorie consumption, has been proven to induce a significant increase in insulin resistance, which is the main driver of Type 2 diabetes.

Physical activity helps control blood sugar (glucose), weight, and blood pressure while also increasing “good” cholesterol and decreasing “bad” cholesterol.

Sitting and Mortality

Keith Diaz, an associate research scientist at Columbia University’s Department of Medicine who oversaw the study on Sedentary Behavior and Mortality in the United States, stated in an interview that the duration of sitting sessions could significantly impact the risk of early mortality.

Their study of nearly 8,000 persons discovered that people who sat for 30-minute intervals had a 55% reduced risk of death than those who sat for longer periods.

Sitting and Mental Health

Healthcare professionals have been discouraging physical inactivity because of its negative impact on overall physical health. However, prolonged sitting has also been shown to have consequences for mental health.

A study of 8,950 middle-aged women found that sitting for more than 7 hours per day increases the risk of depression by 47% compared to sitting for 4 hours or less. Because of the decrease in blood circulation, happy hormones such as endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin have a more difficult time reaching receptors.

On the other hand, physical activity can boost our self-esteem while also reducing stress and anxiety. It also helps to better manage mental health disorders and significantly improves the quality of life of those having them.

Key Benefits of Incorporating Physical Activity into Your Life

Regular physical activity has many immediate and long-term benefits for your physical and mental health. Here are a few:

  • Improves attention and memory
  • Reduces stress and the risk of depression
  • Improves sleep quality
  • Builds strong muscles and endurance
  • Strengthens bones
  • Helps maintain normal blood sugar levels
  • Improves blood pressure and aerobic performance
  • Reduces risks of Type 2 Diabetes and Heart disease
  • Helps reduce body weight and body fat
  • Reduces risks of falls and injury
  • Increases your energy levels
  • Increases your lifespan

World Health Organization Guidelines for Physical Activity

Children 1-4 years of age should:

  • Spend at least 180 minutes a day in a variety of types of physical activities at any intensity, including moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity, spread throughout the day; more is better;

Children and adolescents aged 5-17 years should:

  • Engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity a day, mainly aerobic physical exercise.
  • Integrate vigorous-intensity aerobic activities as well as those that improve muscle and bone strength three days a week.
  • Reduce the amount of time spent sedentary, particularly screen time.

Adults aged 18–64 years should:

  • Do at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity; or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week
  • do muscle-strengthening activities at a moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups on two or more days a week for additional health benefits.
  • Limit the amount of time spent being sedentary.
  • Aim to do more than the recommended levels of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity to help reduce the detrimental effects of high levels of sedentary behavior on health.

Simple Ways to Add More Movement to Your Day

Here are some easy ways to add more movement to your daily routine. Remember, every movement counts, and a little can truly go a long way.

  • Take phone calls standing or walking
  • Take the stairs instead of the elevator
  • Walk during your lunch break
  • Start your day with a 5-minute stretch in bed
  • Park Farther away from work
  • Stand up and walk during every commercial while watching tv
  • Try gardening
  • Dance to your favorite music
  • Stand in public transport
  • Get a pet: a playful dog will make you move
  • Don’t order groceries. Shop them at the local store
  • Use a fitness tracker and set a goal number of steps

Bottom Line

Regular physical activity not only keeps your body fit but also improves your mental health and general immunity. If you are unprepared for the gym and heavy equipment, consider combining fun physical activities such as dance, water aerobics, swimming, cycling, jogging, or other sports to keep your body moving. Any physical activity will help keep pain and chronic diseases at bay while strengthening your bones, muscles, heart, and digestive health.