Sometimes we allow ourselves to be overcome by laziness and we lie down for hours and hours on the sofa letting laziness settle in us. It’s not bad to spend an afternoon lazily lying on the sofa or in bed; the body will be the one who finally tells us when we should stop from the hectic pace of day to day. The dangers to health come from the habit of a sedentary lifestyle, when we make physical inactivity a routine.
Dangers of a sedentary lifestyle
- The data is compelling. A sedentary lifestyle causes 5.3 million deaths a year, a figure that brings physical inactivity closer to the dangers of another of the great evils of our society: smoking. The problem is that the Administrations have not taken the appropriate warning and information measures for the population. A large number of cardiovascular diseases, some cases of diabetes and other cancers can result from a sedentary lifestyle.
- But what is considered a sedentary lifestyle? The World Health Organization establishes a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day to pass the threshold of a sedentary life to a healthy lifestyle. And it alerts that 60% of the population is suffering the risks derived from a sedentary lifestyle.
- As if cardiovascular diseases were not a sufficient reason to change our sedentary habits, other dangers such as obesity, weakening of the bone structure and permanent fatigue that can lead to depressive states can be added.
How to get out of physical inactivity
- Despite these data, many people do not resist coming out of their passivity without taking into account that the body is an organism with memory and that what we give it today will be what we will receive tomorrow. Our quality of life in the future depends to a large extent on our habits in the present, so think twice before settling down on the sofa when you get home from work. Tiredness is not an excuse, because most of the time when we are tired it is due to a lack of physical activity.
- Half an hour a day does not involve so much effort, it is not about getting into the sport of high competition. A walk in the park every day in the late afternoon will also help you combat insomnia. Or dust off the bike and cycle around the city, you’ll see how soon you won’t be able to get off your bike.
- If you are very tight on time, the ideal is to combine physical exercise with another activity, such as walking to work instead of taking the car. And dedicate the weekends to rediscover yourself with nature and with your own body. A picnic in a nearby field followed by a long walk with your loved ones will make you feel much more energetic and start the week stronger and in a better mood.
- It is never too late to start educating our body and getting used to physical exercise, because the fundamental thing is to stay active.
