Sedentary lifestyle, the enemy of your health and longevity

Sedentary lifestyles are a topic that probably means little to those who visit the Yam Nutrition website. Sports, fitness, and bodybuilding have been part of our daily lives for years, both for performance and for their health benefits. From our perspective as athletes, it's true that we don't think much about those who don't do them. But while we're convinced of the benefits of sports, sedentary people don't know the dangers of a lack of physical activity. Indeed, while the current trend is toward sports, a significant number of men and women still never do any physical activity, or very little. Science has proven it a hundred times over through serious clinical studies: a lack of physical activity is harmful to health in the long term. But what is the cause?

Sedentary lifestyle should be considered a real threat to health

Let's say that our modern world has some advantages because it gives easier and easier access to all kinds of sports activities such as fitness, bodybuilding , running, swimming, football and many other sports. However, there is also the downside: a professional activity that takes up a lot of working hours, we have to take care of children, family gatherings, outings and other various activities sometimes prevent us from devoting time to sports. We sometimes have the impression that only independent single people have enough time to do sports, but this is not entirely true. But in this case, what would be the risks that a sedentary lifestyle pose to our health?

Let's just say that statistical studies conducted on human activity are quite poor and pessimistic. They reveal, for example, that American adults spend more than two-thirds of their daytime activity time engaged in sedentary tasks or tasks that are particularly limited in terms of active physical movement. According to the WHO, a sedentary lifestyle is one of the major causes of the increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and many forms of cancer. A sedentary lifestyle also has a negative impact on mortality risk. This is also demonstrated by small and large-scale clinical studies. We have just discussed a sedentary lifestyle and its health consequences. However, how can we define a sedentary lifestyle?

Sedentary lifestyle is definable, as is physical inactivity

Sedentary lifestyle is defined as an almost total absence of physical activity, with energy expenditure related to physical activity that is close to zero. In other words, the energy expenditure of sedentary people would correspond almost 100% to the oxidation of calories linked to the basal metabolism. Thus, measuring the number of hours spent in front of a screen or doing nothing physically measurable will make it possible to determine whether an individual is truly sedentary or if they lack physical activity . Thus, sedentary people do not like or do not practice any sport, claiming that they lack time or that it does not interest them…

Overall, a sedentary lifestyle is prevalent in our modern Western civilization, facilitated by numerous means designed to minimize physical activity. Home delivery services, efficient short- and long-distance transportation, energy-efficient home entertainment, and many other sedentary phenomena contribute to turning the average person into a veritable vegetable. In fact, even if you exercise infrequently, you could be considered sedentary if the number of hours you spend inactive during the day is high.

Statistically, sedentary people remain the majority in France.

ANSES statistics also consider that only 5 to 10% of adults are sufficiently physically active to be protected from the harmful consequences of a sedentary lifestyle on health. One third of French adults are considered moderately sedentary compared to insufficient physical activity. In this case, the risk of being exposed to cardiovascular diseases, certain forms of cancer or diabetes would also be higher. The risks of hypertension and obesity will also be higher among this population. Generally speaking, a sedentary lifestyle is a serious public health security problem, given the cost that all these diseases impose on the public budget. The problem is all the more damaging because it could be significantly reduced if the public concerned agreed to make a few efforts such as:

• Practicing simple activities such as running, swimming, cycling, weight training or even climbing stairs 5 times a week for at least 20 to 30 minutes will help maintain the cardiovascular system.

• Perform simple resistance exercises such as lifting heavy weights, strength training, or weight training 2 to 3 times per week

According to statistics, a sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity affect women more often (70% of them) than men. But spending 8 hours a day in a sitting position poses a serious health risk. However, are there ways to address this or significantly reduce the risks?

Addressing the health problems of sedentary people depends first and foremost on personal initiative...

The first solution to a sedentary lifestyle necessarily relies on the personal motivation of each individual. Obviously, when an overweight or obese person doesn't feel concerned, it will be impossible to encourage them to exercise . However, both society and personal incentive initiatives where individuals know how to set an example in an intelligent and educational way can help. Thus, they contribute to reducing the extent of the problem. Today, let's add that most gym memberships are affordable for the majority of athletes.

Likewise, there are plenty of opportunities to exercise outdoors or indoors. And while we don't have to convince our blog readers, we can only ask them to set an example and encourage those who are less motivated to head to the nearest gym or bodybuilding studio. Generally, this kind of direct and dispassionate motivation produces good results, encouraging as many people as possible to take up exercise, even occasionally. Even when practiced at low or medium intensity, exercise contributes to maintaining health for a population where longevity is constantly increasing, but for other reasons, notably through advances in medicine. However, if you never move from your couch, be aware that the chances of you ending up a hundred are particularly slim...