Sedentary lifestyle: Facts, causes and how to avoid it to improve your health

From the Latin word sedere (to be seated), comes the word sedentarismo (sedentary), which sounds so much when talking about unhealthy lifestyles. It is also common to hear the word sedentarism in consultations with orthopedic surgeons and nutritionists, since the little physical activity involved in sitting for hours at a time is often closely linked to injuries and excess weight.

“Walking is man’s best medicine.”

Hippocrates (460-370 B.C.)

Sedentary lifestyle: A preventable risk factor

A sedentary lifestyle, together with a diet with an excess of fats and ultra-processed products, is one of the main risk factors for overweight and obesity. In Spain, although the practice of sports has been increasing in recent years, the percentage of people who practice sports on a regular basis is around 40%. We are still far from being able to speak of a society with healthy physical activity habits.

The WHO has been warning for years about the risks of sedentary lifestyles and physical inactivity. Currently, sedentary lifestyles are among the main risk factors that cause the most deaths. It is second only to hypertension (HT), smoking and hyperglycemia. Interestingly, these risk factors, which have monopolized the top of the list for several decades, are preventable and directly related to lifestyle. Increased physical activity will help you to stop smoking, reduce AHT and better control blood glucose levels. In the following link, you can access the WHO Guidelines on physical activity and sedentary habits.

A sedentary lifestyle is closely linked to being overweight, so it is a habit that must be avoided to reduce the risk of suffering pain that can become chronic. As we saw in the article Excess weight, a burden for chronic pain, the regulation of weight and body composition are a priority when treating joint pain, disc protrusion and many other situations and pathologies that cause severe pain and reduce the quality of life of people who suffer from them.

Recent studies have also shown that exercise is very beneficial for maintaining brain health, and that it prevents cognitive decline and depression in old age.

Main causes of sedentary lifestyles and how to avoid them

The main reasons for the Spanish population to do sports are: Having fun, making friends and improving health. On the contrary, laziness, reluctance and age are the main obstacles for not doing a relevant physical activity during the week.

The type of work largely determines a person’s physical activity. If you work sitting down for most of the working day, it is important to follow the following recommendations to reduce the negative impact of a sedentary lifestyle on your body:

Perform a few short stretches in the morning.
Walk to work, get off one stop earlier or park at a certain distance to walk the last stretch.
Get into the habit of getting up at least five minutes every hour. During this brief rest, the ideal is to walk a little to activate circulation in the lower extremities.
Going up and down stairs instead of using the elevator.
Take care of your posture while sitting: Legs and thighs at 90º or a little more. Thighs and back at 90º. Head in a straight position and shoulders relaxed.

If you follow these simple and easy tips, working while sitting down will not be detrimental to your health.

One of the most common causes of low physical activity and sedentary lifestyles that we hear almost daily when dealing with people in pain is age. In elderly people, or those who have never acquired healthy physical activity habits or have never done sports on a regular basis, the psychological factor plays an important role.

In order for an activity to become a routine, objectives adapted to each person must be established. To start doing more exercise, with unrealistic objectives, ends up in a premature abandonment in most cases. It is preferable to start small, and to set more ambitious objectives as we progress and reach small goals.

The WHO and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommend 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous activity for adults between 18 and 65 years of age. This translates to just over 20 minutes of moderate activity per day, which is perfectly acceptable for people without mobility problems.

Impact of a sedentary lifestyle

Sedentary lifestyle habits not only have an impact on the state of health from a physical point of view, but also from a psychological and social point of view. The definition of health has changed over time. We currently define it as follows:

“The health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

On this basis, health must be assessed from a holistic perspective, encompassing physical, psychological and social factors. Physical activity improves all these aspects of health. The physical benefit is obvious, since we exercise our muscles, reducing the risk of injuries and falls, and we also reduce blood pressure and regulate our metabolism. In addition, physical activity triggers the secretion of hormones that help us face problems in a more positive way, and make us feel happier and more content.

The social benefit is also remarkable, especially if we do team sports or practice sports in a group. Sport and physical activity are an ideal and healthy way to make good friends.

A lifestyle based on sedentary habits deprives us of the multiple benefits of physical activity, and leads to the appearance of contractures that can cause a wide variety of painful signs and symptoms such as pyramidal syndrome or other chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

By acquiring healthy physical activity habits, you will improve your health and enjoy more of your “sedere”, or “sitting” moments.