What is sedentary lifestyle?
With the facilities and temptations of modern life, it is increasingly difficult to escape from a sedentary lifestyle
Edited and resized image: "hot lather" by Al Ibrahim is licensed under CC BY 2.0
what is sedentary lifestyle
Sedentary lifestyle is the lack, decrease or absence of physical activities, and is characterized by reduced caloric expenditure. It is intensified by the habits of modern life, such as spending a lot of time in cars, the ease of escalators and elevators and the time we spend lying on the couch watching TV while we eat something nonsense, not to mention the routine of a large part of the working population in offices.
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Children's sedentary lifestyle has been of great concern to health specialists, because because of the ease with which video games, tablets and the internet brought to children's lives, they no longer feel like going out to play and play sports. These habits are already showing negative results. According to the “Designed for Movement” initiative, ten-year-old children had lower life expectancies than their parents - this is due to their sedentary lifestyle.
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Causes
The causes of sedentary lifestyle are diverse, but they are all related to poorly balanced diets and lack of physical exercise. A sedentary lifestyle is not only characterized by the lack of sports activities, but also by the lack of simple daily activities, such as walking to work, carrying out household chores, walking in the park and the like. See also: Sedentary lifestyle affects 45.9% of Brazilians and women are the most affected
Consequences
A sedentary lifestyle brings many risks to the body, such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, obesity, increased cholesterol, high blood pressure, myocardial infarction, among others. The risk of heart attack is, on average, 54% higher in sedentary people and that of stroke, 50% higher. A sedentary lifestyle, when at very high levels, can even cause sudden death.- What is obesity?
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Treatment
The treatment of sedentary lifestyle consists of exercising at least 3 times a week and, in some cases, changing the diet. Changing the routine is not easy, so it is best to take it easy at first. Start by doing activities that aren't heavy and that you can relate to (see "Twenty exercises to do at home or alone").
Before starting, if you have problems with sedentary lifestyle, it is also important that you see your doctor or doctor, do some tests and check which activities do not pose any risk to you. Ideally, you have the support of three professionals: a doctor/sportsman, a physical educator (or personal trainer) and a nutritionist. The doctor or sports doctor will investigate the clinical history, evaluate the exams and recommend the best exercises to be practiced; the physical educator will monitor the execution, checking if the movements are correct; and the nutritionist will instruct the diet consisting of vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, among others, which will be the ideal complement for the treatment.
- What is childhood obesity?
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How to avoid being sedentary
The most important step to escape a sedentary life is to engage in physical activities as quickly as possible. Experts indicate that 30 minutes of physical exercise a day is enough to increase your quality of life and improve your health. Discover twenty exercises to do at home or alone.
Having a healthy diet is also very important, see tips on how to have a healthier (and sustainable!) diet.
