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There is a difference between taking a break from work and relaxing and being lazy all the time.
If you are being lazy and leading an acute sedentary lifestyle, it is likely that your body will experience the wrath of it in the end.
For better and faster recovery, it is necessary that you identify that you have a problem and work around it. Consistent laziness and a sedentary lifestyle have been found to have negative impacts on health, causing the risks of chronic diseases.
In here, we are going to be discussing about the health risks of sedentary lifestyle and how you can overcome that.
What Happens When You Lead a Sedentary Lifestyle?
You must have heard of the term “couch potato”, right?
While it is okay for one to be a couch potato every once in a while, when the same becomes a habit, that is when the problems start arising.
When it comes to the health consequences of a sedentary lifestyle, the prospects are actually quite extensive. Knowing them is important because that is what helps drive better motivation to not cause a repeat of the same things.
Some of the health effects of a sedentary lifestyle include:
1. Affects the Overall Mood
You wouldn’t believe this but one of the most common things that happen when you live a sedentary lifestyle is that it ends up taking a toll on your mood.
Not only are you constantly going to feel down and demotivated, but it can also end up affecting your will do get things done because of the lack of energy in the body.
Even a conducted study (R) by the Australian researchers found that the individuals who sit around for more than 6 hours a day will have hampered mood without any possible reasoning behind the same.
They are also likely to feel more nervous and restless throughout the day. The researchers believe that it is the possible lack of energy in the body which causes the problem.
2. Enhanced Risks of Cancer
Cancer is that one condition that everyone dreads. When it comes to discussing the effects of a sedentary lifestyle on the body, the long terms impacts include the heightened risks of cancer in the body.
One of the most common reasons of colon cancer, as per the researches (R) is believed to be the lack of activity in the body.
Even though there aren’t many studies (R) that support the claim and more studies are being done to connect the sedentary lifestyle with that of cancer risks, the researchers believe that laziness and inactivity also raises the risks of oxidative stress and free radical damage in the body, further heightening the risks of cancer.
Not just colon cancer, studies have also found that women who have a lazy and inactive lifestyle also have heightened risks of developing breast cancer.
3. Hampered Muscle Flexibility
When you have to spend the majority of the day sitting around, without moving, chances are that the same has direct impacts on the muscle activity of the body.
The same has been found to have direct impacts on the overall muscle flexibility in the body.
If you find consistent pain and stiffness around the muscles in the body, it is likely because of the health effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
The same also happens because of the lack of proper blood circulation around the body, making it difficult for you to handle things around.
4. Obesity
One of the most common answers to what happens to the body when you live a sedentary lifestyle is the fact that you have enhanced risks of becoming obese.
Prolonged sitting and a sedentary lifestyle has been found to have negative impacts on the metabolism (R) of the body, which is what causes the further risks of fat accumulation which later leads to obesity.
Not just that, when your body is not in an active state and not utilizing the fats for energy, it is likely to increase your cravings for unhealthy foods, especially sweets which has negative impacts on the body furthermore.
5. Affects Your Cognitive Abilities
If you have been forgetting things lately, it is likely because of the constant sedentary lifestyle that you lead. The risks of dementia are very common in older adults who lead a sedentary lifestyle.
The researchers believe (R) that the same happens because of the lack of neural connections in the brain and even because of the affected neural connections.
Not just that, people who have a predisposition for dementia further escalate the risks of the condition when they tend to lead an even more sedentary lifestyle.
The lack of neural firing in the brain ends up making them more inactive, which has been found to have direct impacts on the memory and other cognitive abilities of an individual.
6. Hampered Quality of Sleep
You might think that working all day sitting in front of your desk is enough to tire you out for some quality sleep, right?
But, it has been found that leading a sedentary lifestyle has negative impacts on the quality of sleep.
It means that you are likely going to experience a restless night of sleep.
According to the reports from the National Sleep Foundation, it suggests that affected sleep quality is one of the most common health consequences of a sedentary lifestyle.
But, it is also possible to combat that issue by indulging in some form of aerobic exercises every morning.
7. Affected Metabolism
Not many pay attention to this but one of the most common health risks of sedentary lifestyle is the fact that it affects the metabolism of the body.
It is the constant inactiveness of the muscles and the overall body which is responsible for this. Not just that, the same has also been found to have direct impacts on the blood circulation of the body which, in turn, results in the altered metabolic rate in the body.
Not just that, when you have an inactive lifestyle, it is likely that you are going to burn fewer calories in the body which further affects the metabolism in the long run.
8. Heightened Risks of Cardiovascular Diseases
Cardiovascular diseases are considered the most potent reasons behind the heightened rates of death in the world. One of the most common reasons that contribute to the same is the sedentary lifestyle.
It is likely that with your body’s reduced metabolic rate, and the constant fat accumulation, the same reflects on the cholesterol levels in the body as well.
The same has been found to have negative impacts on the heart health, enhancing the risks of blockages and even the issues associated with the constant high levels of cholesterol in the body.
The fats that are stored around in the walls of the arteries also further enhance the risks of atherosclerosis in the individuals which further caused heart blockages and strokes.
9. Risks of High Blood Sugar Levels
For the ones who are either pre-diabetic or diabetic, it is likely that leading a sedentary lifestyle further enhances the risks associated with the high blood sugar levels.
They tend to deteriorate the condition further, which is the reason why it is important that you rather focus on altering the impacts.
In one of conducted studies (R), it was found that the people who have a desk job and tend to spend majority of their time on a chair have heightened risks of diabetes and spiked blood sugar levels in comparison to the ones who don’t.
Majority of the individuals who have a sedentary lifestyle also tend to struggle with a high fat to muscle ratio which is one of the reasons behind the heightened risks and incidence of diabetes in the individuals.
10. Heightened Risks of Osteoporosis
Not many people realize this or take it seriously but osteoporosis is one of the most common health risks of a sedentary lifestyle in the long run.
You are likely going to experience a hampered effect on the body, which is one of the reasons why it is necessary that you change that habit up.
If you have a lifestyle that demands you to stay stuck to the chair for 8-10 hours, it is not just your muscles that are going to be hampered, it includes your bones too.
Osteoporosis happens as a long term effect of the sedentary lifestyle, so you need not worry about the same in a short span of time. But, it is necessary that you find ways to mitigate the impacts.
11. Antisocial Behaviour
Often times, sedentary lifestyle is caused in kids because of the constant evolution of technology and the exposure to video games and such.
Constant exposure to video games not just makes the kid lazy, it also affects their social skills in the long run. This might not technically be one of the health risks but it is most definitely one of the effects of a sedentary lifestyle on the body.
You are more likely going to experience the wrath of the same as your child grows older and they start staying aloof, instead of being with the kids their age.
12. Affects the Libido
Studies (R) have found that men who lead a sedentary lifestyle and have a bigger belly are likely to experience the issues related to erectile dysfunction, causing issues with their libido in the long run.
Not just that, there have been reports (R) that men who tend to spend over 5 hours of their day sitting around have affected sperm motility, count and health.
More researchers need to be conducted to find whether the same kind of impacts is prevalent in women or not.
13. Chronic Pain Ensues
Back pain and body aches from being sedentary are a topic that doesn’t require any kind of introduction.
Given that you are sitting around all day, the same contributes to muscle inactivity, which is the primary reason why the pain ensues.
The constant muscle inactivity makes it stiffer, which has further impacts in causing the pain and the discomfort that you might be experiencing.
Just ensure that you move around instead of being stuck at a single spot, because that is what causes the aching and the chronic pain in the long term outlook.
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Check Out These Things That Happen When You Live A Sedentary Lifestyle.
How Can You Mitigate the Issues?
With the answers to what happens to the body when you live a sedentary lifestyle, the next thing that is worth discussing about is the ways in which you can mitigate the situation.
Some of the effective but easy ways include:
Start Exercising
It is true that your body will undergo a lot of changes when you lead a sedentary lifestyle and sometimes the same ends up counteracting the benefits of the exercise that you do in the morning. But, don’t let that dictate the decisions that you take. Counteracting the negative impacts with being exercise have been found to reduce the intensity of the health consequences in the long run.
Keep Measuring Your Steps Daily
If you can afford, get a fitness watch that can keep an eye out on the daily steps that you take. That has been found to be one of the best alternative ways of combating the sedentary lifestyle is by keeping a track of the daily steps that you are taking. This has been found to have amazing benefits in the long run.
Go Out for a Water Break
One of the most effective ways of getting yourself out of a rut of a sedentary lifestyle is by going out for a water break. This has been found beneficial, mainly because of the kind of impacts the same has on one’s health. Even if you are walking for a few minutes, the same does have beneficial impacts on your health.
Maintain a Healthy Eating Habit
Even though this might not seem relevant but trust me, it is. When you lead a sedentary lifestyle, the last thing you want to do is worsen the symptoms by eating an even unhealthier diet. This is the reason why it is necessary that you do consume a diet that consists more of fibers and healthy fats and less of the simple carbs.
If you have been wondering what happens to the body when you live a sedentary lifestyle, we hope this has cleared up any of the confusion that you might have had. Don’t take this habit lightly, mainly because of the fact that it ends up taking a toll on your body in the long term and can even enhance the risks of the chronic diseases.
