In general — on a global level and across all age groups — our lives have become increasingly sedentary, that is, we sit, recline, or lie down too much and move too little, more than is healthy for a human being.
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This is caused by the still growing use of motorized transport, the increased use of computer and smartphone screens at the job, privately, and in education facilities (schools), by urbanization, and by the rise of seated recreation activities both at home and outdoors.
Low or decreasing physical activity levels often correspond with a high or rising gross national product. In fact, more than a quarter of the world’s adult population is insufficiently active, and the levels of inactivity (i.e. sedentary behavior) are twice as high in high-income countries compared to low-income countries. Moreover, there has been no improvement in global levels of physical activity since 2001.
Scientific evidence shows that higher amounts of sedentary behavior are associated with a number of poor health outcomes, such as weight gain, poorer cardio-metabolic health, fitness, and behavioral conduct, reduced sleep duration, all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, cancer mortality, and type-2 diabetes.
In addition, lack of physical activity has been proven to also diminish our overall feelings of vitality and emotional-mental wellbeing.
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Of course, our technological society with its abundance of pharmaceuticals and medical innovations can partly counteract or combat a broad range of diseases, and help us live longer, but the questions is at what price?
Living longer with a bunch of physical discomforts and illnesses, our bodies overburdened by medication and surgeries and their side effects, while feeling a lack of vitality and energy doesn’t really contribute to an improved quality of life.
I think that we all agree that taking preventive measures to safeguard our health is surely the better way to go, and increasing the amount of physical exercise in our lives is without doubt the cheapest, easiest, most pleasant and overall most perfect method in reaching that objective.
