Sedentary Lifestyle : A boon or a bane?

Have you ever wondered that by just not doing anything we are moving towards the path of self-destruction? Shocking right?

Often our parents advise us not to look into our phones and do something productive instead, such as reading or working towards improving our personality or building our communication skills either by socializing or watching English movies or by watching educational videos on YouTube. However, they fail to recognize that sitting still and reading or watching beneficial programs are also a part of sedentary lifestyle.

 

Often we observe that our parents while working, sit in the same position and whenever they are asked to do any physical activity they lack the required stamina to do it. 

About Sedentary lifestyle

 Advancements in technology  indeed make us a “couch potato” due to which most of us consciously and subconsciously live an unhealthy lifestyle known as sedentary lifestyle.

Sedentary Lifestyle means when we all live our lives in such a way that we are nothing but a bunch of couch potatoes. Our lifestyle involves no activity or physical work. If we continue to live this lifestyle it would contribute significantly to ill health.

Harmful Impacts of Sedentary Lifestyle

 There are many direct and indirect effects of sedentary lifestyle. This kind of lifestyle leads to obesity or increased BMI (Body Mass Index).  Health risk is more in people who sit still for more than 5 hours a day. Indirect effects of this lifestyle include anxiety, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, migraine, depression, diabetes, osteoporosis, scoliosis, and even mortality in adults.

Tips to avoid Sedentary Lifestyle

 So, people are becoming more and more aware of the harmful effects of this lifestyle, especially at schools, colleges, and offices where people generally sit for hours and work. In schools and colleges, subjects like physical fitness or physical education are introduced where the students are encouraged to exercise more. 

They are also taught about the importance of eating healthy food which can boost their immunity. In organizations, usage of stairs is encouraged more and in some organizations instead of sitting on the chair and doing work, employees are encouraged to stand and work so that there is some movement or activity.

 Some other simple measures that the people can adopt are to walk, jog or do yoga. Our phones have an app set which can calculate the number of steps walked in a time period. We can set our targets and just walk! 

Even if one adopts to just cycle and get the groceries instead of driving one’s car, it will contribute in keeping a person healthy. Walking around in your house while listening to music will also save you from living a sedentary lifestyle. A person needs to exercise at least four hours per week, to be more healthy and fit.

Conclusion

In conclusion if we look at this problem, unfortunately, there are no methods which could act as a long-term cure for this " bane" or " curse". This problem should be taken seriously as it has a detrimental effect on the health of every individual. Necessary steps however small need to be taken to ensure good health. All of us should actively work together to live a healthy lifestyle not only for ourselves but also for the sake of our families as “Precaution is better than cure.”