According to the World Health Organization (WHO), sedentary lifestyle is a global health problem. Inactivity affects 60% of the population and leads to physical and mental health problems. It can cause diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, depression, high cholesterol and other conditions, so avoiding it is a priority.
What are the benefits of leading an active life? It improves sleep quality, increases life expectancy, provides physical and mental well-being and stimulates memory, concentration, and learning, among others.
We’re giving you some tips so you can make small changes in your everyday lifestyle to combat inactivity:
- Start with small challenges, like walking your pet 10 minutes longer than normal.
- At work, get up from your chair every hour to do small tasks like tidying up, going to the bathroom and so on.
- Take care of your sitting posture, keeping your back and legs straight.
- If you’ve been in the same position for a while, do some quick neck and shoulder stretches.
- Walk around when you’re talking on the phone.
- Take the stairs instead of the lift.
- Walk or bike to work one day a week.
- In summer, swim in the pool or at the beach for 20 minutes.
- Do housework with music so you can dance and activate your body.
- When you only have a few things to buy, walk to the supermarket.
As your body gets used to the increased activity, start moving more, doing daily 30-minute walks, 10-15 minute morning sit-ups, push-ups, squats and similar, or start practising sports like yoga. By gradually doing more exercise you’ll avoid fatigue and you’ll be able to start introducing more activity.
Joining dance classes, going for a group run or working out in the gym are very good options for increasing fitness, exponentially improving quality of life and socialising with other people.
Along with this, you should also follow a healthy lifestyle with a varied and balanced diet that includes fruits and vegetables, proteins and carbohydrates and replaces ultra-processed foods with healthy ones.
To adapt sport to your everyday routine and know which forms of exercise are the best ones for you, let yourself be advised by health professionals.
