Top 10 Most Shocking Risks of Physical Inactivity

Healthful Vitality | 07/22/2021 | Top 10 Most Shocking Risks of Physical Inactivity

Scientific reports show while physical activity offers real-life benefits, physical inactivity exhibits a shocking 8% of non-communicable diseases and deaths worldwide that happen because of insufficient physical activity, reveals BMJ. Furthermore, the impact of physical inactivity has significant adverse health outcomes, which drives to document the Top 10 Most Shocking Risks of Physical Inactivity. An inactive lifestyle is critical; for example, physical inactivity relates to obesity, high blood pressure, cholesterol, stroke, and metabolic syndrome, among several other risks. It is also associated with an unhealthy diet that connects to several risk factors, such as heart disease. Therefore, a change of inactive lifestyle is inevitable to preserve your good health.

According to WHO, physical activity is any bodily movement performed by skeletal muscles that require energy expenditure. Hence, it is linked to all moderate and vigorous-intensity physical activity related to all movement to improve health.

Top 10 most shocking risks of physical inactivity

Lack of enough physical activity can lead to health risks. This article covers the top 10 most shocking risks of physical inactivity. It also covers physical activity benefits and physical inactivity behavior changes.

1. Obesity

Obesity has a strongly association with an increased risk of all causes of mortality, including cardiovascular and cancer mortality, reports WHO.

According to CDC, obesity is a complex health issue. It occurs from a combination of causes and individual factors, including behavior and genetics. Indeed, physical inactivity and obesity have a direct relation, and studies identify that exercise can help control weight.

2. Heart Diseases

Scientific documents exhibit that physical inactivity as a risk factor for heart disease. Heart disease, according to studies, is a condition which affects your heart which include:

• Blood vessel disease,
• Heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias),
• Congenital heart defects,
• Heart valve disease,
• Disease of the heart muscle, and
• Heart infection

The American Heart Association (AHA) urges a 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise three to four times per week to improve cardiovascular fitness.

3. High Blood Pressure

According to the AHA, high blood pressure (also referred to as HBP, or hypertension) is the situation when your blood pressure, meaning the force of blood flowing through your blood vessels, is consistently too high. Besides, according to AHA physical activity helps control high blood pressure (HBP or hypertension) and manage your weight. It helps to strengthen your heart and lower your stress level.

4. Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a waxy (fat-like) substance found in all the cells in your body. Though your body needs some cholesterol to make hormones, too much cholesterol in your blood involves the risk of coronary heart disease that can lead to death due to a heart attack.

The American College of Cardiology suggests physical fitness keeps your cholesterol under control. Additionally, studies reveal that exercise can improve cholesterol, mainly moderate physical activity for raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, called the “good” cholesterol.

5. Stroke

Stroke is a preventable disease. It affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. According to the American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and one of the leading causes of disability in the United States.

Several studies have been conducted on the role of physical activity in the prevention and treatment of stroke and concluded that exercise and physical activity provide protective benefits in preventing stroke.

6. Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that increase heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. According to the AHA, metabolic syndrome is a severe health condition that puts people at higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. It involves increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels.

The prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome, according to AHA, involve:

• Eat better (e.g., adopting a diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, skinless poultry, fish, nuts, low-fat or fat-free dairy products, etc.),
• Get active, and
• Lose weight.

7. Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the body’s blood sugar (glucose). Physical inactivity quickens the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and consequently leads to excess morbidity and mortality, reported various studies.

For example, the WHO reports that in the European Region, physical inactivity alone is predicted to cause 7% of the burden of type 2 diabetes. In addition, overweight and obesity estimated 65–80% of new cases of diabetes.

8. Certain Type of Cancers (e.g., colon, breast, and uterine cancers)

Studies exhibit significant relationship between physical inactivity and cancer risk. According to the National Cancer Institute, evidence linking higher physical activity to lower various types of cancer risk: 

• Bladder cancer
• Breast cancer
• Colon cancer
• Endometrial cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Kidney (renal cell) cancer
• Stomach (gastric) cancer

9. Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a “silent” killer bone disease which develops when your bone mineral density and bone mass decreases.

According to the NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center, lifestyle (low levels of physical activity and prolonged periods of inactivity) is a cause of osteoporosis and recommends life style change and physical activity among the treatments of osteoporosis.

10. Depression and Anxiety

The Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA) reports that 264 million people globally live with depression.

Studies show that even though depression and anxiety are different conditions, they could commonly occur together.

A Cross-Sectional Study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic reveals that physical inactivity is associated with increased levels of anxiety, depression, and stress levels.

Healthful Vitality reports that your false beliefs can lead into destructive stress which can make you have high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes and suggests transcendental meditation has health benefits, particularly for highly stressed CEOs, CFOs, and executives.

Additionally, Healthful Vitality reports that the work from home or remote work people’s number has been overgrowing in the United States, Europe, and worldwide and offers 10 tips to practice yoga to reduce stress.

Physical Activity Guidelines

The ODPHP provides evidence-based Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans which assist to preserve or enhance the health through physical activity.

This science-based guidance strives to support people aged three years and older to improve their health by participating in regular physical activity.

The key Guidelines Include:

For Children and Adolescents

• Aerobic of 60 minutes or more per day
• Muscle-strengthening daily of 60 minutes or more
• Bone-strengthening daily of 60 minutes or more

For Adults

• Move more and sit less (throughout the day)
• At least a week 150 minutes to 300 minutes (moderate-intensity) or 75 minutes to 150 minutes (vigorous-intensity) aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise.
• The guidelines suggest physical activity beyond 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week for additional health benefits.
• For additional health benefits, muscle-strengthening activities (moderate or greater intensity) involving all major muscle groups on two or more days a week.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans also provide key guidelines for preschool-aged children, older adults, women during pregnancy and the postpartum period, adults with chronic health conditions and adults with disabilities, and also key guidelines for conducting safe physical activity.

Physically Active Benefits: 

• Improves health 
• Promotes normal growth and development
• Makes people feel better
• Makes people function better and sleep better
• Reduces the risk of chronic diseases
• The health benefits of physical activity start immediately after exercising.
• Physical activity, as research shows, helps everyone gain benefits:

Though the evidence of the health benefits of regular physical activity is confirmed, achieving these benefits requires personal efforts.

Physical Inactivity Behavior Change

Healthy behaviors involve regular physical activity and healthy eating. However, Dr. Donald Edmondson, Ph.D., director of the Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, says, “behavior change is hard.”

It is true that behavior change is complicated and complex. The reason for the intricate complexity is because behavior change requires “a person to disrupt a current habit while simultaneously fostering a new, possibly unfamiliar, set of actions,” says Megan Call, a Licensed Psychologist and Associate Director of the Resiliency Center, University of Utah Health.

However, physical inactivity behavior change has several benefits such as it can improve your health and reduce the risk of developing numerous diseases, including it helps from boosting your mood to enhancing your sex life.

Scientific theory on behavior change suggests three powerful techniques for changing physical activity:

• Goal setting,
• Action planning, and
• Self-monitoring. [1]

According to Healthful Vitality, goal setting strategy is one thing that can help you succeed. An action plan is the architecture of the implementation of your goals. Self-monitoring suggests you need to be aware of your behavior and the influence it holds on your environment.

Reference:

[1] Samdal, G. B., Eide, G. E., Barth, T., Williams, G., & Meland, E. (2017). Effective behaviour change techniques for physical activity and healthy eating in overweight and obese adults; systematic review and meta-regression analyses. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 14(1), 42.