Do We Really Need to Exercise? - Part 2

The Risks of a Sedentary Life-Style

The drastic reduction in physical exertion has led to many physical, mental, and emotional health problems. For instance, a health agency in Britain recently reported: “Inactive children are at risk of poorer self-esteem, greater anxiety and higher stress levels. These children are also more likely to smoke and use drugs than active children. Inactive employees have more days off work than active employees. In later life, inactive people lose the basic strength and flexibility for daily activities. As a result, many lose their independence and have poorer mental health.”

Cora Craig, president of the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, explains that “Canadians are far less physically active at work than they used to be . . . Overall, activity is down.” The Globe and Mail newspaper of Canada reports: “About 48 per cent of Canadians are overweight, including 15 per cent who are obese.” The paper adds that in Canada, 59 percent of adults are sedentary. Dr. Matti Uusitupa, from the University of Kuopio, in Finland, warns that “the incidence of type 2 diabetes is rapidly increasing worldwide due to the increasing occurrence of obesity and sedentary lifestyle.”

In Hong Kong a recent study suggested that among people 35 years of age and older, about 20 percent of all deaths could be related to a lack of physical activity. The study, led by Professor Tai-Hing Lam of the University of Hong Kong and published in 2004 by Annals of Epidemiology, concluded that the “risk from physical inactivity exceeds that due to tobacco smoking” in the Hong Kong Chinese population. Researchers predict that the rest of China “will witness a similarly large mortality burden.”

Is this concern justified? Could physical inactivity really harm our health, even more than tobacco smoking? It is widely accepted that compared with active people, inactive people tend to have higher blood pressure, a higher risk of strokes and heart attacks, a higher risk of developing certain types of cancers, a higher risk of osteoporosis, and a higher tendency to become obese.*

The Wall Street Journal reports: “On every continent of the globe, even including regions where malnutrition is rife, the number of people who are either overweight or obese is rising at an alarming clip. The major culprit: the same combination of high-calorie diets and sedentary behavior that fuels the epidemic of fat in the U.S.” Dr. Stephan Rössner, a professor of health behavior at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, agrees and went so far as to claim: “There is no country in the world where obesity is not increasing.”

A Global Problem

Clearly, a program of moderate physical activity is vital to our well-being. Yet, despite the well-publicized risks of physical inactivity, a large segment of the world’s population remain virtually inactive. The World Heart Federation believes that between 60 and 85 percent of the world’s population “is not physically active enough to gain health benefits, especially among girls and women.” This organization claims that “nearly two thirds of children are also insufficiently active for their health.” In the United States, about 40 percent of adults are sedentary, and about half the youths between the ages of 12 and 21 do not engage in regular vigorous activities.

A study that examined the prevalence of sedentary life-styles in 15 European countries found that the percentages of inactive people ranged from 43 percent in Sweden to 87 percent in Portugal. In São Paulo, Brazil, about 70 percent of the population is sedentary. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the “data gathered on health surveys from around the world is remarkably consistent.” It should not surprise us, then, that an estimated two million people die every year from causes related to physical inactivity.

Health experts worldwide view this trend as alarming. In response, government agencies around the world have started various programs designed to educate the public on the benefits of moderate physical activity. By the year 2010, Australia, Japan, and the United States hope to achieve a 10 percent increase in the level of physical activity among their citizens. Scotland aims to have 50 percent of its adult population engaging in regular physical activity by the year 2020. A report from WHO explains that “other countries that highlighted their national programmes in physical activity were Mexico, Brazil, Jamaica, New Zealand, Finland, the Russian Federation, Morocco, Vietnam, South Africa, and Slovenia.”

Notwithstanding the efforts of governments and health organizations, the ultimate responsibility of caring for one’s health falls squarely on each one of us. Ask yourself, ‘Am I active enough? Am I getting enough exercise? If not, what can I do to break free from my sedentary life-style?’ The following article will show you how to increase your level of physical activity.
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*  Physical inactivity can dramatically increase the risk of certain life-threatening conditions. For instance, according to the American Heart Association, physical inactivity “doubles the risk of developing heart disease and increases the risk of hypertension by 30 percent. It also double[s] the risk of dying from CVD [cardiovascular disease] and stroke.”