The pervasive nature of contemporary life usually sees us spending far an excessive amount of time seated, making the combination of extra bodily exercise into our each day routines an important problem.
As the colder climate takes maintain, the temptation to retreat indoors and loosen up after a busy day is powerful.
Yet, sustaining bodily motion stays paramount.
Prolonged durations of inactivity, notably lounging, deny the physique its essential want for train.
When our exercise ranges strategy a sedentary state, it indicators an pressing requirement for way of life changes.
Keiren Douglas, private coach at Nuffield Health, has highlighted the potential dangers a sedentary way of life can have in your well being and has shared some nice recommendations on how you can gently enhance your motion all through the day.
What is a sedentary way of life?
“A sedentary lifestyle is when a person spends most of their time lying down or sitting with very little movement in between resting periods,” says Douglas. “This could be at home, at the office or driving all day. This doesn’t apply to someone just having one rest day in the week, but more for someone who has less than 150 minutes of exercise of any kind in a week.”
How does sitting down for lengthy durations of time have an effect on the physique?
“In the short term, prolonged periods of sitting can cause muscle stiffness, sore joints and reduced circulation from the lack of movement,” says Douglas. “You would also burn significantly less calories through the day and it is also likely to negatively affect your posture.”
In the long run, these results accumulate and might result in weight achieve and subsequent well being issues.
“You could see those postural issues turn into chronic neck, shoulder or back pain overtime,” says Douglas. “Too much sedentary behaviour can also lead to consistent lower energy levels and higher feelings of stress. In addition, a sedentary lifestyle makes weight management extremely difficult, so you’d be more likely to notice weight gain.
“Furthermore, a lack of activity can negatively impact your day-to-day fitness and in the long term might make tasks like carrying shopping, cleaning or climbing stairs very difficult.”
What are the largest challenges individuals face when making an attempt to interrupt out of a sedentary way of life?
“People tend to feel overwhelmed at the idea of changing their entire lifestyle and fitness in general,” recognises Douglas. “At this point, many people have low energy, a sore body and perhaps a lack of education on how to exercise properly and how much they should do.”
What are the dangers of doing an excessive amount of too quickly?
“Our muscles, ligaments and tendons need time to build up, so if a person goes into exercise too quickly they run the risk of overextending or even injuring themselves,” explains Douglas. “Our body conditions over time slowly, so it’s best to ease into higher levels of movement.”
Here are seven methods to get out of a rut and break free from a sedentary way of life…
Go for a 5 minute stroll day-after-day
“Five minutes a day is a great way to start moving,” says Douglas. “It helps set an expectation to exercise and cements a habit into your routine. Also, five minutes doesn’t take very long, so time can no longer be used as an excuse. After a while you can build it up to 10 minutes and gradually add on more and more time to that.”
Decide on some motion anchors
“This is when you associate an activity with a type of movement,” explains Douglas. “For example, stretching while you brush your teeth, walking on your lunch break or standing up during a TV ad break.”
Be intentional about incidental motion
“Incidental movement includes parking further away from work or carrying the shopping in two trips instead of one or taking stairs rather than the lift to increase your steps,” says Douglas.
Stretch each morning
“Do 30 seconds of stretching when you wake up,” recommends Douglas. “Mobilising your hips, neck or shoulders, even for a short period of time, every morning is a great start.”
Prepare
“Set yourself up for a good day of movement by putting out some comfy walking shoes or by choosing an audio book to enjoy during your stroll,” advises Douglas. “The less friction you have when you start, the better.”
Celebrate the small wins
“Remember that every step counts,” says Douglas. “Acknowledge your efforts every day and remind yourself why you’re doing it.”
Consider getting a private coach
“I would always recommend a personal trainer to someone who is looking to increase their movement and improve their health,” says Douglas. “We can help you set out small goals and tasks and help you scale those up gently. Most importantly, we can help keep you motivated and cheer you on every step of the way.”