We human beings, as strong and smart as we are, can be very fragile creatures. We are susceptible to all sorts of mental and physical problems. The human body is a complex machine and there are many “moving parts” that can break or wear down over time. This is especially true as we get older. The ability that our body has to “repair” itself deteriorates the older that we get. The sad simple truth is that the older that we get, sooner or later, something will eventually kill us.
Yes, sooner or later, we will all die. But let that be your motivation for leading and living a good purposeful life. We all have limited time and so we owe it to ourselves to live our best life possible. Since our time is limited and since all number of things can happen at anytime, a quality of life and not quantity of life is what we should be seeking.
Change The Things That I Can
One aspect for the quality of our life that each and every one of us must consider is our physical health. Granted, when it comes to our health, there are so many factors that are completely out of our control, but there are also many factors that we can do something about. Some of these factors are easy and simple for us to do something about that it would be tragic if we do not.
One of the starting points for so many other diseases that can affect us, greatly reduce our quality of life, and prematurely kill us, but unlike so many other diseases that can harm and/or kill us, but that we actually do have within our power to do something about is Sedentary Disease.
“Isn’t That Special?”
A Sedentary Disease is a special class of disease. Many diseases are often attributed to inherited predisposition or genetics. For example: If your grandmother had heart disease there is a theoretical chance that you may have higher odds of succumbing to heart disease as well. Simply put, if a certain disease runs in your family, then you too may be genetically predisposed to suffer from the same disease too.
Whether this happens or not can be influenced by many things. There are many things that we have no control over that can trigger a disease. The environment is often blamed for triggering or spreading other diseases. For example, a contagious disease may be a greater risk in a small, crowded environment.
You CAN Do Something About It!
What separates a Sedentary Disease from so many of the other diseases, is that this disease, and the other diseases that are directly caused by it, are directly correlated with a persons level of physical activity that they partake in. Or, more to the point, directly correlated to a lack of physical activity. Sedentary Disease and just about all diseases and afflictions related to it, are diseases that each and every one of us CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT to change, minimize or even completely avoid them.
What Does Sedentary Even Mean?
Merriam Webster dictionary defines sedentary as: “doing or requiring much sitting.” Looking at sedentary from the other side, sedentary basically means not moving for extended periods of time. Let’s help paint the picture for you: Do you know what a “Couch-Potato” is? Yes, we figured that you might. Well, Couch-Potatoes are sedentary.
In the USA physical inactivity has become a big problem that is directly related to health problems, disease, and a lack of physical mobility. In fact, the American Psychological Association states: “Research has shown approximately 25 percent to 35 percent of American adults are inactive.” This is one-quarter to one-third plus of the entire population of the USA.
Are You The One?
As of the writing of this article, the current population of the United States is around 331 million people. YOU can do the math.
The next time that you are in line somewhere, think about this: You, the person in front of you, or the person behind you, are one of the three people that suffer and will probably die from Sedentary Disease, if lifestyle changes are not made right away.
How about looking at it this way?: The next time you are sitting down for a family dinner event, look around the table at your family sitting with you. Which one of you is the one in three that will probably suffer and eventually even die from Sedentary Disease?
If you love yourself and your family, this should not be a pleasant thought.
Okay, But…
Many of us work from a chair at the office or from home spending much time on a computer or making calls. Then, after work, many people go home and take care of their family, eat dinner (what did you eat???), and relax.
We sit for most of the day at work and then we sit for most of the evening when we get home. We get it – For most people their day is long, draining and exhausting. By the time we have some free time in the evening, we are too tired to do anything else but watch TV or other media.
The sedentary routine that we have created for ourselves cycles day-in and day-out for most of our adult lives until the other diseases that come from Sedentary Disease catch up to us and eventually kill us. The ironic thing is that if we did some more physical movement and activity, we would actually have more energy to do even more. Instead of the death-spiral down to our own demise, eating right and with some physical activity, we can be climbing upward for a better quality of life.
We need to break the cycle since the problem with being sedentary, a lack of physical inactivity, not moving nearly enough, is a growing list of health issues that result from being sedentary.
Common Health Conditions Associated With Being Sedentary
- Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Stroke
- Hyperlipidemia – Which is basically having high cholesterol
Following The Guidelines Reduces Risk
In 2008 the United States Government created its first set of physical activity guidelines for adults. These guidelines were revised in 2018. According to the physical activity guidelines, “Regularly active adults have lower rates of heart disease and stroke and have lower blood pressure, better blood lipid profiles, and better physical fitness.
Significant reductions in the risk of cardiovascular disease occur at activity levels equivalent to 150 minutes a week (which is just about 20 minutes per day) of moderate-intensity physical activity.” (Physical Activity Guidelines For Americans, et al)
This means that with less than three hours per week of moderate-intensity physical activity a person can see risk factors significantly decrease and notable improvements to health and fitness. If you divide those minutes up over a seven day week, this can be accomplished with only a small time commitment per day.
Direct Connections Between Sedentary Lifestyle And Health Issues
The connection between a sedentary lifestyle and health issues are related to high levels of bad cholesterol, and atherosclerosis. This means that if you consume large amounts of unhealthy foods and don’t exercise you are likely to be at greater risk for having many of the diseases above.
Exercise lowers blood pressure and heart rate. If you think about your circulatory system as the “pipes” in your system and your heart as the “engine,” it is easy to see how exercise and a clean diet can help keep the engine running well and the pipes flowing. Poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle can cause poor general health and in turn, cause a greater risk of diseases related to plaques or fatty deposits in your blood vessels.
These plaques are often related to heart attack and stroke. Adult-onset diabetes is often related to poor eating habits that may be confounded by a sedentary lifestyle. Your pancreas is constantly pumping out insulin if you have poor eating habits. This may lead to insulin resistance and later adult-onset diabetes. Being active can reduce the risk of all of these conditions.
The Power Is All Yours
This is what is so frustrating about sedentary Disease and the related diseases that come with it: We CAN do something about avoiding or, at least, minimizing them. Increasing physical activity and consuming a diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats can help reduce the effects of Sedentary Disease.
Making sure you get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity will also reduce your risk of a sedentary Disease. Note that we are talking about moderate physical activity. Nowhere does it say that you need to run marathons or compete in the Olympics.
Get Active, Stay Active And Live A Long Healthy Life. This Category Of Sedentary Disease Is Pretty Much 100% Preventable By You.
It does not matter where in the world you are, what you have, or even if you have access to a gym. Small changes in your life can make a lasting difference in improving your health. You have the power to prevent sedentary Disease in your life. Make the time to correct and adjust your lifestyle so that you can minimize and even avoid sedentary Disease and the other diseases associated with it.
There are two really simple and easy changes that you can make in your life today, right now:
1) Move More.
- Get off your ass up off the couch, get up and move around.
- Go for a walk.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Whatever you can do, do something. Do it more. Start small and build it up.
- Change your habits and start “working out” from home.
- Aim for 20-30 minutes a day
2) Eat Better.
- Eat real food.
- Cut back on packaged processed food.
- Cut back on fast-food (Junk food is killing us).
- Cut out sweet drinks. Drink water.
Would you like to talk about a real “white-privilege”? How about the “privilege” that these three “white” food products have – sugar, flour and salt – to actually kill us? : Eliminate or drastically lower you consumption of sugar, flour and salt. Live a healthy life with with quality.
Conclusion
We all will eventually die. One main goal that we should have is to live a meaningful and purposeful life, with an aim being to also have quality of life, especially when we age and get older.
There are too many things that are out of control that can affect the quality of our life, especially when it comes to our health. Each and every one of us must do our part to see that we live that purposeful life. Each and every one of us must do what we can to take care of our health as best that we can.
Sedentary Disease and the related diseases that can come for Sedentary Disease are mostly lifestyle diseases. We can do something about them. And a little effort will go a long way and be well-worth the small changes that we can make to avoid them.
It Really Is Simple. Not Taking Care Of Yourself Will Kill You.
- The junk food we eat will kill us.
- Eating too much fats and especially the wrong fats will kill us.
- High cholesterol will kills us.
- Too much sugar, and being overweight and obese can cause diabetes and will kill us.
- Eventually, if we do not take care of ourselves properly, we will “break our heart”, and that, for sure will kill us.
Eat right – Eat better.
Move More. Go For Walks, At Least!
It Really Is Not That Hard. We Can Do This. You Can Do This!
Be A Man – Do The Right Thing. It’s Your Life. It’s Your Choice. Take Care Of Yourself. Eat Right And Exercise.
BAM!!! Be A Man! Do The Right Thing.
Be the DtRTy Guy!
Sources:
1. Physical activity guidelines: https://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/release23/en/#:~:text=Sedentary%20lifestyles%20increase%20all%20causes,lipid%20disorders%2C%20depression%20and%20anxiety.
2. who.gov
3. Merriam Webster Dictionary: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sedentary
5. https://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/hyperlipidemia-overview