The High Cost of Inactivity

If you live in Florida year-round, you know that this is the time when we begin to mourn the loss of “paradise” and begin to prepare ourselves for the hot and sticky summer ahead.  For most of us, our main coping strategy is to either take lots of trips out of town, stay inside more, or both. 

Why do I bring this up?  Because typically what happens when we do those things is that we become much less active and far more sedentary.

You probably know this already but being sedentary is dangerous.  Not only does it harm our physical health from the lack of movement, but also from the increased time we spend sitting.   Now, I know that sitting is arguably the most comfortable way to spend our idle time but sitting is so bad for us that experts call it “the new smoking.”  That’s because too much of it can significantly increase your risk of developing all types of health problems and can exacerbate nearly all existing ones as well.   

Here’s an article from Yale University about the dangers of sitting- Why Is Sitting So Bad For Us? 

In addition to the negative physical effects of being sedentary, research shows us that the brain also suffers from it.  Everything from mood to cognitive function can be affected by inactivity, which is even more reason to try and avoid it. 

Read the “Psychology Today” article about the negative mental effects of being sedentary by clicking here- Why Does Physical Inactivity Drain Human Brain Power 

To combat inactivity, I would invest in the use of a pedometer and track your steps daily.  Research shows that an increase of even a few thousand steps per day can make an enormous difference in your health.  Also, even if you have to work up to it over many months, getting over 10,000 steps per day would be a great goal to shoot for.  

In addition to this, be sure to follow the most current exercise recommendations, which are listed here- How Much Exercise Do Adults Need? 

I hope you find this helpful.  Feel free to email me with thoughts or questions you have.  

God bless and stay cool!

Chris