This message is not entitled “exercise” because it is only part of the movement needed for well-being and to overcome the harmful effects of our sedentary lifestyles.
The Recommendation
We obtain substantial health benefits by following the recommended 75-150 minutes (depending on intensity) of weekly aerobic activity and more benefits by adding twice-weekly muscle-strengthening sessions.
This standard does not require excessive time, a personal trainer, a gym, or infomercial fitness equipment. Brisk walking and body weight (push-ups, yoga) exercises fit the bill. This activity level should not seem too daunting, but only 25% do it.
The common excuse is a lack of time, but you can wake up earlier, go to bed later, or use your lunch break. Thankfully, there are exercises you can perform while watching TV. You can set an excellent example by including your children on your walks. Instead of flattening your derriere on the bleachers, walk around the field during your child’s sports practice. Enlist your fellow parents, and you will not miss one morsel of gossip.
Rather than viewing exercise as a chore, consider its benefits. You are healthier, feel better, and enhance your ability to do anything you need or want to do.
Exercise beyond the recommended level is great and may satisfy a desire but does not materially improve your health. For example, I work out six times weekly, hoping someone will tell me I look good (even if only for my age) or applaud me for cycling up a steep mountain.
The Issue
It is no secret that our lives tend to be sedentary (sitting more than six hours daily). The typical office job “requires” sitting for hours, and our most popular pastime is screen-watching while simultaneously creating an indention in the sofa cushion.
Convenience leads us towards the sedentary. We drive to and sit in a school pick-up line for a half hour to avoid a ten-minute walk. We eat take-out/delivered food to spare meal preparation, use dishwashers to escape washing dishes and acquire Roombas to evade vacuuming.
A sedentary lifestyle leads to miserable health consequences – a higher risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and dementia.
You are aware of and can take more action to combat sedentariness: walking when possible, taking the stairs, and standing in a waiting room, while on public transport, or during phone conversations.
The Real Culprit
Absent a radical change like installing a treadmill underneath your stand-up desk, we can (or will) probably do little to avoid our sedentary lifestyles. However, we can prevent the most damaging component – prolonged inactivity.
A low resting heart rate and running five miles daily do not overcome marathon sitting sessions. The solution requires interrupting non-movement with meaningful, periodic movement.
A sedentary lifestyle increases the likelihood of early death
regardless of physical activity (exercise).
My nonagenarian great-aunt, Zia Maria, did not sit for more than ten minutes at a time. Zia was a veritable jack-in-the-box – constantly getting up to perform tasks as small as clearing dishes off the table, washing a cup, or putting food in the fridge.
When I protested that she should relax, she insisted the movement kept her healthy and vital. She was right and remained active until her final year, finally passing shortly before reaching centenarian status.
Fortunately, the solution is as simple as the culprit – stop sitting for over thirty minutes. There is probably an app or Fitbit pulse you can set to alert you, or the Netflix next episode countdown timer can trigger you. Breaking the inaction cycle should involve more than refilling your snack bowl or relocating to the toilet.
This is one circumstance in which I suggest acting inefficiently. Instead of doing all your household chores before plopping into your easy chair to watch a screen, perform them intermittently. During each break from inactivity, load the dishwasher, wash a pot, break down the Amazon boxes for the recycle bin, or throw away the trash. Twice a week, use your breaks to do a set of muscle-strengthening exercises.
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Next week, we conclude this series by addressing additional contributors to our health and how to bring everything together to achieve excellent well-being.
