By: Lyn Hazel D. Calawod, OTRP
The Coronavirus pandemic has forced the world to slow down as it adapts to the new normal. A reality where most of us transition to having sedentary lifestyles. We stay home and spend most of our days reclining, sitting or lying down.
Work-from-home has become a common case scenario in our daily lives. We are constantly working on our laptops, scanning social media with our mobile phones, playing online games, watching our favorite movie, and doing most of our activities from our fingertips.
While we make our way transitioning from active lifestyles to turning everything digital, what this new normal forgets to remind us is the importance of movement to our health. In fact, all these hours we spend sitting and lying down have been found to have detrimental effects on our health.
Studies show that more than 70% of adults spend their waking hours sitting. As the world halts during this Coronavirus pandemic, most of us are quarantined at home. This means no more commuting to work, working out at the gym, or visiting your friends. No more trips to the mall to shop, or visits to your favourite restaurant. Little did we know these mundane tasks we used to have the privilege of experiencing, made big differences in our lives and our health.
As convenient as working-from-home may be, our demand for physical activities slowly decreases.
We’ve been hearing about how this shift can affect our mental health in the past few months, but what exactly does this shift do to our physical health?
The lack of space to walk around may lead you to spend most of your time on your bed or as a couch potato. As we work on our computers at home, we are constantly subjected to too much sitting or lying down that may lead to living a sedentary lifestyle.
What does it mean to have a sedentary lifestyle?
Having a sedentary lifestyle is having a physically-inactive lifestyle. A person with sedentary behaviors spends more of their time sitting, reclining or lying down. According to WHO, there are approximately 3.2 million deaths per year caused by insufficient physical activity. Physical inactivity is considered the fourth leading risk factor for death in the world.
How does sedentary lifestyle affect your health?
Studies show that a sedentary lifestyle increases all causes of death. In fact, it increases your risk for:
- Cardiovascular diseases
- High blood pressure
- Colon cancer
- Breast cancer
- Type 2 diabetes
- Osteoporosis
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Obesity
The more sedentary your lifestyle is, the higher your risk of mortality and illnesses.
What activities can be considered sedentary?
- Sitting in car
- Watching TV while sitting or lying down
- Online activities while sitting or lying down
- Prolonged sitting while working from home
- Browsing your mobile phone while sitting or lying down
Why is it important to be more physically active?
Engaging in physical activities improves your health and helps prevent chronic diseases. It helps lower your blood pressure, improves blood flow, mood and brain health, and strengthens your muscles and bones, too.
WHO recommends that we engage in moderate physical activities for up to 30 minutes every day.
Examples of moderate physical activities can be:
- Washing and waxing car
- Gardening
- Jumping rope
- Stair walking
- Sweeping the floor
- Brisk walking
- Vacuuming
- Slow dancing
How can I be active at home?
As the world heals from a pandemic and it may take some effort and creativity to stay active while you are stuck at home.
Here are some ideas that may help you stay active at home:
- Schedule your household chores as a break from prolonged sitting.
- Walk around the house when on your phone.
- Watch a workout video and follow along.
- Do 8-10 jumping jacks every 2-3 hours.
- Do not use the remote control when watching TV, get up from your chair and manually change the channel.
You don’t have to be a fitness guru to avoid the traps of a sedentary lifestyle. Take the time to know and understand your body, its needs, and how it prefers to move. Maybe you can squeeze in a light 30-minute workout everyday, or perhaps you’d rather clean the house? Maybe you could walk around your apartment or challenge yourself by standing up to get a glass of water every hour?
There are a handful of ways you can start moving from home. If you’re needing a little inspiration, turn to these 9 women and see if any of their fitness methods look appealing to you!
Precision Sports Therapy (www.precisionsportscare.com) and Mind Skills by Hazel.
Apart from being an Ergonomics and Human Factors Specialist (having completed her studies at Harvard University- School of Public Health),
she is also a certified Telemental Health Provider, certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional
and has provided therapy services to thousands of clients- ranging from kids and
adults with disabilities, corporate workers to world champions in sports.
Hazel is also a commercial model, actress and a hip hop dancer.
She loves to travel and is passionate in sports such as MMA, rock climbing and gymnastics.
