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.
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.
Studies show that a sedentary lifestyle increases all causes of death. In fact, it increases your risk for:
The more sedentary your lifestyle is, the higher your risk of mortality and illnesses.
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:
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:
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!