Walk Away From Sedentary Life

“The benefits of walking are so good, that they are hard to believe.” — George C. Halvorson, CEO Kaiser Permanente Healthcare Group

The 21st-century sedentary lifestyle of remote controls, computers, mobile phones, escalators, elevators and vehicles that take us from A to B regardless of the distance, has brought with it diseases and ailments unique to recent generations. Obesity, muscular and bone problems, even certain cancers are developing at a faster rate because of our reluctance to do the simplest of everyday exercise.

And I’m not referring to a once a week blast at the gym for feelgood factor and temporary muscle pump, but the basic movement which all of our ancestors, from cavemen to Victorians, had to do. However, scientists have discovered (or rediscovered) a miracle cure – it’s called WALKING! These research figures below from Kaiser Permanente Healthcare speak for themselves.

The benefits of walking 30mins a day, 5 days a week

• Decreases symptoms of Alzheimer’s by 50%
• Men and women have a 50% reduction in the risk of diabetes
• Men are 60% less likely to get colon cancer
• Men are two-thirds less likely to get prostate cancer
• Men with prostate cancer have a 46% lower mortality rate
• Women have a 43% reduction in the risk of strokes
• Women have a 31% lower risk of colon cancer
• Women have a 20% lower risk of breast cancer
• Women with breast cancer have a 50% reduction in the recurrence rate.

And if you can’t manage 30 minutes every day because of time limits or physical capacity then adapt to fit your situation yet still reap the benefits, which include: increased calcium in your bones to ward off osteoporosis, strengthened posture, stronger heart, decreases in blood pressure and cholesterol and greater brain volume. Walking improves the body’s ability to metabolise sugars and fats so is a buffer against obesity. Also, a brisk walk works as an effective and immediate antidepressant.

Basically, the body is designed to move, not to sit. The S-shaped column of the spine has evolved over thousands of years to bear the weight of you walking and running. It will probably take another few thousand years to adjust to you hunched over a computer.

Until then, our bodies will be affected by back and joint aches, as well as vision problems, to name a few. View my video below to find out why the remote control, backside-to-sofa lifestyle has an effect on everything from your mental wellbeing to the functioning of your visual cortex.

Author Eddie Saint-Jean

Further reading

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/why-sitting-too-much-is-bad-for-us/ – “To reduce our risk of ill health from inactivity, we are advised to exercise regularly – at least 150 minutes a week – and reduce sitting time. Studies have linked excessive sitting with being overweight and obese, type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer, and early death.”

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2003/172.html – “Six out of ten people in the UK are classified as having a sedentary lifestyle which could put their health at risk according to new research in the current issue of the International Journal of Epidemiology (IJE), edited in the University’s Department of Social Medicine.”

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322910.php – ” One study analyzed data collected over 15 years and found that sedentary lifestyles were associated with an increased risk of early death regardless of physical activity levels. This shows that it is essential to reduce the amount of time spent being sedentary in addition to doing more exercise.”