Over the past 10-15 years, lifestyle-related diseases have contributed to 60% of the country diseases and mortality rate. Adding to this is the latest link between sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity with higher risk of COVID infection. In our experience, we have seen that physically inactive people have more post COVID complications, and are likely to succumb as compared to active people.
The risk of inactive lifestyle and COVID:
A sedentary lifestyle is defined as a type of lifestyle where an individual does not receive regular amounts of physical activity. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that 60 to 85% of the population worldwide does not engage in enough activity. Making physical inactivity the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality.
According to Center for Disease Control (CDC), US physical an individual should participate in a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes of a more vigorous regimen.
Walking 10,000 steps a day (approximately 5 miles) is the ideal to reducing the health risks caused by inactivity.
- Physical inactivity may increase the risks of certain Cancers
- Physical inactivity may contribute to Anxiety and Depression
- Physical inactivity has been shown to be a risk factor for certain Cardiovascular Diseases
- People who engage in more physical activity are less likely to develop Coronary Heart Disease
- People who are more active are less likely to be overweight or obese
- Sitting too much may cause a decrease in skeletal muscle mass
- Physical inactivity is linked to high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels
Therefore, exercising regularly is a must. It will keep your weight under control and will be beneficial even for Diabetics, Hypertensive and obese people.
So, here’s a WHO recommended #Healthyathome practice to reduce your risk of COVID:
- People should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity throughout the week, or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity throughout the week
- Adults should increase their moderate-intensity physical activity to 300 minutes per week, or equivalent
- For developing and maintaining musculoskeletal health, muscle-strengthening activities involving major muscle groups should be done on 2 or more days a week
- Older adults with poor mobility should do physical activity to enhance balance and prevent falls on 3 or more days per week
- For children and adolescents:
- All children and adolescents should do at least 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity
- This should include activities that strengthen muscle and bone, at least 3 days per week
- Doing more than 60 minutes of physical activity daily will provide additional health benefits
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