Sedentary lifestyles are one of the current variables with the worst impact on public health. In fact, according to the World Health Organization’s Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Habits report, if all people were more physically active, “between four and five million deaths could be avoided each year”. Based on these figures, cardiovascular diseases have been ranked by the WHO as the leading cause of death in the world. A sedentary lifestyle is one of the risk factors for heart disease, but so are stress, poor diet, lack of water, smoking, alcohol, overweight and obesity.
The importance of physical activity
Exercising is good for the heart, body and mind, according to the international organization, and not only helps prevent heart disease, but also diabetes and multiple types of cancer. Moreover, in today’s society, keeping moving is important for maintaining good mental health and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Although the need to avoid sedentary lifestyles to maintain good health is often warned about, in many cases it is difficult to put into practice. Sedentary habits are part of the way we live, work and play in today’s societies, making it difficult for many people to achieve a more active lifestyle.
Work, the basis of sedentary lifestyles
The way we work is, in most cases, the main reason that leads us to have a sedentary lifestyle. According to Dr. Portugal del Pino, a specialist in Cardiology, there are studies that compare the life prognosis of people who have a sedentary job with those who have an active job. “The results assure that adults who work more than 6 hours sitting down should perform at least 30 minutes of physical activity daily, either intense or moderate, to have the same cardiovascular prognosis or quality of life as those who have an active job”, explains the specialist.
In other words, it is important to compensate with a certain amount of physical exercise for the inactivity resulting from the working day. In this sense, Dr. Portugal del Pino recommends “including in the weekly routine a certain amount of moderate physical activity that should be taken as part of the working day so that, in the future, we are not penalized by it”.
On the other hand, an important aspect that we can include when we work sitting down is to get up every so often. The expert assures that, “although it does not have the same impact as physical activity, it helps us to favor the circulation of the lower limbs. In this way, we can avoid the development of edema or “swelling” in the legs and the formation of thrombi, since mobilizing the muscles not only stimulates circulation but also helps to decompress the large veins that bring blood from the lower limbs”.
Start progressively
“Any amount of physical activity is better than none, and the more the better,” assures the World Health Organization. Dr. Portugal del Pino agrees and assures that it is important to start physical activity progressively: “We cannot look at people who already do sports, since the capacity for effort is individual. Copying others can lead to problems such as overtraining and fatigue, which can lead to frustration and abandonment.
Given the difficulty that many people experience in including physical activity in their daily lives, specialists advise integrating it into the work context, recreational activities or walking or cycling. The cardiologist recommends starting by paying attention to the physical activity that the person already performs, for example, if the patient walks, he/she should try to walk a little more per day to generate routine and habit. On the other hand, “if the person performs strength exercises, it is not necessary to start with long routines or maximum weights. The second and third week you can start to increase the intensity a little, but always following realistic goals and listening to your own body”.
WHO recommendations
The World Health Organization has established in its 2019 report the amount of physical activity that should be performed to maintain adequate physical and mental health. The work distinguishes between three social groups:
- Children and adolescents.
“Children and adolescents should perform, on average, at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily, mainly aerobic of moderate to vigorous intensity,” assures the WHO. For this reason, it is important that they limit the time devoted to school activities or screen-based entertainment. In this social group, a greater sedentary lifestyle may be associated with greater adiposity, poorer cardiometabolic health and shorter sleep duration.
- Adults
The WHO recommendation in this age range is to accumulate a minimum of 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or a minimum of 75-150 minutes of more intense aerobic physical activity during the week. The consequences of a sedentary lifestyle in adults are aggravated and usually include cardiovascular mortality, increased incidence of hypertension, cancer and type 2 diabetes. In addition, other types of repercussions are also present, such as anxiety, depression, cognitive health and deterioration in the quality of sleep.
- Over 65 years of age
Like adults, the WHO states that “older people should accumulate a minimum of 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity during the week”.
In addition to avoiding cardiovascular risk, physical activity has other advantages for people over 65 years of age, such as preventing falls and injuries, as well as reducing the deterioration of bone and functional health.
The consequences of a sedentary lifestyle
According to specialist Portugal del Pino, the main consequences of a sedentary lifestyle are often the early development of hypertension and high cholesterol. “This is due to a dysfunction related to the loss of functional capacity and fat oxidation. In other words, there is a decrease in the capacity to metabolize fats and there is a tendency to consume carbohydrates to generate energy”. “They are more inefficient when it comes to sustained physical effort, so they tend to have a higher heart rate and their heart is more inefficient in pumping blood and irrigating the tissues during exertion,” explains the doctor.
Another of the consequences it usually has on health is the impact on the nervous system: “symptoms such as tachycardia, accelerated pulse or intolerance to physical effort will occur, which contribute to perpetuating the state of poor cardiac function or loss of functional capacity”.
The Impact of the Pandemic on Cardiovascular Health
The emergence of the pandemic and restrictive measures significantly increased sedentary lifestyles. Moreover, if we take into account the growth of the teleworking trend, and the reduction in the need to travel, the effect still remains, despite the fact that the confinement stage has passed.
In this context, Dr. Portugal del Pino assures that he has seen an increase in the number of patients who have reduced their activity to a minimum. “Most express that they have developed overweight and another large number of patients have been diagnosed for high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol or arrhythmias in the form of tachycardias.”