Nearly 4 in 10 adults in the UK are living a sedentary lifestyle today. This means those who fall into this category are doing less than 150 minutes of moderately intense physical activity every week. These figures climb the older someone people become. It is believed that the lack of being physically active is the biggest contributor to poor health.
Living a mostly sedentary life can wreak havoc on your health and overall well-being. Issues like blot clots are far more common in people who are sitting for hours at a time every day. You also increase your risk of becoming obese, having high blood pressure and cholesterol, feeling depressed or anxious, and suffering from heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even some forms of cancer. Are you motivated to get active yet?
Additionally, you will be burning far fewer calories and getting further away from your health goals. You may also see a loss in your muscle strength and endurance. Even your bones could become weaker. Other issues like your metabolism dropping, having a weakened immune system, getting more inflammation in your body, and developing hormonal imbalances are all real issues you can face.
Thankfully, it is not that difficult to stay fit while living a sedentary lifestyle. As long as you are doing enough to work your muscles, you will stay healthy and keep in shape.
Tips On Staying Fit While Sedentary
Whether your job requires it or you are just the type of person who likes to lay around on the couch, there are some things you can do to improve your health and stay fit. Here are some tips we recommend following if you want to stay fit while living an overall sedentary lifestyle:
Stand More
As simple as it sounds, the mere act of standing can help you reduce weight and become healthier. Your metabolism will increase and you will be using your leg muscles to support you.
Walk More
Walking is a very easy way to strengthen your leg muscles. It will also help you walk faster, which becomes an important factor in older age. Studies have found that seniors ages 75 and older will live for an average of 10 years longer if they have walk frequently. That should definitely motivate you!
Take Opportunities to Be Active
Get any type of exercise you can into your day. There is no shortage of ways you can go about this. Whatever gets your muscles and joints moving will help you ward off the repercussions of living a sedentary lifestyle.
Ideally, you should get at least half an hour of physical activity every other day. If you are pressed for time, then split this up into 10-minute segments. You could do 10 minutes of physical activity or exercise in the morning, afternoon, and evening.
Some ideas that do not involve going to the gym include the following:
Take a five-minute walk every couple of hours throughout your day.
Do a set here and there of heel raises whenever you are doing another task, such as brushing your teeth or washing dishes.
When you are speaking to someone on the phone, do so while walking around or standing.
Wash dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher.
Park far away from the entrance to a building when going on an errand run.
Vacuum the house more regularly.
Take stairs instead of elevators and escalators.
Basically, find any opportunity you can to sneak some physical activity into your day. If you have dug into a sedentary lifestyle for a prolonged period of time, you will want to ease into fitness exercises. You want to avoid feeling exhausted after doing so. Find what works for you and go from there.
Get a Fitness Tracker
Fitness trackers like pedometers can help you track how many steps you take every day. Additionally, it will incentivize you to get your steps in and stay physically active. Understanding just how few (or many) steps you are taking each day can be a real eye-opener. You can receive alerts on most fitness trackers that will nudge you to take more steps. If you find that you are sitting around too much then this could be a helpful piece of tech to have on you. You have the option of either getting a wearable fitness tracker, such as a FitBit, or you can download an app on your mobile that will work very similarly.
Hire a Personal Trainer
For a surefire way to stay fit while living a sedentary lifestyle, hire a personal trainer. This will be someone who is an extra in getting and staying fit. They will understand what level of training and exercise you will need based on your unique situation. This helps you stay healthy and reach your fitness goals.
A personal trainer will also hold you accountable. It is easier said than done to stick to goals we set for ourselves. With someone making sure you are doing what it takes to get fit, you are much more likely to be healthy while living a sedentary lifestyle.
You can also benefit from a personal trainer by getting into a fitness routine. Hiring a personal trainer will require you to make an appointment to visit them, usually at a gym. This consistent schedule of going to train with someone guiding you will create a great habit.
Conclusion
Most of us live a mostly sedentary lifestyle. The nature of the world these days makes it somewhat of a requirement. However, this does not mean you are inactive all day. You can still stay fit while living a sedentary lifestyle. When you follow the tips provided in this article, you will ensure that you will stay healthy went into your later years. If you want the best chance at peak performance and wellness, hire a personal trainer to help you every step of the way.