In people who lead a sedentary lifestyle, their metabolism sharply decreases due to insufficient oxygen entering the body. This leads to many troubles: premature development of atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes, lung diseases... With physical inactivity, obesity occurs, and calcium is lost from the bones. For example, as a result of three weeks of forced immobility, a person loses as much minerals as in a year of his life. Physical inactivity leads to a decrease in micropump function skeletal muscles, and the heart thereby loses its reliable helpers, which leads to various violations blood circulation in the human body and cardiovascular diseases.

At rest, about 40% of the blood does not circulate throughout the body and is in the “depot”. Consequently, tissues and organs are less well supplied with oxygen - this elixir of life. And vice versa, during movement, blood from the “depot” actively enters the vessels, as a result of which metabolism increases and the human body is faster freed from toxins.

For example, in muscles at rest, only 25-50 capillaries function (per 1 mm 2 of tissue). In a working muscle, up to 3000 capillaries actively pass blood through themselves. The same pattern is observed in the lungs with alveoli.

Muscle inaction leads to poor circulation in all organs, but the heart and brain suffer most often. It is no coincidence that patients forced to remain on bed rest for a long time first of all begin to complain of colic in the heart and headache. Previously, when patients with myocardial infarction were not allowed to move for a long time, the mortality rate among them was much higher. Conversely, when they began to practice an early motor regimen, the percentage of recovery increased sharply.

A sedentary lifestyle also leads to premature aging of the human body: muscles atrophy, vitality sharply decreases, performance becomes impaired, early wrinkles appear, memory deteriorates, and dark thoughts haunt you... Therefore, longevity is impossible without an active lifestyle.

But training the body for physical activity, on the contrary, has a positive effect on the function of all organs and systems, increases backup capabilities person. Yes, under the influence physical exercise The elasticity of blood vessels increases, their lumen becomes larger. First of all, this applies to the vessels that supply blood to the heart muscle. Systematic exercise and sports prevent the development of vascular spasms and thereby prevent angina pectoris, heart attack and other heart diseases.

To prevent blood stagnation in the body, it is necessary to “forcibly” redistribute it between the limbs and internal organs. What needs to be done for this? Force yourself to exercise regularly. For example, when working sedentarily, get up more often (several times an hour), do bends, squats, etc., breathe deeply, and after work, walk at least part of the way home. At home, it is useful to lie down for ten minutes with your legs elevated.

It should not be forgotten that what older age person, the fewer functioning capillaries remain. However, in constantly working muscles they are preserved. In functioning muscles, blood vessels age much more slowly than in internal organs. For example, the blood vessels in the legs age the fastest due to poor blood flow resulting from defective vein valves. This leads to stagnation of blood, dilation of veins and chronic oxygen starvation of tissues with the formation of blood clots and trophic ulcers. Therefore, it is necessary to give the leg muscles a feasible load throughout your entire life, alternating it with periods of rational rest.

In a person who does not systematically engage in physical exercise, by the age of 40-50 years of life, the speed of blood flow noticeably slows down and decreases. muscle strength and depth of breathing, blood clotting increases. As a result, among such people the number of patients with angina pectoris and hypertension is sharply increasing.

At the same time, older people leading an active lifestyle and pensioners who continue to work hard do not experience a sharp deterioration in their health.

Unfortunately, many older people play it safe too much, being afraid to go outside again, limit their movements, and avoid even strenuous exercise. As a result, their blood circulation sharply worsens, the respiratory excursion of the lungs decreases, the emptying of the alveoli increases, pneumosclerosis rapidly progresses, and pulmonary heart failure occurs.

Sedentary lifestyle modern man has become one of the main causes of early atherosclerosis, pneumosclerosis, coronary heart disease and sudden death.

Numerous animal experiments indicate the same. For example, birds released from cramped cages, rising into the air, died from heart failure. Even nightingales raised in captivity died with strong trills when released. This can happen to a person who leads a sedentary lifestyle.

To maintain the functioning of all organs and systems throughout life, a person must first take care of proper breathing. It has been established that the pulmonary artery and its inner lining, with sufficient inhalation of oxygen, activate the functions of certain hormones. This, in particular, is the basis for treatment with oxygen, oxygen foam, as well as aromas of a number of flowers.

When there is insufficient oxygen supply to the human body as a result of shallow breathing, oxidative processes are disrupted with the formation of under-oxidized products with so-called free radicals. They themselves are capable of causing prolonged spasm of blood vessels, which is often the cause of mysterious pains in various parts of the body.

Any weakening of breathing, no matter what it is caused by - improper breathing or low physical activity - reduces oxygen consumption by the body's tissues. As a result, the amount of protein-fat complexes in the blood increases - lipoproteins, which are the main sources of the formation of atherosclerotic deposits in the capillaries. For this reason, lack of oxygen in the body accelerates the development of atherosclerosis in relatively young people. age.

It has been noted that people who lead a sedentary lifestyle and avoid physical labor often suffer from colds. What's the matter? It turns out that their lung function is reduced.

The lungs, as is known, consist of tiny bubbles filled with air - alveoli, the walls of which are densely intertwined with blood capillaries in the form of a very thin network. When you inhale, the alveoli, filling with air, expand and stretch the capillary network. This creates conditions for better filling them with blood. Consequently, the deeper the inhalation, the more complete the blood supply to both the alveoli and the lungs in general.

In a physically developed person, the total area of ​​all alveoli can reach 100 m2. And if all of them are included in the act of breathing, then special cells - macrophages - freely move from the blood capillaries into the lumen of the alveoli. They protect the alveolar tissue from harmful and toxic impurities contained in the inhaled air, neutralize microbes and viruses and neutralize the toxic substances they secrete - toxins.

The life of these cells, however, is short: they quickly die from inhaled dust, bacteria and other microorganisms. And the more polluted the air inhaled by a person is with dust, gases, tobacco smoke and other toxic combustion products, in particular exhaust gases from vehicles, the faster the macrophages that protect us die. Dead alveolar macrophages can be removed from the body only with good ventilation.

And if, with a sedentary lifestyle, a person breathes shallowly, then a significant part of the alveoli does not participate in the act of breathing. The movement of blood in them is sharply weakened, and these non-breathing areas of the lungs have almost no protective cells. The resulting ones are defenseless. zones are the place where an unimpeded virus or microbe enters, damages the lung tissue and causes disease.

This is why it is so important that the air you breathe is clean and oxygenated. It is better to inhale through the nose, where it is cleared of germs and dust, warmed and moisturized, and exhalation can also be done through the mouth.

Do not forget that the deeper you inhale, the larger the area of ​​​​the alveoli is involved in gas exchange, the more protective cells - macrophages - enter them. People who lead a sedentary lifestyle need to regularly practice deep breathing in the fresh air.

In case of inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system, on the advice of a doctor, you need to do breathing exercises to prevent the alveoli from shrinking and to prevent their death. At the same time, we should not forget that lung tissue is capable of regeneration, and lost alveoli can be restored. This is facilitated by deep breathing through the nose, involving the diaphragm, which obese people who lead a sedentary lifestyle should not forget about.

A person can control his breathing, change its rhythm and depth. During the process of breathing, nerve impulses emanating both from the lung tissue itself and from the respiratory center affect the tone of the cerebral cortex. It is known that the process of inhalation causes excitation of the cells of the cerebral cortex, and exhalation causes inhibition. If their duration is equal, these influences are automatically neutralized.

To give vigor, breathing should be deep, with accelerated exhalation, which will also contribute to increased performance. By the way, this principle is clearly visible in the example of chopping wood: swinging an ax - take a deep breath, hitting a log - short, energetic exhale. This allows a person to perform similar work for quite a long time without rest.

But a short inhalation and an extended exhalation, on the contrary, relax the muscles and calm the nervous system. This breathing is used to transition from wakefulness to a state of rest, rest and sleep.

The opening of the alveoli is also facilitated by an increase in intrathoracic pressure. This can be achieved by inflating, for example, a rubber toy or a ball bladder. You can also do it with effort, exhaling through your lips, extended forward and folded into a tube, pronouncing the letters “f” or “fu”.

A good breathing exercise is a cheerful, playful laugh, which at the same time massages many internal organs.

In a word, to neutralize the harmful effects on health sedentary lifestyle life, you need to regularly, until very old age, do physical exercises in the fresh air, breathing exercises, harden yourself, and eat rationally. And for physical education and sports to bring tangible benefits, they must be practiced at least 6 hours a week.

But before you start training, be sure to see a doctor and consult with him, master the skills of self-control of your body, and keep a self-observation diary. And always and in everything follow the rules of personal and public hygiene, give up unhealthy habits.

L. N. Pridorogin, doctor.

The disease of the new century is physical inactivity, that is, restriction physical activity, “generously gifts” people with new and new diseases, spoils their well-being and negates all efforts to maintain a good mood. A sedentary lifestyle slowly and detrimentally affects health; chronic diseases arise, which are not so easy to get rid of unless you change your usual routine of life. To decide on such global changes, you should find out what the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle are. Let's consider what happens to the body when physical activity is limited.

A sedentary lifestyle: how the body degrades

Why are you in a bad mood?

The lack of necessary activity harms our body, both physically and in terms of well-being and psychological comfort. A simple walk through the forest, park, or going out of town into nature will give you a good mood and freshness of mind. During the working day, being in a stuffy room, the body is sorely lacking oxygen, the brain cannot actively work in this mode. After a working day, be sure to go for a walk to lift your spirits and clear your mind of the flow of information that overloads your brain all day.

Weak bones? Let's go for a walk!

Many brands' marketing plans use the idea that calcium is good for bone tissue. In fact, it's exactly the opposite. This myth dispelled by Harvard scientists, which refuted the need to consume large amounts of calcium to strengthen bones. Bone tissue requires vitamin D, so daily jogging or walking is important for healthy joints and bones and can prevent the development of osteoporosis.

Poor sleep as a result of lack of oxygen

Lack of walks in the fresh air and basic motor exercises every day threatens healthy and sound sleep, provoking many psychological problems and the development of diseases. And along with poor sleep, body weight will begin to increase, depression and anxiety will arise, and chronic ailments will begin to worsen. Therefore, many people who suffer from insomnia and exercise little are actively studying the question of how to lose weight with a sedentary lifestyle. Also bad dream provokes problems with the heart and blood vessels.

As you can see, everything is interconnected, lack of movement affects the quality of sleep, and lack of sleep results in health problems.

Decreased mental activity

A sedentary lifestyle significantly reduces mental productivity, this was proven in an experiment, the results of which were published in The Journal of Comparative Neurology. According to these data, in one of the parts of the brain, in the absence of motor activity, neural connections are deformed. In addition, this same department is responsible for the functioning of the sympathetic nervous system(controls blood pressure by constricting blood vessels). Therefore, in addition to brain disorders, a sedentary lifestyle is a sure path to cardiovascular diseases.

Gymnastics for the office will tone your body and increase productivity:

The necessary physical activity can protect against premature death and prolong life, while maintaining the plasticity of the brain. 30 minutes of stretching, jogging or walking is the minimum that should be present in everyone’s life.

Restore mobility and restore health

There is no ideal recipe for disease-free longevity, but there are quite enough tips on how to make your life more fulfilling, improving your mood, getting good sleep, and feeling great. Physical activity does not always mean 100% participation in sports. The main thing is to move: walk with the children, and not sit on a bench, go out into nature to play games, walk in the park for 1 hour every day. You can also count steps for fun: at work or at home, in the park. And whoever bothers to stand or sit in a yoga pose while watching a movie, this will also strengthen the spine. You can always find opportunities to move actively. The benefits of constant movement will become visible immediately: sleep like a baby, immunity will be strengthened, the number of colds will decrease by 2 times, weakness and headaches will be replaced good mood and creative impulse.

In the age of technological progress, when new inventions make it possible to significantly simplify a person’s life, freeing him from physical activity, more and more often people spend their time at the computer or relax in front of the TV. It is becoming less and less common to see children on playgrounds playing “Cossack robbers”, fewer and fewer teenagers are involved in sports clubs, and more and more adults are forgetting about the presence of sports grounds, stadiums and horizontal bars. This activity is called a sedentary lifestyle and is characterized by minimal and irregular physical activity.

Sedentary lifestyle (hypodynamia) is one of the most pressing problems in modern world, which negatively affects a person’s condition and can cause many serious illnesses and even death. Laziness prevents a person from changing the habit of moving little, starting to play sports, or at least doing exercises every morning or walking to work. As a result, physical activity today is turning into a real feat, and stooped silhouettes, gray faces, corpulent figures, and sluggish movements are increasingly seen on the street. Among young people, the number of chronic diseases that previously affected mainly older people is increasing every year. All these are the results of the negative impact of sedentary life on modern man. In this article, we will take a closer look at how a sedentary lifestyle affects a person, what are the consequences of such a bad habit and how to get rid of it.

If you often sit or lie on the sofa, this can have an extremely negative impact on your health, can lead to the emergence of a variety of pathologies and the development of serious diseases, the fight against which sometimes does not bring results.

Obesity

Refusal to be active and play sports has a bad effect on your figure and provokes weight gain, because with a lack of motor activity Metabolism in the body slows down and the number of calories burned decreases, the excess of which is stored as fat.

Therefore, the body loses its elasticity, various diseases appear:

• heart and vascular diseases;
• diabetes mellitus;
• diseases of the genitourinary system;
• pathology of bone tissue;
• mental disorders due to decreased self-esteem and depression.

Any load, on the contrary, will help maintain normal weight, keep the body in good shape, and increase self-confidence.

Heart

The heart suffers the most from a sedentary lifestyle, so people who move little and do not exercise have an increased risk of developing organ diseases. cardiovascular system, for example, coronary artery disease or hypertension.

Please note: Even refusal of the simplest morning exercises impairs blood supply to organs and body systems.

The result of deterioration in blood supply is a decrease in the activity of enzymes that are responsible for burning fat and destroying triglycerides in the blood, which provokes the formation of plaque on the walls of blood vessels. It can cause the development of atherosclerosis and even a heart attack. Only active sports will help restore the functioning of the heart and circulatory system and will have a beneficial effect on the general condition of a person.

Muscles and bones

With insufficient mobility of a person, lack of sports and decreased activity, his body becomes weak, muscle tissue atrophies, bones become fragile, so for a person who has a sedentary lifestyle, daily performance of basic procedures becomes more difficult.

In addition, a sedentary lifestyle and constant sitting position of the body lead to serious problems with back:

• poor posture;
• osteoporosis;
• arthritis;
• rheumatism;
• brittle bones

This is due to changes in the muscles that support the spine: they weaken and lose their elasticity.

Diabetes mellitus

Regular exercise, even basic exercise, will help keep your blood sugar levels under control.

Please note: If a person is not active in life and avoids physical education and sports, this leads to increased blood sugar, increased insulin production and the development of diabetes.

Therefore, a sedentary lifestyle is dangerous for life in general. High content Sugar also causes severe effects on the digestive organs. Therefore, people who spend most of their lives sitting suffer from bowel, colon and rectal cancer.

Acceleration of the aging process

At the ends of human chromosomes there are so-called telomeres, which shorten as the body ages. And in the complete absence of any human mobility, these chromosomal regions are shortened many times faster than with an active lifestyle, resulting in the manifestation of age-related signs and the premature appearance of symptoms of aging.

Mental disorders

Probably the most unpleasant consequences of a sedentary lifestyle for the body are mental state disorders. Since with a decrease in a person’s activity and the absence of physical activity in his life, body weight increases, muscle elasticity is lost, shapes blur, the person begins to treat himself with disgust and becomes unsure of himself.

As a result:

• depression develops;
• a feeling of anxiety appears;
• intellectual abilities decrease;
• memory deteriorates.

And playing sports and actively improving one’s appearance will help increase self-esteem and believe in yourself.

Disturbance in sleep patterns

A person's sedentary lifestyle can affect sleep and its quality. The fact is that the body, in the absence of movement, practically does not feel the need for relaxation and rest. Only giving up a sedentary lifestyle and regular exercise can normalize sleep and completely get rid of insomnia.

Advice! Don't do exercises just before going to bed, because your body will be invigorated and you simply won't be able to sleep.

Increased financial costs

Lack of physical activity requires a lot of money for regular checks and treatment of emerging diseases, for the purchase of medications, for rehabilitation and recovery. At the same time, illness or obesity, which has developed due to a sedentary lifestyle, can interfere with work activity, which ultimately leads to unemployment and financial difficulties.

Male pathologies

Insufficient activity threatens not only girls, but also representatives of the stronger half of humanity. So, in addition to the above problems, a man’s sedentary lifestyle provokes the development of erectile dysfunction and inflammation of the prostate gland. Which leads to loss of male strength and infertility.

The impact of a sedentary lifestyle on children's bodies

For both adults and children, lack of physical activity and sports is dangerous to health.

It can provoke:

• metabolic disorders in the body of a teenager, which leads to weight gain;
• slowdown in the development of the child’s body as a whole;
• slow motor skills of the limbs and impaired coordination of movements;
• curvature of the spine;
• reduction of muscle mass and storage of fat;
• bone fragility;
• disturbances in the functioning of the heart and blood vessels;
• pathologies in the central nervous system;
• decreased immunity;
• vision problems.

Therefore, if you notice in a child symptoms of apathy and drowsiness, weight gain and rapid fatigue, which is caused by a sedentary lifestyle, you see that he has begun to get sick often, change his lifestyle, get him used to sports, set an example. And then you will be able to protect your child from even greater health problems and save his life!

In the modern world, unfortunately, there is a very large percentage of people who lead a passive lifestyle and do not even know what this means for them. But you need to know the enemy by sight, because then serious consequences can be easily avoided.

What a sedentary lifestyle

The “mobility” of a person’s lifestyle is calculated quite simply. If an individual moves for less than 30 minutes during the day, then, alas, this lifestyle is sedentary, and this is very dangerous for health and even the functioning of internal organs.

Reasons for a sedentary lifestyle

The main apparent reason for a sedentary lifestyle was technical progress. The advent of modern technology has almost completely eliminated the need for people to move (not counting workers who work exclusively physically). Office workers spend the entire working day at computers.

Factories are automated as much as possible, and most workers only need to monitor the operation of modern equipment. Schoolchildren are not bored at home with nothing to do, because now there is Wi-Fi throughout the entire apartment, and there is no reason to go out for a walk in the yard even in sunny weather, and so on...

The human body gets used to the constant lack of movement and literally loses the ability to burn a normal amount of calories and correctly, rationally use all the elements received during meals.

As is known, muscle mass does not disappear, but is hidden under fat, therefore, from the lack of the ability to burn extra calories, the body quickly gains fat mass, and then obesity appears, which is a serious test for the liver, kidneys and, of course, the heart, and the muscles themselves are subject to dystrophy. Even minimal physical activity with such problems will be extremely difficult.

Video: the effect of inactivity on the body

Did you know? Burn the fat accumulated over time last year, is quite simple, but not many people can say goodbye to the fat mass of past years. Fat has the property of becoming “woody”, and the body considers it habitual, which prevents it from being easily removed.

Daily caloric intake per day while sitting

Calories- units that measure the amount of heat received by the body from digested food. To avoid the accumulation of excess fat in the human body, there is a certain norm of kilocalorie consumption per day for different categories of people (the norm depends on gender, age, lifestyle).

So, the required number of kilocalories for women who lead a passive lifestyle:

• 19-25 years old - no more than 2000 kcal/day;
• 26-50 years old - 1800 kcal/day;
• 51 years and older - 1600 kcal/day.

Calories needed to maintain normal body fat men:

• 19-30 years old - 2400 kcal/day;
• 31-50 years old - 2200 kcal/day;
• 51 years and older - no more than 2000 kcal/day.

Important! Even if you need to lose weight, you should not consume less than 1200 kilocalories per day. Such experiments can lead to gallbladder diseases, as well as heart problems.

Sedentary lifestyle: health consequences

The consequences of a sedentary lifestyle can be quite serious, because the entire human body takes part in such “inaction”.

So, the resulting physical inactivity can cause the following consequences:

• obesity (at early stage- growth of a “beer belly” in men);
• prostatitis and loss of potency in men;
• osteochondrosis and other problems with the spine;
• radiculitis and;
• constipation;
• problems with the cardiovascular system;
• liver problems;
• urolithiasis.

The list of consequences is not complete, because each person’s body reacts differently to their lifestyle.

Benefits of physical activity during sedentary activities

The need for physical activity in modern society is obvious. It’s not for nothing that they say: movement is life. And when spending most of the day in a sitting position, muscle training is even more necessary.

Scientists have calculated that a simple two minutes of activity for every hour of work. Firstly, your legs will not become numb; secondly, additional calories are spent; thirdly, the muscles will warm up and even the head will become “lighter”. This activity will prevent stagnation in tissues, improve blood circulation and normalize breathing.

In order to avoid shortening your life due to an inactive lifestyle, doctors strongly recommend adding at least 2-3 hours of low-intensity exercise to your regular week. In this case, none of the above ailments threaten.

Exercises for sedentary people

Many large office companies have long developed special exercises and set aside time for employees to step away from their desks and do some simple exercises to stretch their tired bodies.

In domestic companies, such experience is not common, but this is not a reason to show indifference to your body.
Let's look at a few simple exercises with which you can warm up without leaving your workplace. Before performing this complex, it is advisable to “warm up” the body. To do this, you need to walk briskly for a few minutes, or walk a couple of floors back and forth.

• "Elastic buttocks"

1. We sit on the edge of the chair, tilting the body a little forward.
2. We place our relaxed hands on the table.
3. We strain our buttocks and raise our body a few centimeters, holding our pelvis in this position for a few seconds.
4. We perform 10-15 repetitions, each time the load can be increased.

• "Beautiful breasts"

1. We sit on the edge of the chair, straighten our back.
2. We “hug” the armrests of the chair with our hands so that our hands are on the outside.
3. We squeeze our elbows, mentally trying to press the armrests to the body, squeeze the tense elbows for 8-10 seconds.
4. Perform 10-15 repetitions, the load can be increased.

• "Steel Press"

1. We sit on a chair: the back is straight, the buttocks are tense.
2. Take a deep breath, and as you exhale, pull in your stomach.
3. We perform at least 50 repetitions, making sure that the breathing is even.

• "Down with your belly!"

1. We sit on a chair: straight back, body slightly forward, arms back or to the sides, knees together.
2. Slowly and with effort we raise our knees up towards our chest. Perform 20-30 repetitions (the abdominal muscles should be tense).

• "Biceps like"

1. We stand near the table: back straight, abs tense.
2. We grab the edge of the table with our hands and mentally try to lift it, straining our arms (biceps).
3. Repeat the exercise 15-20 times, the load can be increased.

• "Strong Hands"

1. We stand with our back to the table, bend our elbows, and rest our palms on the surface of the table.
2. We move our legs forward and try to squat, focusing on our hands (reminiscent of practicing on parallel bars).
3. We perform it 10-15 times, the load can be increased.

• "Warm-up for the feet"

1. Sitting on a chair, lift your toe as far as possible towards you and back.
2. Make circular movements in one direction and the other.
3. Take off your shoes and roll a thick marker or glue stick across the floor.

• "Slender calves"

1. Stand behind a chair, your back is straight, you can hold on to the back without putting weight on your hands.
2. We rise on our toes and stay in this position for 5-7 seconds.
3. We perform 20-30 repetitions.

Video: Exercises in the workplace

Important! If with each exercise you perform you feel work and slight fatigue in the desired muscles, you are doing everything right.

Diet for a sedentary lifestyle

In order for the body to receive the required amount of calories and have time to burn everything, you need to follow several:

• you need to eat at the same time. Meal schedule plays a very important role in losing weight. The body must know when it receives the necessary microelements, and this schedule must be followed impeccably. And any failure is a big stress for the stomach and the body as a whole;
• smaller portions - more frequent snacks. Ideally, the number of meals should be 5-7 times a day, that is, the body should constantly feel a little hungry (in no case starvation or severe oversaturation). The secret is a small plate, which fits a smaller amount of food, but looks voluminous and satisfying. The first couple of days will be difficult, but your stomach will quickly get used to it;

• eliminate unnecessary junk food. Pizzas, fast food, sweets, smoked foods and other harmful products do not bring any benefit, and with a sedentary lifestyle they are completely equivalent to death. You can treat yourself to something tasty once a month, but there must be a reason for this, for example, an important report completed on time.

So, a sedentary lifestyle in itself is not a death sentence, and this does not mean at all that a person will definitely suffer from obesity or heart disease if certain rules are followed. Every day, sitting at the computer for a long time, we shorten our life, and we only have one. You need to do some simple exercises and eat right. In this situation, a passive lifestyle will not have a detrimental effect on your health.

Everyone has repeatedly heard about the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle. Unfortunately, in the modern world, many people have to suffer due to sedentary work and insufficient physical activity. What should office workers, managers, and drivers do, for whom a sedentary lifestyle becomes a necessary measure?

What is a sedentary lifestyle?

Can't be underestimated negative consequences sedentary lifestyle. This is determined very simply: if you move less than 30-40 minutes during the day, your lifestyle is sedentary, that is, you cannot avoid certain disturbances in the functioning of the body and diseases.

Practice shows that a sedentary lifestyle is promoted by modern technological progress. Coming home after a working day, many sit down at the computer or on the sofa in front of the TV, despite the fact that they had previously sat at their workplace all day. Lack of physical exercise causes irreparable harm to health, although this does not manifest itself immediately.

Why is this lifestyle dangerous?

If you do not promptly prevent a sedentary lifestyle, it will greatly harm your health. So, what does it lead to, and why do all doctors strongly recommend moving more?

A sedentary lifestyle causes damage to the spine. With a constant sitting position, the lumbar and cervical regions. The vertebrae are pinched, which disrupts blood circulation and oxygen delivery from nutrients into the brain. Headaches begin, vision deteriorates, and osteochondrosis occurs. Due to poor blood circulation in a sitting position, the functioning of the cardiovascular system is disrupted. The risk of developing angina pectoris, atherosclerosis and even heart attacks increases. Varicose veins due to poor blood circulation. It is especially harmful to sit with one leg crossed over the other. Formation of crooked posture in children. Problems in the functioning of the respiratory organs (feeling of lack of air and constant yawning). Constipation and hemorrhoids with a sedentary lifestyle are almost commonplace. Increased risk of developing diabetes. The reason is an increase in blood sugar concentration due to an insufficiently active lifestyle. Muscles weaken, excess fat begins to accumulate in the body, and this becomes the cause of the development of obesity.

All these conditions and diseases threaten both men and women, but for the stronger sex, a sedentary lifestyle is dangerous for other reasons. For example, it can lead to:

Erectile dysfunction. Normal potency requires a stable inflow and outflow of blood from the pelvis. This promotes stagnation and inflammation. Prostatitis. This male disease occurs when the prostate gland becomes inflamed and leads to extremely unfavorable consequences for all men. Hormonal imbalance. Due to the increase in fat deposits, the balance of hormones is disrupted. Estrogens (female sex hormones) begin to dominate in the male body; a belly and sides appear, which will be extremely difficult to get rid of.

Try to remember why a sedentary lifestyle is dangerous for people, and try to prevent it.

How not to gain weight?

Some of the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle include: overweight, since this is one of the most pressing problems. You can prevent it by starting to count your calories. They measure the amount of energy the body receives as a result of processing food. When working while sitting at a computer, in order to avoid obesity, you need to find out how many calories you need to consume in a given case. Calorie standards are different for all people, so let’s consider first for women with a sedentary lifestyle:

from 18 to 25 years - within 2000 kcal per day; from 26 to 49 - 1800; over 50 years old - 1600.

For men with a normal metabolism and leading a sedentary lifestyle, the number of kilocalories per day is as follows:

from 18 to 29 - 2400 kcal; from 30 to 49 - 2200; over 50 - calorie consumption within 2000.

As you understand, calorie consumption in this regime in the body decreases, so do not go beyond these limits to maintain weight. If you want to lose weight, it’s not easy to do with a sedentary lifestyle, but diets help.

Important! Even if you need to lose weight, you should not consume less than 1200 kilocalories per day. Such experiments can lead to gallbladder diseases, as well as heart problems.

Safe diet

If you work sedentarily, physical activity will help you lose weight, correct menu and adherence to the principles of healthy eating:

Meals should be around the same time, because any failure creates stress for the body. Reduce portions, but eat more often. Of course, you won’t have to eat every hour, but aim for 5-6 meals a day. Remove unhealthy and high-calorie foods from the menu. Nutrition should be correct and healthy.

Let's consider sample menu per day, which will become an assistant in losing weight for people with sedentary work who do not engage in sports:

you can have breakfast with oatmeal, buckwheat or other porridge that will give you energy; for lunch you can eat light soup, chicken, beef, fish, vegetable salad; It’s good to have dinner with something light and mostly protein (cottage cheese, chicken breast, baked fish, etc.). as a snack, for second breakfast or afternoon snack, you can eat a handful of nuts, some dried fruits, natural yogurt, some fruit.

The main thing is not to forget to count calories and try to exercise at least 2-3 times a week. If sports are not for you, go for walks, walk to work, or get off 1-2 stops earlier, stop using the elevator. In general, try to make your sedentary lifestyle more active - your muscles need to work! This will determine how many calories are burned during a sedentary lifestyle.

How to deal with a sedentary lifestyle?

Now let's find out how to overcome this unpleasant and dangerous habit. Oddly enough, this can be done with movement, or rather with sufficient mobility. Muscles require at least a minimal load, otherwise you will not be able to avoid the accumulation of fatty deposits, much less lose weight.

To maintain tone, people with sedentary work need to periodically take a break for a couple of minutes for simple physical activity. This will prevent your legs from getting numb, allowing you to burn calories and warm up. This way you will normalize blood circulation, breathing, and receive a small boost of energy for further work. Try these simple gymnastics, which are suitable for warming up at the workplace:

tilting and turning the head to the sides; stretching your head and arms forward while sitting on a chair; straightening the back: we put our hands in a lock behind, and we reach for the ceiling with our chin; sitting on a chair, lower your torso to your knees and lower your head; in a sitting position, clasp your arms around the back of the chair and straighten your chest; stretch your arms up; standing in front of a chair, grab the back with your hands and bend over so that your torso is parallel to the floor; While standing, bend your torso to the sides.

This minimal set of gymnastic exercises will allow you to warm up, but this is not enough for losing weight with a sedentary lifestyle. You'll have to take up more serious sports: sign up for gym, start running, cycling or roller skating, go to fitness. All this will allow you to avoid dangerous consequences and maintain your health, even if you work while sitting in the office.

Video - the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle