The consequences of a sedentary lifestyle for men and how to overcome them. Obvious and incredible consequences of a sedentary lifestyle

Consequence sedentary image life can become chronic fatigue

A sedentary lifestyle is common in today's world and is characterized by minimal and irregular physical activity. A modern person needs to perform less and less actions to perform everyday tasks, which in some cases come down to traveling by transport to and from work, sitting at a desk for 8 hours and watching TV in the evening while lying on the couch. This routine leaves little time for maintaining a good physical form, which over time can have a significant Negative influence to health and cause the development a large number serious illnesses.

The impact of a sedentary lifestyle on health

Obesity

Excess body weight is one of the most common consequences of a sedentary lifestyle. Flaw physical activity leads to a slowdown in metabolism and blood circulation, thereby reducing the number of calories burned, the excess of which is stored as fat. Obesity, in turn, is associated with increased risk development of various diseases, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, high level blood cholesterol, diabetes, certain types of cancer, gallbladder disease, and arthritis. Psychological disorders such as depression and low self-esteem, can also appear if a person is concerned about their overweight and body fat.

Any muscle activity, on the contrary, is aimed at maintaining normal weight, since it burns calories, and the more intense it is, the more calories will burn.

Heart

One of the most serious consequences seated image life is high risk development of cardiovascular disease, such as coronary disease heart or chronic hypertension. This is usually due to the lack of any sports activities As a result, the heart does not receive the necessary blood supply. Also, under such conditions, fat-burning enzymes responsible for the destruction of triglycerides in the blood become inactive. As a result, on the walls blood vessels plaque forms, which impedes blood circulation and can cause atherosclerosis, and in serious cases, a heart attack.

The result of the execution exercise is more effective work cardiovascular system, increased lipoproteins high density, or "good" cholesterol, and reducing unwanted triglycerides in the blood.

Muscles and bones

With a lack physical activity the muscles of the body become weak, which leads to a decrease in the ability to perform daily tasks. In addition, a sedentary lifestyle is bad for posture and can lead to back problems over time as the muscles that support the spine also weaken.

Osteoporosis is another possible consequence sedentary lifestyle. The fact is that during a sitting position, the bones do not experience any difficulties in maintaining the body. Over time, this leads to loss of strength of the bones and they become more brittle. It also increases the chance of developing arthritis.

Regular exercise will help maintain healthy bones and joints, increase muscle strength and stamina, to achieve life goals.

Diabetes

Exercise allows the body to control blood sugar levels. The lack of activity leads to an increase in it, because the less you move, the less sugar is used by the body. Enhanced level blood sugar, in turn, stresses the pancreas, which affects the secretion of the hormone insulin, thereby increasing the likelihood of developing diabetes.

Crayfish

Some types of cancer, such as colon and breast cancer, are also common among sedentary people.

aging process

Telomeres, located at the ends of chromosomes and protecting them from any damage, become shorter as the body ages. It has been proven that with a sedentary lifestyle, telomeres shorten faster than with an active lifestyle, as a result, the aging process accelerates and age-related signs appear earlier.

Mental disorders

A sedentary lifestyle has a negative effect on mental health. Persons who do not receive any stress are more prone to depression and anxiety. Studies have shown that regular muscle activity can reduce stress and reduce the incidence of many diseases. mental disorders. Endorphins released during exercise naturally improve mood and help you feel happier and more relaxed. In addition, exercise affects the production of the hormone serotonin, an unbalanced level of which can lead to depression, affect memory and appetite. Moreover, the improvement appearance will help improve self-esteem and increase self-confidence.

Insomnia

A sedentary lifestyle can cause problems with sleep, because under such conditions the body may not feel the need for rest. Regular exercise, on the contrary, helps and improves the quality of sleep. However, you should avoid exercising right before bed, as the body will get too hot, which will not allow you to fall asleep quickly.

Financial expenses

Lack of activity and related health problems can also lead to financial losses. Cash outlays may be required to provide medical services(prevention, diagnosis and treatment) associated with emerging diseases, and include the cost of visiting a doctor, purchasing pharmaceuticals, rehabilitation services. In addition, there may be implicit costs associated with the loss of earnings due to the expenditure of working time to eliminate the arisen medical problems and inability to perform work duties.

The benefits of physical activity

Studies have shown that almost all people can benefit from regular exercise, whether they are participating in intense workouts or maintaining a moderate health regimen. Regular physical activity beneficially affects most (if not all) organ systems and therefore helps prevent a wide range of health problems, including:

Because regular exercise helps prevent disease and promote health, it can actually reduce health care costs.

    A sedentary lifestyle has become commonplace. With development digital technologies and the emergence of a huge number of home-based jobs that require only a computer and the Internet, the phrase "sedentary lifestyle" has become applicable to thousands of remote workers. Office positions are no less dangerous in this regard. How does inactivity affect our health? How to avoid the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle, if it is impossible to completely abandon it? Answers to these and others, no less important questions you will find in our article.

    What lifestyle is considered sedentary?

    Inactivity or physical inactivity is a violation of the body's activity due to insufficient physical activity or its absence.

    The problem of a sedentary lifestyle has arisen as a result of scientific and technological progress, urbanization, the spread of communication tools that have simplified our life and replaced active forms of recreation (walks, outdoor games).

    It is very simple to determine whether you lead an “active” or sedentary lifestyle. If you do not move actively during the day for at least half an hour, this is considered inactive. Active movements include walking, running, and exercise.

    Cleaning and doing normal household chores is not considered an activity. During their implementation, the necessary load on the muscles of the body is not created. When working around the house, we take the wrong postures, which leave many muscle groups unused.

    What does a sedentary lifestyle lead to, why is it dangerous?

    The consequences of a sedentary lifestyle are much more dangerous than many people think. This is a deterioration in the quality of life and a reduction in its duration.

    If you spend 8 hours sitting at your workplace every day and prefer driving instead of walking home, you risk living 15-17 years less than those who sit less than 3 hours a day and try to actively move.

    Why is a sedentary lifestyle dangerous? Judge for yourself!

  1. The heart muscle is the first to suffer from immobility. The absence of active physical movements and cardio loads causes the heart to make less productive contractions, which significantly reduces the tone of the walls of blood vessels.
  2. Spine. Sitting, we load it almost twice as much as when we stand or walk.
  3. The deterioration of blood circulation in the brain provokes dizziness, tinnitus, fatigue, reduced productivity.
  4. Inactive, the muscles lose their tone. This leads to fast physical fatigue, apathy, a feeling of constant fatigue.
  5. Low mobility leads to. Blood moves more slowly through the body and insufficiently saturates the cells with oxygen and nutrients.
  6. Sitting in one place for a long time provokes stagnation of blood and lymph in the pelvis, negatively affecting the work of the intestines and genitourinary system.

How does a sedentary lifestyle affect the body from the inside?

Everyday sitting in the office, in transport, at home at the dinner table or on the sofa watching TV negatively affects not only posture and muscle tone, but also provokes the development a wide range diseases.

Diseases of the musculoskeletal system

Those whose work is closely related to sitting at a computer suffer from lumbar and cervical osteochondrosis. Most often, the localization of cervical osteochondrosis is right-sided, since the right hand works with a computer mouse, writes, and performs other actions.

Also, "adherents" of a sedentary lifestyle often have intercostal neuralgia, backache, sciatica, dizziness and headaches.

Diseases of the cardiovascular system

Slowed blood circulation provokes the development venous insufficiency (varicose veins veins), thrombosis. Without proper load, the heart suffers. The heart muscle "gets used" to work at half strength, violating general state circulatory system in the body, which affects all organs. Increased risk of strokes and heart attacks. Reduced life expectancy.

Overweight

Lack of physical activity, non-compliance with the principles healthy eating, stresses are factors leading to a set of excess weight. Sitting in the office, we spend fewer calories than we consume, which results in “beer” bellies, “riding breeches” in the hips, and body weight increases.

According to the forecasts of the medical weekly magazine "The Lancet" by 2025, suffer from overweight will be 20% of the population of our planet, including due to a sedentary lifestyle.

Constipation and hemorrhoids

Violation of intestinal motility, provoked by immobility during the day, leads to chronic constipation. Constipation, in turn, causes another unpleasant disease- hemorrhoids.

If you have the preconditions for constipation, do not let them go into chronic stage. Warm up, regularly change the position in which you sit, pump the press, do a stomach massage, watch your diet. This will significantly reduce the likelihood of hemorrhoids.

Consequences of a sedentary lifestyle

Sitting at a desk, on the couch, or at the dinner table for a long time does not benefit anyone. Doctors share the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle for men and women.

For men

A sedentary lifestyle negatively affects the prostate. Violation of blood circulation and stagnation of blood flow and lymph in the pelvic organs leads to prostatitis, and it, in turn, to a decrease in potency. Already today, the number of infertile couples is high due to poor sperm motility and prostatitis. In addition to sexual problems, sedentary men are often worried about hemorrhoids.

For women

The same reason - stagnation in the small pelvis - provokes violations in the genital area in women and causes uterine pathologies (polyps, endometriosis), as well as painful menstruation.

A general deterioration in well-being against the background of a sedentary lifestyle and frequent stress cause hormonal disorders, mastopathy, ovarian cysts, menstrual cycle failure.

Very detailed, simple and clear about it in the video:

How to avoid the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle?

Even with a clear understanding of the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle, you are unlikely to be able to completely get rid of it. Don't throw it promising work in a good office or clients acquired by many years of freelance work? And not everyone has the opportunity to get to work on foot to compensate for the harm of an eight-hour sitting.

What to do? To reduce the negative impact of sitting in the workplace, exercise, nutritional adjustments and little tricks that you can use in your workplace today will help.

Physical activity + exercises that can be done right at the workplace

Try to change your body position every 15-20 minutes. Get up from the table more often to stretch, make a couple of tilts to the sides, stretch your legs. So the blood in the body will circulate normally.

Exercises that can be done while sitting at the table:

  1. Lean back in your chair and straighten your legs. Bend and unbend your knees 10-15 times each.
  2. Straighten your leg, pull the sock and perform circular movements with the ankle 10-15 times on each leg.
  3. Slowly rotate your head clockwise and counterclockwise 5 times.
  4. At cervical osteochondrosis it is advisable not to make rotational movements of the head. Instead, stretch your arms to the sides and try to reach your left shoulder with your right hand, winding right hand Per head. Do this 15-20 times with one and the other hand, and then 15-20 times with both hands at the same time. Pull the top of your head up. Try not to tilt your head forward.
  5. Do 10 shoulder rotations back and 10 forward.
  6. Tighten and relax the muscles of the buttocks 20-25 times.
  7. Sitting on a chair, alternately raise and lower the right and left hand 10-15 times.
  8. Rest one palm on the other and forcefully press your palms against each other. Keep your palms tense several times for 10-15 seconds.
  9. Squeeze and unclench your fingers. Stretch with fingers interlocked.
  10. Lower your arms along the body, relax them for a few seconds, shake them with your hands.
  11. Move your chair back, lean forward and squeeze your shoulder blades together as much as possible. Repeat several times.
  12. Sit on the edge of a chair, straighten up and pull your stomach in for a few seconds. Do at least 50 times.
  13. Alternately lift your toes and heels off the floor.
  14. Raise your shoulders up as you inhale and drop them sharply down as you exhale.
  15. Move away from the table, straighten your legs and try to reach the toes of your shoes with your fingers as much as possible.
  16. Remove your shoes and roll a glue stick or other round stationery on the floor.

Try to make such a warm-up a “mandatory program” of every day. Don't be afraid to confuse your co-workers. Remember that prevention of a problem is far better than wrestling with her. Below is a video that will help you have a clearer idea of ​​\u200b\u200bgymnastics right on the chair:

Don't forget your morning exercises. Let it become a faithful companion of your every morning. Table with exercises for morning exercises:

Download the list of exercises so as not to lose.

Food

In order not to gain excess weight, to always be full of strength and energy, it is important not only to maintain motor activity but also watch your diet. Sitting on a rigid diet is not an option: since the body already suffers from a lack of activity and a slow metabolism, strict dietary restrictions will not do it any good.

Four simple rules diet for a sedentary lifestyle:

  1. Stick to your meal schedule. Eating at the same time disciplines, helps to plan working time taking into account the lunch break, contributes to the maximum assimilation nutrients and vitamins from food. All meals, even snacks, should be fixed in time.
  2. Eat smaller portions. Get up from the table with the feeling that you have not eaten a little. A slight feeling that you are hungry is good for the body. Blunt it healthy snack: banana, nuts, apple, mug of tea. There should be at least 5 meals per day.
  3. If you work at the office, do not forget to have breakfast at home. Breakfast is an important meal for the body. By skipping it, you violate the entire diet.
  4. Eliminate fast food from your diet. Pizza, burgers, buns, cakes and other sweets are contraindicated in a sedentary lifestyle. They have too many calories that you, typing on the keyboard, simply cannot spend during the day.

If it is impossible to get away from a sedentary lifestyle, make sure that it brings as little harm as possible. Since you spend most of your time sitting at your desk, consider how you can keep yourself physically active while at work.

Three tips for organizing your workplace:

  1. Remove unnecessary items that can prevent you from stretching your legs under the table and stretching them during the day.
  2. If possible, arrange snacks, tea parties and lunch not at your workplace, but in a special designated area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe office or in the kitchen. To do this, you, at a minimum, get up from your chair and walk, plus you can stand by the window while drinking tea.
  3. Try to get out of your chair more often. Even required documents and items at your fingertips, do not drive up to them in a chair and do not ask colleagues to pass them, but stand up and take them yourself.

Conclusion

By itself, a sedentary lifestyle cannot be considered a sentence. If you are forced to spend eight hours at the office, this does not guarantee that you will necessarily have obesity, hemorrhoids or problems with cardiovascular system. All this will not happen to you if you monitor your physical activity during the day and make it a rule to do exercises. Knowing what a sedentary lifestyle leads to, you will not let this phenomenon modern life ruin your health.

A common person, to whom the doctor in the clinic writes during the medical examination “leads a sedentary lifestyle”, usually does not understand what exactly is behind this phrase.

It is clear that this is the cause of excess weight, cardiovascular disease, arthritis and other health problems. But where is the line between an active and a sedentary lifestyle?

What active image life?

Even the elderly need to walk five to six kilometers a day, says nutritionist Alexey Kovalkov. Optimal activity is walking, swimming and dancing. Instead of walking, any other exercise is suitable, says cardiologist Eteri Tomaeva. The main thing is that a person practices regularly.

But cleaning the house and other household chores are not considered a good activity. In this case, a person is most often in the wrong position (with a bent back, for example). Some muscles work, while others are immobile and numb.

Slim people shouldn't feel like they don't have to move a lot. Without movement, their muscles gradually lose their tone, vessels lose their elasticity, organs and the brain receive less oxygen.

An active lifestyle is an hour and a half of walking or swimming or aerobics for half an hour five times a week. It's good to go for a half-hour run or play tennis three times a week.


What does a sedentary lifestyle lead to?

The weight. The average Muscovite leading a sedentary lifestyle spends 600 kilocalories less than he consumes. Extra calories are stored like this: in 10 days the body accumulates 100 grams of fat - this is almost a kilogram in three months and almost four kilograms per year.

2 KILOMETERS A DAY the average office worker passes.

7 KILOMETERS A DAY - so much to go through to maintain the normal form.

10-12 KILOMETERS A DAY must be passed by an overweight person.

Metabolism. The less active lifestyle, the slower the blood moves through the arteries and the worse the cells of the whole body are supplied with oxygen and other beneficial substances. Bad exchange substances adversely affect all organs.

muscles. Without movement, they lose their tone and gradually atrophy. Tone is the minimum tension in the muscles that persists even in a state of complete relaxation. The higher the tone, the easier the muscles do their work and the less stress the bones and joints receive.

Heart. This is also a muscle, which, with a sedentary lifestyle, slows down the frequency and strength of contractions, gas exchange decreases in the respiratory organs, cells are saturated with oxygen worse, all processes slow down. Because of this, the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases increases.

Spine. load on it in sitting position(even if the person is sitting correctly) is 40 percent higher than in a standing position. This leads to scoliosis, osteochondrosis and other diseases. Especially huge pressure on the lumbar and cervical. Because of the latter, the blood supply to the head and brain worsens, so as much free time as possible should be given to physical activity.

Brain. Poor circulation gradually leads to irreversible changes. For example, scientists at Wayne University in the United States recently found that cells work worse because of this. medulla oblongata responsible for the regulation of respiration and heartbeat.

Vessels. At slow speed blood flow stagnates, thickens, blood clots form in it, which lead to heart attacks and strokes.

Pelvic organs. A sedentary lifestyle leads to stagnation of blood and lymph in the organs of the genitourinary system and intestines. stagnation is the most common cause inflammation of these organs: prostatitis, nephritis, hemorrhoids, and so on.

We all know the already hackneyed phrase “Movement is life”. A lot of books have been written, many educational films and programs have been shot about the role and importance of movement, physical activity for a person.

Nevertheless, statistics show that more and more large quantity children and adults are susceptible various diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle.

Of course, after all technical progress is growing. For most people with the wide spread of the Internet and all sorts of gadgets, you can get everything at home: order any product, communicate with family and friends, work without leaving home, etc.

This is all good if you use it in moderation, not forgetting about physical body, healing effect fresh air and staying in nature, as well as observing occupational and leisure hygiene, etc.

Why is a sedentary lifestyle dangerous?

In people leading a sedentary lifestyle, natural level lymph and blood flow in the body. This leads to their "stagnation" and an increase in the amount of "bad" cholesterol. Also declining electrical activity muscles, their flabbiness is observed due to low tone, which in combination leads to an increased risk of heart disease and contributes to the "accumulation" of excess weight. And even observes a decrease in the amount of insulin produced by the body!

You should also pay attention to the position in which the posture of a person is. Indeed, in most cases, a person does not just lead a sedentary lifestyle, but sits a lot with a sincere spine. What makes a sedentary lifestyle even more dangerous and harmful to humans.

As a result of this lifestyle, there is a failure in all vital processes of the human body. First of all, in the process of metabolism. During the normal functioning of the body, all substances that are timely introduced inside should be processed and absorbed, and toxins should be removed. If this does not happen, then an excess amount accumulates in the body. harmful substances. This, in turn, leads to a clear deterioration in well-being:

  • reduced flexibility of the spine;
  • feet and hands begin to freeze;
  • a person is increasingly in a lethargic and apathetic state;
  • often susceptible to disease;
  • has difficulty falling asleep and has difficulty getting up in the morning;
  • often tired and unrested.

Thus, scientists came to the conclusion that in order to work productively and just live normally, we need to constantly move and switch from a sedentary to an active lifestyle.

The problems of a sedentary lifestyle and its impact on the development of a person, and in particular a child, are competently and interestingly described in a short film by Valery Berchun “Immobility is a disease of civilization”.

Educational film "Immobility - a disease of civilization."

Cognitive and interesting transmission Russian Union for the Health Development of Children.

The film talks about how movement affects the life of both an adult and the life of a child. Illustrates the negative impact of a sedentary lifestyle - "immobility" modern man. And how all this affects the harmonious and complex development of a person, especially a child.

We hope that this information will make you think about your lifestyle and that even some of you will put these tips into practice.

By changing your habits, formed due to ignorance and ignorance, you can dramatically improve your health without resorting to expensive medication.

For those people who strive for a harmonious and integrated development, to well-being, joy and happiness, you need to review your daily routine and make appropriate changes.

You will learn about what changes you need to make in your lifestyle in our next articles.

© Elatrium is a space of harmony and prosperity.

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Our evolutionary stage, where a man worked on his feet all day to feed himself and his offspring, has long passed. And it was replaced by another - a sedentary lifestyle for men various professions became a reality of life. Moreover, such work is considered more prestigious and highly paid. Therefore, many men sit for 12 hours a day, not thinking about how this lifestyle is dangerous to health.

A sedentary lifestyle is slowly but surely shortening life

A sedentary lifestyle brings many problems. It is difficult to single out the most terrible, so we will simply list some common ailments.

1. Reduced potency

One of the conditions for normal potency is the constant circulation of blood in the pelvic area (see). In a sitting position, blood circulation is disturbed, which leads to stagnation of blood, and with a constant sedentary lifestyle, to diseases of the pelvic organs.

2. Prostatitis

A purely male disease, which is an inflammation prostate. Previously, prostatitis was considered an age-related disease, since it was observed mainly in middle-aged and older people. However, in recent times doctors note the “rejuvenation” of the disease: more and more often prostatitis is diagnosed in young patients. Prostatitis has a number of symptoms:

5. Obesity

Many do not realize that excess weight in men is the cause of potency disorders and hormonal balance. The fact is that estrogens are formed in adipose tissue - female sex hormones, which are the complete opposite. male hormone testosterone. The increase in estrogen leads, in turn, to even more weight gain. Therefore, the male abdomen is not so innocent and it is necessary to get rid of it in order to break the vicious circle.

Obesity is a likely companion of a sedentary life

Obesity comes, in the vast majority of cases, in two ways: a lot of high-calorie food or little movement. More often than not, these two negative factors intersect, leading to even more and speed dial weight. To effectively lose weight, you need to hit two targets at the same time: reduce the calorie content of the diet and increase the calorie expenditure. We will talk about all this further.

6. Decreased muscle tone of the body and heart muscle

In the absence of adequate physical activity, the muscles atrophy, losing proper tone. If weakness skeletal muscle you can still survive, then the weakening of the heart muscle is a life-threatening factor.

The heart muscle is rightfully considered the most important muscle tissue organism, since it is responsible for the vital activity of the whole organism. Weakening of the heart muscle is often the cause sudden deaths as a result cardiovascular pathologies, such as , and himself dangerous species- myocardial infarction.

How to reduce the harmful effects of a sedentary lifestyle?

Physical activity

without getting up from the workplace. If it is not possible to get up from the workplace, it is necessary to perform the so-called Kegel exercise: as if pulling the anus inward. This exercise is perhaps the most the best exercise for the prevention of prostatitis and strengthening of potency. It enhances blood circulation to the genitals, preventing blood stasis. Do the exercise hourly, 10-20 repetitions at a time.

Helpful Tip: Set reminders on your phone so you don't forget to complete your exercises on time.

Gymnastics in the workplace. If the work environment allows, do small exercises:

  1. Pelvic rotation. Rotate the pelvis first in one direction, then in the other direction, making the same number repetitions. Exercise normalizes blood circulation in the pelvic organs.
  2. Twisting. Try to rotate your torso 90 degrees or more relative to the starting position. The feet remain in place.
  3. Body tilts to the side. It tones the back muscles, increases flexibility.
  4. Leaning forward. Lean forward and touch the floor with your hands. It tones the back muscles, increases flexibility and mobility.
  5. Squat. It leads to muscle tone, increases blood circulation to the genitals.

If possible, take 5-10 minute breaks every hour. During the break, try to move as much as possible or do some warm-up exercises, if the situation allows.

If possible, warm up at work.

Physical education outside of work. While exercising before or after work hours can't make up for sitting all day, it can also necessary measure. First of all, such exercises are necessary to strengthen the heart muscle. Anyway healthy lifestyle life is not complete without adequate physical activity: it is either 30 minutes of active exercise 6 times a week, or an hour 3-4 times a week.

Food

Gymnastics in the workplace is designed only to tone the muscles and prevent blood stasis, but it does not save you from gaining excess weight. With a sedentary lifestyle, it is important to monitor your diet, avoiding high-calorie foods. The most common of these products are:

  • baked goods (buns, White bread, cakes, cookies, cake, etc.);
  • sweet (chocolate, sweets, bars);
  • drinks (carbonated sweet drinks, store juices, energy drinks);
  • sandwiches, sandwiches, hot dogs;
  • chips, crackers, snacks, etc.;
  • semi-finished products;
  • And other.

Instead of these foods, include in the diet as much as possible fresh fruit and vegetables, cereals, water (from 1.5 liters per day).

Arrangement of the working space

This method is not suitable for many, since it requires, firstly, the possibility of reorganizing the workspace (for example, working from home), and secondly, serious financial investments ($ 1000-2000). Nevertheless, this method is effective and deserves attention.