August Christopher Zion – Jeuz D.

Velasco VI

BS Computer Science IV

2014 – 13864

Eng 10

The impact and effects of Sedentary Lifestyle to our modern day lives

I. Introduction

Sedentary life style is an everyday basis among certain families;

especially children that are subject to a life that not always involves
activities were they can exercise. Sedentary lifestyles increase all causes of
mortality, double the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity,
and increase the risks of colon cancer, high blood pressure, osteoporosis,
lipid disorders, depression and anxiety. These are some of the many effects
that this new kind of lifestyle which can cause more dangerous effects in the
long run. It has become a widespread phenomenon around the world that is
caused by the change in lifestyle due to technology, work and daily activities.
Most of the leisure time that an average human spend, it is often sitting:
while using a computer or other device, watching TV, or playing video
games. Many of the jobs have become more sedentary, with long days sitting
at a desk. And the way most gets around involves sitting - in cars, on buses,
and on trains.

II. Background

Society is facing realities about food that not only involves prices and
sustainability but unfortunately for many of us healthiness as well.
Families are affected with numerous diseases that are brought to us
through food. Today society wonders about calories, carbs, fats, and other
topics related to food that can help prevent diseases like cholesterol or
diabetes that today are so in-fashion. These nutrition facts are associated
directly with the consumption of certain food that is linked directly with
chronic diseases.

There are children more likely to be overweighed and have obesity

problems than other kids that perhaps are in the same age average but
exercise more. It is not only in homes where food selection takes place, there
are also schools, parks and other entertaining areas in which children must
make their own decisions when not supervised by an adult. But the
responsibility of a family is to promote certain activities to fight sedentary
lifestyle, and also establish a healthy nutritional diet for the whole family.

III. Definition of Terms

 Exercise
A subcategory of physical activity that is planned, structured,
repetitive, and purposive in the sense that the improvement or
maintenance of one or more components of physical fitness is the
objective.

 Exercise training
Physical activity performed during leisure time with the primary
purpose of improving or maintaining physical fitness, physical
performance, or health.

 Physical activity
Any bodily movement produced by the contraction of skeletal muscle
that increases energy expenditure above a basal level. Physical
activity generally refers to the subset of physical activity that
enhances health.

 Health
A human condition with physical, social and psychological dimensions,
each characterized on a continuum with positive and negative poles.

 Physical fitness vs. physical activity

Some people incorrectly use physical fitness and physical activity
interchangeably. Physical fitness is “The ability to carry out daily
tasks with vigor and alertness, without undue fatigue, and with
ample energy to enjoy leisure-time pursuits and respond to
emergencies. Physical fitness includes a number of components
consisting of cardiorespiratory endurance (aerobic power), skeletal
muscle endurance, skeletal muscle strength, skeletal muscle power,
flexibility, balance, speed of movement, reaction time, and body
composition”. While, physical activity is “Any bodily movement
produced by the contraction of skeletal muscle that increases energy
expenditure above a basal level”.
IV. Studies that involve sedentary lifestyle
 One Neglected Part of the Body Affects Everything
o As an effect of sitting, muscles will begin to slow down and not
work properly. When muscles don’t get used for a certain
amount of time day after day, they begin to break down –
anywhere from your glutes becoming weaker and affecting your
stride, all the way to brain functions. When your muscles aren’t
being used, less blood is being pumped through the body,
creating a “foggy brain” effect. Everything in the body is
connected, making it very important to move throughout the
day.
Simply sitting without proper form can cause years of damage
down the road. Sitting hunched over is not just bad for your
spine, it also causes your abs to weaken. Being constantly
slouched over forces your spine to continually exaggerate an
unnatural position. ExerClock customizes programs which
ensure you and your workers
 Sedentary Lifestyles Lead to Debilitating Diseases
o Many office workers spend an entire day sitting with no way to
get up and exercise. Mounting evidence proves spending hours
every day sitting at a desk can lead to serious health
consequences and disability later on in life. Even more
concerning is studies which show moderate exercise after work
is not enough to counter the negative effects of sitting 8-5.
These sobering facts and the increase in obesity throughout the
country have lead many employers to begin implementing
employee wellness programs. Giving employees a way to get up
and get moving during the day drastically reduces the chances
of developing a chronic illness
 Sedentary Lifestyles increase Premature Death in Elderly
o Sitting for long periods of time leads to chronic health
conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. People
who participated in a study which measured physical activity
levels in 2,286 adults over the age of 60, found even one extra
hour of sitting per day drastically increased the chances of
developing a debilitating disability. As an example, a 60 year
old woman who sits for 11 hours per day is 1.5 times more
likely to develop a chronic condition compared to if she was
 sitting 10 hours per day. People who sit all day at work or at
home have a greatly increased chance of dying prematurely.
 Sedentary Lifestyles Lead to Toxic Glucose Levels
o Desk bound lifestyles and the chronic diseases which
accompany inactivity cause over 300,000 premature deaths and
over 90 billion dollars in direct healthcare costs annually.
While there are many factors which lead to chronic diseases, an
excess of glucose in our bodies due to lack of physical activity
can most quickly be changed by incorporating exercise into
your daily life. While our bodies require glucose for normal
function, an excess of glucose can be toxic to our bodies. To
protect our bodies from potentially damaging glucose levels,
our bodies produce insulin. Since our muscles tend to use the
most glucose, even just one day of excessive sitting can cause
our insulin to lose its effectiveness against glucose.
 Inactivity Disrupts Normal Glucose and Insulin Function
o Sitting for hours on end not only leads to decreased energy and
glucose requirements, it also makes insulin less effective. This
combines to create serious health problems and blood glucose
levels to spike after eating. The spike of glucose levels causes
inflammation, heart dysfunctions and a host of other
abnormalities. Luckily, light exercise even just 30 minutes
after eating a meal can drastically reduce blood glucose levels.
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Exerclock.com. (2018). Corporate Employee Wellness Program | Online

Activity Reminder | Fitness and Health Videos | Desk Exercises | Workout
Routines | Exerclock. [online] Available at: http://www.exerclock.com/