The human body was not designed to rest. It was designed to be used daily for 8 -9 hours so that after a hard day's work one could fall asleep without sleeping pills. But the modern day lifestyle is all sedentary. People are over-rested. The whole world is resting on the chair. People are having joint pains, muscle pain, weight gain, diabetes and numerous other issues at a very young age; all due to lack of movement. Our musculoskeletal system is practically getting frozen. There are 100s of muscles in our body that need movement and utilisation. If we don't use these muscles we end up losing these muscles. The body works on use it or loses it basis and this century is seemingly all about losing.

We have ended up on Chairs. 

The sedentary behaviour is being seen in young adults, middle-aged men and women and in senior citizens too. This behaviour is driven by the all types of comforts, less manual activities to do, use of mobile phone, overwork, no time for relaxation, backache, laziness, low drive, poor energy, weak immunity, and poor sleep patterns. Heart attacks in middle-aged men, diabetes in adolescence and dementia in old age are on increase at an alarming rate.  

An unhealthy population cannot contribute to any country's growth, unhealthy company employees cannot produce profits and happy customers, a sick child can be devastating for parents and an unhealthy spouse can become a big burden and a source of frustration. 

Modern Metro Man afflicted by Bad Diet, High Stress and Sedentary Lifestyle

People across the globe are waking up to the reality of  sedentary lifestyle- there is a movement going on to use bicycles to reach workplace to the extent that 60 Km of Bicycling in a day is normal, investing in Health and Exercise Mobile Apps is common, Hiring a Health Coach is common and maintaining an active lifestyle is on rise. But we are still far from the target. 

Now let's talk about an ounce of prevention which will reward you with Tons of benefit. The easy solution to solving the problem of sedentary lifestyle is Movement. Motion is the Lotion that needs to be applied to the muscles. Research says that the people who are active throughout the day live longer and have a better sense of well being. Living longer and feeling better are great reasons to be healthy. The pay off is delayed but worth it. 

Risks of Sedentary Lifestyle

Following are the tips for avoiding a sedentary lifestyle:

  1. Don't sit on a chair for more than 1 hour. The chair is a trap. Take a quick walk around your cabin or office after every 1 hour of sitting.
  2. Use your body to do some household work and go market to buy vegetables. 
  3. Ensure 7000-10000 steps a day. You don't need to do Gym exercises if you follow this. 
  4. Reduce your sugar intake. Sugar makes us lazy!
  5. Understand Mind-Body connection. If the mind is demotivated it will result in a sedentary lifestyle. Start your day with optimism and can do attitude.  
  6. Use Public Transport twice a week. It will keep you mobile. Don't ask for a lift to your bus stop or Metro. 
  7. If you are watching TV then do something else. Maybe stretching exercise while watching TV. 

Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body; it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.