A sedentary lifestyle: what are the health risks?

According to recent estimates, 31 % of the world's population do not take part in the recommended amount of physical activity to protect their health. health. Unfortunately, this lack of physical activity has a direct impact on health. More than half the population prefers inactivity to physical exercise. Rather tempting, isn't it? And yet prolonged inactivity causes serious dangers that are often not reversible. Let's find out together what a sedentary lifestyle is. What is the situation with sedentary lifestyles in France? What impact does it have on our health? How can we combat a sedentary lifestyle? 

How do you define sedentary lifestyle ?

Sedentary behaviour is the behaviour of people who, while awake, generate an energy expenditure close to that of rest. This mainly corresponds to mundane activities such as working in front of a computer, watching television on the sofa or driving.

What are the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle?

There are three levels of sedentary behaviour: low levels of less than 3 hours a day, moderate levels of between 3 and 7 hours a day, and high levels of more than 7 hours a day. What is the situation with sedentary lifestyles in France?

-55% of French people sit for less than 6 hours a day

-30% between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.

-15% more than 10 hours

The national average is 7 hours 24 minutes a day! Yes, you read that right! With this nice score, the French are in the top 3 for the longest time spent sitting down in a day, but, unfortunately, that's no glory when you're aware of the risks. health risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle.

Who is affected by sedentary lifestyle ?

A sedentary lifestyle at work :

Architects, lawyers, office workers, dressmakers, cashiers - we're all affected by the world of architecture. a sedentary lifestyle at work.

Office jobs are still among the least mobile, especially when you work from home. This limits the number of journeys you have to make to work, but it also sometimes means that you have to work longer when urgent requests pile up.

A sedentary lifestyle at home :

After a hard day's work, it's time to go about our business! It's the perfect opportunity to get some exercise and combat a sedentary lifestyle, but not everyone does. In fact, during their free time, 59% of French people prefer a sedentary activity (watching a film/series or surfing the Internet), compared with 41% who prefer a physical activity (going for a walk/shopping).

As you will have realised, one of the main causes of a sedentary lifestyle is the pervasive presence of screens.

A sedentary lifestyle can also increase with the onset of winter, as we tend to stay at home more often when the temperature is around 0°C.

The recent confinement, with the suspension of many of our daily activities, and the rise of the teleworking have only made this worrying phenomenon worse.

What illnesses are linked to a healthy lifestyle? sedentary ?

A sedentary lifestyle is a silent threat to our health, the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle In fact, 72% of Europeans underestimate the health risks caused by a sedentary lifestyle. The risks most often ignored by Europeans are those linked to cancer, psychological disorders and diabetes.

A sedentary lifestyle kills

According to the WHO, a sedentary lifestyle (lack of physical activity) is considered to be the fourth leading risk factor for death worldwide from all causes.

A sedentary lifestyle and cancer

According to a study published in the Journal of The National Cancer Institute, sedentary behaviour is associated with a 24% increased risk of developing colon cancer, 32 % increased risk of developing endometrial cancer, and 21 % increased risk of developing lung cancer.

Sedentary lifestyles and diabetes

A sedentary lifestyle significantly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the journal Diabetologia.

A sedentary lifestyle and obesity

It seems obvious that a lack of physical activity is a major factor in weight gain and obesity. A study conducted by the Journal of Medicine establishes that lack of physical activity is more responsible for the explosion in obesity in the United States than diet.

Sedentary lifestyles and depression

In a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers found that people with a sedentary lifestyle have a 25 % greater chance of becoming depressed.

A sedentary lifestyle kills more than smoking!

Many specialists no longer hesitate to compare a sedentary lifestyle to smoking. Sitting is even worse than smoking. Does this surprise you? It's normal: we're all aware of the health risks associated with smoking, but we're not sufficiently aware of those associated with a sedentary lifestyle. Studies show that a sedentary lifestyle has become the world's leading cause of avoidable death. It's more serious than smoking!

So, have you become aware of the health risks of a sedentary lifestyle? We'll let you stretch your legs and think about it, before giving you our advice on how to combat a sedentary lifestyle on a daily basis!

8 tips to combat a sedentary lifestyle on a daily basis

As you will have realised, we are constantly faced with a sedentary lifestyle, and here's how to remedy the situation:

How can we combat sedentary lifestyles at work?

• Walk or cycle to work instead!
• To combat a sedentary lifestyle at work, it's essential to take breaks every hour and go for a walk. Of course, we're not asking you to run a marathon, but at the very least to walk for 2/3 minutes.
• So instead of sending a multitude of emails to your colleagues in an office close to yours, go somewhere else! As well as limiting pollution, this will help you maintain social links with your colleagues!
• If you're lucky enough to work for a company that offers yoga, mediation or other classes, don't hesitate to take part. As well as taking your mind off things, the class will give you a sporting break.

How can you be less sedentary on a daily basis?

• Do some sport before you start the day - it has a direct impact on your mood and stress reduction!
• When the opportunity arises, take the stairs rather than the lift.
• Are you familiar with the rivalry between brothers and sisters or between friends at the canteen over who gets to fill the water jug? Well, be proud to get up and fill it, and you'll look good doing it too!
• Phone on your feet! Now that almost all of us are lucky enough to have mobile phones, it's time to stretch your legs when making calls.

More generally, it's essential to stay as active as possible in our various daily activities!

Encouraging young people to adopt an active lifestyle

No age group is spared, and both children and adolescents are particularly concerned by the threat posed by a sedentary lifestyle.

According to a study by the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 80% of the world's schoolchildren do not get the hour of daily physical activity recommended by health professionals. France is at the bottom of the league table, barely scraping into 119th place out of the 146 countries studied. It's up to us to change things!

From a very young age, we need to combine physical activity with the fight against a sedentary lifestyle.

This phenomenon, which particularly affects young people, is mainly due to the electronic revolution and growing insecurity. Some teenagers could walk to school, but their parents choose to take them by car to avoid the risk.

As you will have realised, a sedentary lifestyle carries very serious health risks: diabetes, obesity, cancer, depression, etc. Yet far too many of us still work long hours in a seated position without taking the risks of a sedentary lifestyle into account. Both at work and at home, it is possible to do something about it. Here's how, the ergonomic ActiveBase seat has been designed to transform your working time spent in a seated position into active muscle-building time.

Now that you know all about the health risks of a sedentary lifestyle, feel free to tell your friends and family about it and share this article if you found it informative.