sed·en·tar·y:
characterized by or requiring a sitting posture
Here are some disturbing facts about how unfit the British population is. I picked up all this whilst studying cardiovascular training for health.Of men and women aged 16-74, approximately 29% of men and 28% of women were sedentary. That's about 10 million people. The majority of these people hold negative views on exercise having tried it with poor experiences.
Of the people studied:
65% of them were over 45,
48% of the men and 42% of the women were obese,
here's the funny part, 49% of them thought they already did sufficient exercise in order to keep fit! (I'm guessing this was the other 50% that weren't obese).
Studies have been shown that those who engage in physical activity have significantly reduced CHD (coronary heart disease) and cancer deaths. Yet these sedentary people are the least likely to believe in the value of physical activity. These death rates are nearly halved when fitness levels are moderate rather than low. The amount of deaths between moderate exercisers and high exercisers isn't as significant showing the benefit of just a little exercise.
Just three moderate intensity 10 minute (or one 30 minute) exercises a day, 5 days a week could halve your risk of dying of CHD or cancer.
CHD is the single biggest cause of death in the UK accounting for 28% of deaths and 17% in women.
Obesity costs the NHS an estimated £500 million per year in treatments and the economy £2 billion per year in 18 million sick days.
Take a look at your own lifestyle and work out how sedentary you are. How many hours of the day are you sitting down and how many are you on your feet? Most people (even the unfit ones) in my city (London) are more active than normal as we rely heavily on public transport meaning that we are walking and standing more. If you own a car then the amount of time sitting verses standing is significantly increased.
Me? I sometimes wear a heart rate monitor for a week at a time to see how many calories I burn with exercise and depending on the week it's between 2500 and 3500. In some random study done by Harvard University on the Alumni who died between 1962 and 1978, those who burned just 500 calories a week from exercise were 13 times more likely to die from health related deaths than those who burnt 1000. The reduction in death risk is not as significant from 1000-2500 but the scary thing for us fitness junkies is that the risk of death starts increasing after 2500 calories per week.
It's hard to take some of these studies seriously though. There are so many factors that can affect the results that have nothing to do with the tests. The bottom line is, get off your ass and move!
The ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) recommends the following guidelines for Health Benefits (this is the absolute minimum)
Frequency: 5-6 days per week
Intensity: Moderate (50-50% of max heart rate)
Time: An accumulation of 30 minutes (minimum 10 minute blocks)
Type: Brisk walking or anything of a similar intensity
Still, it's a scary thought. We all think we are keeping fit and healthy by cycling to work yet we are exposing ourselves to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. I often find myself holding my breath each time a bus passes me (which is hardly ever 'cause they are like so slow :P)
. Check 'em out.
