Ten Ways To Avoid The New Silent Killer
Sitting and maintaining a sedentary lifestyle is becoming known as the new silent killer. A sedentary lifestyle involves either sitting or laying down often with little to no exercise. While this may sound tempting, prolonged rest is actually a lot more dangerous than it seems. This is because having a sedentary lifestyle increases a person’s risk for developing the following conditions: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, colon cancer, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, high cholesterol, depression and anxiety.
These are just a few conditions that can result from maintaining a sedentary life; however, they may be avoided with healthy lifestyle changes. In this week’s blog we are going to give ten healthy habits that you can incorporate today to help avoid the silent killer—sitting.
#1. Go for a brisk walk for 30 minutes every day
It is said that even just 30 minutes of moderate activity each day decreases your risk drastically. You can customize this workout to your liking. Maybe you would prefer to bike ride instead of walk. Whatever the case may be, getting active for at least 30 minutes a day can help to decrease your risk of developing many of these potential conditions.
#2. Play a sport you enjoy
Playing a sport is one of the easiest ways to exercise, while feeling like you are not exercising. If you have a sport that you like, consider making time to gather your friends or family for a quick game. It is a fun and effective way to get the family together, while working out. If you do not have a favorite sport, consider looking into one. There are so many different physical activities to experiment with that will help give you the same benefits.
#3. Get out in nature
Getting out in nature, or at least outside, helps to not only get the body moving, but also helps to improve your mood. Nature is a natural healer and it helps people to increase their energy, boost their mood, and even help them sleep better.
#4. Stay off your phone
Limit your technology usage. This is the main culprit when it comes to maintaining a sedentary life. This is because it is too easy to sit on your phone for hours and scroll without meaning to. Many people don’t realize how long they were on a website for until they look up at the clock and realize that they just ate away hours of their day. Either schedule time to go offline or set a timer when scrolling the web.
#5. Stretch your body for 10-15 minutes every morning
This is a good way to move your body first thing in the morning. It helps to wake up both your mind and your body. The best part is that you can also do this in bed as you are waking up. Need a routine? You can do a full body stretch for 5 seconds, followed by a knee to chest stretch for 10 deep breaths, then a bed to floor stretch for five breaths. Or you can look online for morning stretches and incorporate a few moves before you get out of bed.
#6. Limit TV and Social Media
Social media and watching TV tends to eat up your time and prevents productivity. Before you know it, hours have passed while you were sitting on the couch binge watching shows or catching up on Instagram. Break this cycle by limiting your time watching TV or setting a timer to get off Facebook after 10 minutes. Time goes quick so having a plan helps keep you on track.
#7. Socialize with friends and family
Go out with your loved ones. Schedule dates in advance and go to lunch or a shopping center. Whatever your choice of fun is, getting everyone together is not only good for the body but is good for the soul too.
#8. Volunteer at your local animal shelter
There are hundreds of shelters all over the world that need helping hands each and everyday. If you find yourself spending lots of time on the couch, consider volunteering and using that time to help another life.
#9. Avoid sitting for longer than 20 minutes at a time
There is a rule that for every 20 minutes you sit, you should get up and walk around for 2-5 minutes. This helps to not only get you active, but to keep the blood properly circulating in your body and prevents it from pooling, which can lead to additional health complications.
#10. Take an exercise class with a friend
There are so many exercise programs, whether in a gym or online. Grab a friend and try out a few classes—you may just surprise yourself at how much fun it is. When taking exercise classes with friends or family, working out does not feel like working out.
These are just a few ways that you can fight the silent killer. There are many other healthy habits that you can come up with and incorporate into your life. Now is the time to think about your health and how you’d like to age.
