Many Working People Get Little Or No Exercise

This is a fact that many working people get little or no exercise considering the massive change in our lifestyle, exploitative working environment, and/or increased traveling time to their workplaces. Most of us now commute using our own vehicles which has led to a major change in our walking habits. Do we now walk as much as our older generations used to do? Are we really this busy that taking out even a little time for exercising is difficult? Or is it that we are finding ourselves trapped, rather than liberated, by all the advancements around us that have in turn led to too many lifestyle-related disorders?

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THE ONLY VALID EXCUSE FOR NOT EXERCISING IS PARALYSIS – MOIRA NORDHOLT

Excuse me, did you just say exercise?!

To many of us, this word sounds so boring that our excuses are always handy, however ridiculous.

No wonder, approximately one-third i.e. 31% of the global population aged ≥15 years, engages in insufficient physical activity.

Psychology Behind Excuses

Why do we make excuses?

As per the psychologists, excuses fall in the category of “self-pitying” or “self- handicapping” of human behavior.

Making excuses help us in shifting the responsibility to such exogenous factors which are out of our control.

This makes us feel relieved and less burdensome.

That is why an activity as boring and painful as exercising always finds its way in excuses, and the constant habit of which creates a vicious circle of procrastination.

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Sedentary Lifestyle and Metabolic Health 

There is a rising concern over the time people spend into sedentary activities which includes screen time, occupational and idle or leisure sitting.

In adults without known diabetes, a common surrogate for sitting time, self-reported television viewing time, was positively associated with undiagnosed abnormal glucose metabolism and the metabolic syndrome.

A metabolism is the chemical process by which our body converts whatever we eat and drink into energy. We all need this energy to do day to day tasks of our life.

What is Metabolic Syndrome?

According to the Center for Metabolic and Obesity Surgery, a metabolic disorder disrupts the chemical processes and prevents the body from gaining access to energy and nutrients. When multiple metabolic disorders are present, then such a situation is known as Metabolic Syndrome.

Most physicians diagnose metabolic syndrome in individuals with at least three of the following measurements:

• Abdominal obesity (waist circumference of 35+ inches for women, 40+ inches for men)
• Triglycerides greater than 150 milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL)
• HDL (“good”) cholesterol of less than 50 mg/dL for women, 40 mg/dL for men
• Blood pressure greater than 130/85
• Fasting glucose levels of 100+ mg/dL

Sedentary Time Vs Physical Activity

Various studies have suggested that sedentary time in one segment of life anticipates time spent sitting in other areas of life as well.

While physical inactivity has been ranked as the fourth global leading cause of death, sitting time has been described as an independent major mortality risk factor, responsible for 3.8% of all deaths.

Prospective studies evidenced that two hours per day of additional sitting time increases the risk of cardiovascular mortality and cardiovascular events on 5% and 17%, respectively, regardless of the physical activity level.

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What Lack Of Exercise Does To A Human Body

How sedentary lifestyle can be damaging to the crucial human organs is very well explained by the below graph:

What Is Your Excuse For Exercise? (Many Working People Get Little Or No Exercise)

I am much tempted to share a real life story of extreme grit and determination and on how exercise can bring upon a positive change in life.

“You know those kids with all kinds of medical problems? Yeah, that was me.” –   Heather Laptalo

Heather Laptalo was an extreme case of scoliosis and kyphosis and had three major back surgeries because of it. The first occurred when she was 13 years old and then two more at age 19.

She was told by her doctors that she was “too disabled to run” due to lack of mobility, ability to absorb shock and lack of lung capacity. However, no obstacle could stand in front of her dogged determination of overcoming odds.

Despite limited lung function due to her missing ribs, she began alternating 100 meters of walking with 100 meters of running.

She started skiing and climbing mountains, and prefers trail running to taking on roads. She even hiked to the Everest base camp at nearly 18,000 feet.

To learn more please visit website: www.heatherlaptalo.com.

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Exercise Tips For Busy People (Many Working People Get Little Or No Exercise)

Sit less and stand more – Sitting is the new smoking

The practical solution for people in a sitting job is to exercise in short bursts.

Instead of sitting continuously, one can take a short 5 minute break to walk or stretch; this will relax your muscles and improves blood circulation.

It is recommended to exercise 20-30 minutes at least 4-5 times in a week. This can be achieved by breaking a 30 minute session into smaller sessions of light or moderate intensity activities of 5-10 minutes each.

Exercise during any spare time for many working people get little or no exercise

• Take stairs whenever you can.
• While chatting over phone prefer walking over sitting.
• You can stretch some of your muscles while waiting for bus.
• Push-ups can be done almost anywhere.
• Park your vehicle farther away from the destination or get off the bus a stop early. This will give you more scope for walking.
• You can work-out on the treadmill or exercise bike while marathon-watching your favorite series.
• Traffic is such a time waster. You can choose to do breathing exercises, which include certain Pranayama, for a minute or so while waiting for traffic to clear.
• Make most of your lunch time. A 15-20 minute walk after the lunch will re-energize your mind.

Increase the intensity

Even if you find lesser time for exercising, increasing the intensity will give you the same or may be at times even better results.

High intensity interval training (HIIT) has gained popularity as a quick and effective way to exercise, and it offers many of the same health benefits as other types of exercise.

The period of intense exercise can vary from less than 45 seconds to a few minutes.

The short duration of HIIT make it a very practical and effective choice for people who find it difficult to commit to longer sessions.

Guide to Desk Exercises For Many Working People Get Little Or No Exercise

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Takeaway Message

Exercising regularly makes a person more productive and in effect saves one’s time.

Though it is true that many working people get little or no exercise we need to reflect upon the potential damage it causes to our physical, mental, and emotional health.

So, whenever you don’t feel motivated to exercise bear this thing in mind that it enhances your executive functions, cognitive performances by giving energy to your brain, lowers the stress levels, improve muscle function, reduces metabolic disease etc.

Readings & References

• https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389
• https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/10-best-exercises-everyday#start-here
• https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/default.htm
• https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/
• https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/exercise-wise.html
• https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/5-of-the-best-exercises-you-can-ever-do
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6027933/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8397487/
• https://www.who.int/health-topics/physical-activity#tab=tab_1
• https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240060449
• https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity