Sedentary Lifestyle and Heart Disease: Is Your Couch Killing You?

Most people know that being active is a good thing for both their physical and mental health. But getting off the couch isn't always as easy as it sounds. Check out the research, along with some tips to help you move more.

The Research on Inactivity

Researchers from 16 countries came to a striking conclusion: an inactive lifestyle is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and two specific cancers—breast and colon.

This is concerning because two out of every three adults fail to meet the American Heart Association’s recommendation to get 150 minutes of exercise per week. Even more worrisome is the fact that four out of every five children ages 13 to 15 do not get the suggested 60 minutes of activity per day. The long-term social, environmental, and economic consequences of this are staggering.

I read these articles from my favorite chair in front of the television, and was smugly reassured I am going to be OK because I exercise daily. But then panic set in. What if I can’t exercise? The fact is that if you subtract the time I spend on structured exercise, I am a sedentary adult. I drive everywhere I go. My occupation has no aerobic benefit. Many of my outside interests require no activity.

This realization has prompted me to reconsider my approach in the exam room. For years, I have been extolling the virtues of regular exercise and have spent countless hours wondering why patients don’t comply. I missed the mark.

Ways to Have a More Active Lifestyle

Exercise doesn't mean you have to run a 5K or go to the gym every day...although those activities are certainly beneficial. Just try to move more in your daily life. Start with some easy tips and see how much better you start to feel, while enjoying important health benefits.

• Drive less, move more! Walk or bike to work or on short trips. Take a brisk walk around the neighborhood with a friend (fur or human). When you do drive, park farther away from you destination to get in more steps.
• Make time for your heart. Structure your day to include an activity that involves physical exertion.
• Walk or jog in place, do some jumping jacks, lift weights, or do yoga while you watch your favorite shows.

• Take the stairs. Start enjoying the immediate health benefits of physical activity.

• Shoot some hoops or have a catch with your kids. You’ll all feel better!
• Housework and yard work count. Vacuum, sweep vigorously, garden and clean inside and outside. Knock off some chores and help your heart at the same time.
• Suspend “screen time” for kids. Send the kids outside and make them active before they’re allowed to play video games.

We also need to take action as a community. Build bike lanes. Give employees bike racks and a place to shower. Carve out time in the work day for a walk. Societal change will be slow, but if there is not a shift in our lifestyle, we are on a collision course with that deadly couch.