Use it or lose it they say. In the case of an article about physical inactivity, that’s a true statement.
Main point: “The health implications of physical inactivity are truly a global issue with physical inactivity responsible for up to 8% of non-communicable diseases and deaths across the world.”
More about it:
- Wealth is not protection: “It is in high-income countries that physical inactivity has the greater relative impact on non-communicable disease and death (in terms of increased risk to the average person).”
- There are repercussions beyond the individual: “…it is middle-income countries that have the greatest number of people affected by physical inactivity and face the biggest strain on health resources.”
- Aim for levels above inactivity: “Physical inactivity was defined as less than 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week.”
- The impact is global: “…the highest burden of non-communicable disease associated with physical inactivity is in Latin American and Caribbean countries, and high-income Western and Asia Pacific countries.”
Things to think about:
- Nordic Walking Guy’s rules apply:
- Walk with purpose! You can say “move with purpose” if walking isn’t your thing.
- Be consistent! You have to be to achieve the basic levels of activity.
- Everything counts, but count what matters! Any kind of movement counts toward activity, but don’t get bogged down in minutiae. Just do it!
- After generations of creating incentives to become less active (automation, television, etc.), there is a need to create incentives to motivate people to move more.