National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

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Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle

Also called: Sedentary Lifestyle, Sitting Disease

Summary

What is an inactive lifestyle?

Being a couch potato. Not exercising. A sedentary or inactive lifestyle. You have probably heard of all of these phrases, and they mean the same thing: a lifestyle with a lot of sitting and lying down, with very little to no exercise.

In the United States and around the world, people are spending more and more time doing sedentary activities. During our leisure time, we are often sitting: while using a computer or other device, watching TV, or playing video games. Many of our jobs have become more sedentary, with long days sitting at a desk. And the way most of us get around involves sitting - in cars, on buses, and on trains.

How does an inactive lifestyle affect your body?

When you have an inactive lifestyle,

You burn fewer calories. This makes you more likely to gain weight.
You may lose muscle strength and endurance, because you are not using your muscles as much
Your bones may get weaker and lose some mineral content
Your metabolism may be affected, and your body may have more trouble breaking down fats and sugars
Your immune system may not work as well
You may have poorer blood circulation
Your body may have more inflammation
You may develop a hormonal imbalance

What are the health risks of an inactive lifestyle?

Having an inactive lifestyle can be one of the causes of many chronic diseases. By not getting regular exercise, you raise your risk of

Obesity
Heart diseases, including coronary artery disease and heart attack
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Stroke
Metabolic syndrome
Type 2 diabetes
Certain cancers, including colon, breast, and uterine cancers
Osteoporosis and falls
Increased feelings of depression and anxiety

Having a sedentary lifestyle can also raise your risk of premature death. And the more sedentary you are, the higher your health risks are.

How can I be more active around the house?

There are some ways you can be active around your house:

Housework, gardening, and yard work are all physical work. To increase the intensity, you could try doing them at a more vigorous pace.
Keep moving while you watch TV. Lift hand weights, do some gentle yoga stretches, or pedal an exercise bike. Instead of using the TV remote, get up and change the channels yourself.
Work out at home with a workout video (on your TV or on the internet)
Go for a walk in your neighborhood. It can be more fun if you walk your dog, walk your kids to school, or walk with a friend.
Stand up when talking on the phone
Get some exercise equipment for your home. Treadmills and elliptical trainers are great, but not everyone has the money or space for one. Less expensive equipment such as yoga balls, exercise mats, stretch bands, and hand weights can help you get a workout at home too.

How can I be more active at work?

Most of us sit when we are working, often in front of a computer. In fact, less than 20 percent of Americans have physically active jobs. It can be challenging to fit physical activity into your busy workday, but here are some tips to help you get moving:

Get up from your chair and move around at least once an hour
Stand when you are talking on the phone
Find out whether your company can get you a stand-up or treadmill desk
Take the stairs instead of the elevator
Use your break or part of your lunch hour to walk around the building
Stand up and walk to a colleague's office instead of sending an email
Have "walking" or standing meetings with co-workers instead of sitting in a conference room

How much exercise do I need?

If you have been inactive, you may need to start slowly when you add exercise. You can keep adding more gradually. The more you can do, the better. But try not to feel overwhelmed, and do what you can. Getting some exercise is always better than getting none.

For ideal health benefits, the recommendations are:

For adults:

Try to get at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity on most days.

Aerobic activities include walking fast, jogging, swimming, and biking
Exercise at a moderate intensity. One way to check this is to make sure that you can say a few words in a row while exercising. But you should not be able to sing - that would mean that you are not exercising hard enough.
You can break your aerobic exercise into segments of ten minutes or more

Also do strengthening activities twice per week.

Strengthening activities include lifting weights, working with exercise bands, and doing sit-ups and pushups.
Choose activities that work all the different parts of the body - your legs, hips, back, chest, stomach, shoulders, and arms. You should repeat exercises for each muscle group 8 to 12 times per session.

For children and teens:

Get 60 minutes or more of physical activity every day. Most of it should be moderate-intensity aerobic activity.

Activities should vary and be a good fit for your age and physical development
Moderate-intensity aerobic activities include walking, running, skipping, playing on the playground, playing basketball, and biking

Also try to get each of these at least 3 days a week: vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, muscle-strengthening activity, and bone-strengthening activity.

Vigorous-intensity aerobic activities include running, doing jumping jacks, and fast swimming
Muscle-strengthening exercise includes playing on playground equipment, playing tug-of-war, and doing pushups and pull-ups
Bone-strengthening activities include hopping, skipping, doing jumping jacks, playing volleyball, and working with resistance bands.

Seniors, pregnant women, and people who have special health needs should check with their health care provider on how much and what types of exercises they should do. Also, anyone starting a new exercise program should talk to their health care provider first.