The Sedentary Lifestyle

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A sedentary lifestyle is a mode of living in which a person, an adult or child, does not engage in sufficient physical activity or exercise for what is generally considered healthy living. The term is often used by doctors or professionals within the medical community to describe a lifestyle among many people in highly developed countries that does not afford them opportunities for physical activity. This type of living has been heavily influenced by passive forms of entertainment such as television, video games, and computer use. Along with such inactive types of entertainment, shifting of large numbers of adult workers from physical labor to office jobs has also increased the tendency for many people, especially in technologically developed nations, toward a sedentary lifestyle. Numerous studies conducted by doctors and researchers have indicated a variety of negative impacts on a person’s life due to living a sedentary lifestyle. Most common among them is increased weight gain and obesity and the accompanying health problems they can cause, such as heart disease, diabetes, and increased chances of certain types of cancer. Lack of exercise can also have a negative impact on a person’s immune system, which can create the possibility for even more negative health consequences. Living a sedentary lifestyle is not necessarily synonymous with laziness, since a person can be very busy with work and family but without inherent opportunities to exercise. Someone who works at a computer in an office, typically driving or riding in a motor vehicle to and from work, and coming home afterward to watch television or sit in front of a computer once more is likely to stay busy but still not find ways to remain physically active. This means it can be critically important for people who work in these types of careers to find other opportunities for exercise or physical activity.

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