While working from home and with few other activities to do, it can just creep in:you move too little. You spend your days sitting or lying on the couch or in bed and don't get out much. And that has quite an impact on your health… Do you ever wonder whether you are exercising enough (or do you secretly already know the answer)?
The new World Health Organization (WHO) guideline recommends that you do either 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week, plus two days of strength training. If you don't seem to be meeting either of these suggestions, it's a sign that you're not exercising enough.
Another useful strategy to find out if you are not moving enough is to do some math. Take the number of hours you sleep and subtract that from 24 hours. That gives you the number of hours that you are alive, moving, active and involved. If you spend more than 50% of those hours sitting – for example, while working or sitting on the couch – it's important to change this. For example, go for a walk more often between work or plan a number of fixed moments in a day when you go out for a while. If you spend a lot of time indoors, that is another sign that you are not exercising enough.
Fatigue can have many causes – stress, poor diet, hormonal imbalance – but too little exercise can also make you feel extremely tired. The more you sit, the more tired you will feel. That's because your body (and therefore your heart, lungs and muscles) loses its fitness, which can happen within a few days. The good news? Research shows that exercise can help you get that fitness back. The process is not irreversible!A study found that after 6 weeks, tired participants experienced a 20% boost in energy levels three times a week for 20 minutes of exercise three times a week. !
To prevent your weight from fluctuating in an unhealthy way, it is important to consume the same number of calories as you burn. But if you don't exercise enough and your calorie intake stays the same, calories you don't burn are stored as fat. Another sign that you're not moving enough. Also, sitting too much still affects your metabolism; a slower metabolism means you burn fewer calories at rest. There is a less strong circulation and less metabolism, which in the long term can lead to diabetes, heart attacks, strokes and other diseases… Enough reason to get moving, so!
Your heart benefits from a good oxygen flow. When you constantly hang out on the couch, you start to breathe shallow and your heart gets too little oxygen, which worsens the condition of your heart. Your heart will have to work harder to keep pumping enough oxygen through your body, which can make you feel rushed or even suffer from palpitations. And that's not exactly good for your heart health... Without exercise, there is more pressure on your sympathetic nervous system, leading to an increase in stress hormones and inflammatory markers, which can lead to cardiovascular disease. As you get older, it can be more difficult to prevent this. The best remedy? Exercise consistently for at least 8 to 10 weeks! So pay close attention to the sign that you are not exercising enough.
Your sleep is precious. If you sleep too little – less than 7 to 9 hours – you can have problems with your metabolism, weaken your immune system, you name it. The longer you are inactive, the more your sleep will suffer. Not only the quality of your sleep, but also the amount of sleep you get will deteriorate if you sit too often for too long. Fortunately, there is a simple solution:if you get enough exercise (for example according to the guidelines of the WHO), there is a 95% chance that you will feel less sleepy during the day, according to research.
Research has also shown that sitting too still can negatively affect your mental health and decrease your quality of life. Exercise is associated with the release of serotonin, the happiness hormone that also causes the well-known 'runner's high', which often ensures that people want to keep exercising and stick to their sports routine. By becoming aware of your inactivity and choosing to become more active, you can improve your mind as well as your mood. Mindfulness plays a vital role in this, as it can help improve our ability to deal with stress and anxiety. Therefore, try to exercise mindfully, in order to improve the relationship between fitness and mental health and to reap the benefits.
When you think of the effect of too little exercise, you probably think of the effect on your muscles, heart and the increased risk of other diseases. But our brains need exercise just as much. Research has shown that sitting for hours on end leads to less thickness in your medial temporal lobe, a part of your brain that is responsible for your memory. That may explain why you become forgetful if you don't exercise enough. A session of aerobic fitness, such as going on the treadmill, can not only boost this brain area, but also help combat age-related cognitive problems such as dementia. So win-win!
Text Santé, image:Getty Images
