Does Regular Exercise Adequately Offset the Risks of a Sedentary Lifestyle?

Beyond simply doing some daily exercise, changing our generally sedentary lifestyle is extremely important and necessary.

Spending excessive time sitting or lying down each day increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer (particularly breast, colon, uterine, and ovarian cancer). Regular exercise reduces the risks of these diseases and death. However, whether the negative effect of inactivity or the positive effect of exercise predominates is unclear. How is risk affected in someone who typically sits at a desk during the day, lies in front of the television in the evening, and exercises at some point? Does that exercise adequately offset sedentary lifestyle risks? According to a recently published study, the answer is no.

The study compiled and analyzed data from 41 separate studies. It assessed the relationship between inactivity and disease and mortality risks both independently of and together with exercise. Among people spending considerable daily time inactive, those exercising at high levels had a %30 lower risk of disease and death than those exercising at low levels. However, a sedentary lifestyle increases this risk more, independently of exercise. Thus, people spending much of the day inactive have lower disease and mortality risks if they also exercise regularly than if they do not, but the risks are not adequately offset.

In conclusion, health programs, health policies, and physicians continually focus on exercise to reduce disease and mortality risks. However, a sedentary lifestyle appears to affect our health much more. Regular exercise is certainly highly beneficial and helps prevent many diseases. Yet beyond some daily exercise, changing our generally sedentary lifestyle is extremely important and necessary. Even small changes, such as getting up and walking during television advertisements, occasionally leaving the desk at work, taking stairs instead of elevators, and walking more rather than using vehicles, will in fact be very significant steps for your health.