Published: January 16, 2025
Is a Sedentary Lifestyle the New Smoking?
By Professor Phil Ross, M.S. CPT
There are wide arrays of health concerns facing our ever changing and continually aging population. The recent trends over the past three to four decades have witnessed us experiencing increased obesity rates, an aging population and only approximately 1/5th of Americans meeting the recommended daily exercise requirements (Green, 2015). However, all is not lost. A great deal of research and concerned health and fitness professionals and scientists are bringing to light the mounting issues and the ramifications of living an unhealthy lifestyle. Our health is not only affected, but an unhealthy population is a financial drain upon society. In 2015, studies demonstrated that there was a decline in new diabetes case and smoking has dropped over 20% in the last decade (Carroll, 2016). All of the news about our health is not all “doom and gloom” and it appears as if we’re going in the right direction, but we still have a great deal of work to do.
Is a sedentary lifestyle
the new smoking? The most recent data certainly validates the relevancy of this
question. According to the most recent studies, a sedentary lifestyle is one of
the leading factors contributing to Coronary Heart Disease, CHD. As with
smokers, physically inactive people are twice as likely to develop CHD (Powers,
Howley, 2015, pg. 316). Smoking, inactivity and poor nutrition are the leading
causes of CHD as far as the behavioral contributing risk factors are concerned.
This should come as no surprise. If we consider how human beings evolved and
what we were best designed for compared to the current condition of most modern-day
homo sapiens, 72 percent of Americans are overweight and 43 percent are obese,
we are far from the mark of the world’s best warm weather, long distance
runners. Humans are weak and unathletic, when compared to the rest of the
animal kingdom. We aren’t fast, can’t jump high and have no claws or do we have
large fangs or venom. If we did not possess a large brain and an opposable
thumb, we’d be relegated to eating fruits, vegetables and carrion and we’d be
at mercy of the other more powerful, well equipped predators (Stipp, 2012). One
word of caution when considering overweight percentages though, if the data is
simply based on BMI (Body Mass Index), the results may be skewed due the
failure of BMI to consider muscle mass of athletes and the larger structure of
some races (Green, 2014).
There are several factors
that determine adherence to an exercise program. One of them is background. If
an individual has been sedentary for a significant duration, they may come from
one of many backgrounds. Examples may individuals who have either never worked
out or they are a former athlete/exerciser that has not done so in a long time.
Each situation presents its own set of challenges. For those who have never
trained before, working out, becoming sore and tired is a new phenomenon. This
may create a level of anxiety and if they become too sore, get blisters, perform
poorly, or sustain an injury; the chances of continuance of their exercise
regimen is significantly diminished. A strenuous workout routine will
discourage a novice exerciser. If a deconditioned subject becomes injured, the
quest for fitness will most likely end. The former exerciser that has decided
to get back in shape has a far greater chance of maintaining adherence to an
exercise program. The main issue concerning this population is their
unrealistic memory. Their minds harken back to a time when they were strong and
fit and they truly believe that they can still do what they once were able to.
However, their bodies are not the same. This group of people stand a greater
chance of becoming injured and must be monitored closely while exercising.
When we are considering
public health concerns in regard to sedentary individuals, we must look at how
to increase adherence and avoid injury. Either one of the aforementioned will
end or significantly hamper the efforts of converting a sedentary individual
into an avid exerciser leading a healthy lifestyle. These are some of the main
reasons that small increments and achievable goals are preferable to pushing
one’s self too far. Another big deterrent is perceived lack of time. It’s far
easier to schedule 20 to 40 minutes bouts of exercise at a moderate pace than
it is to set aside two hours of a hardcore physical session. Plus, the
risk/reward equation must be taken into consideration. Another consideration is
the reduction/prevention of Type 2 diabetes. Smaller duration, more numerous
bouts of daily exercise are beneficial in training the body to regulate glucose
and insulin balance in the muscles and blood. Many sedentary individuals are
either prediabetic or are already suffering from Type 2 diabetes.
Exercise results in more
lean body mass and less adipose tissue and can both serve as an appetite
suppressant and/or a stimulant. The range of body fat percent is different between men and
women. The American Council on Exercise recommends that men maintain between 14
to 24 percent body fat for optimal fitness and athletes and are recommended to
be at 6 to 14 percent. Women should maintain between 25 to 31 percent for
optimal health and 21 to 24 percent for athletes (Green, 2014).
Chart
courtesy of ACE Personal Trainer Manual, 5th Edition
Exercise,
especially intense bouts of resistance training, increases muscle mass and bone
density. Of the five aspects of physical fitness; cardio respiratory fitness,
muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and body composition, the
latter is the most physically noticeable. Exercisers receive compliments and
encouragement from coworkers as their bodies take on a more fit form. Their
family and friends take notice as their body morphs into a leaner more mobile
version as their energy level improves. These changes also help an individual’s
psyche.
Most of
the information that we read pertains to losing weight. However, there is a
certain portion of the population desiring accumulation of body mass. Power
Lifters, Bodybuilders, Football Players, Shot Putters, etc. These athletes want
to gain size. Lifting heavy weights and consuming mass quantities of food is
favorable to reaching their goals, so the increased appetite from training is a
positive attribute for them.
Some
research suggests exercise doesn't always cause hunger but can curb it. "Exercise
may lower levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite in the short
term, while raising levels of peptide YY, a hormone that suppresses
appetite," says study author David Stensel, Ph.D., reader in exercise
metabolism at
Muscular metabolism
increases 5 to 15 times of the resting rate to provide the energy to for
skeletal muscles to contract and depending upon the type and intensity of the
exercise, 70 to 100 percent is released through heat (Swaka, et al, 1993). If
the athlete has acquired sufficient heat acclimatization, their responses to
the hot and humid environments are more favorable than those not accustomed to
the aforementioned conditions. The same acclimatization effects are noted with
respect to altitude. Considering that V02 Max decreases approximately 2.6% for
every 1000 feet above 3200 feet, the amount of available oxygen is less and the
cardiovascular system must work much harder for the same workload at lower
altitudes (Levine, 2002). If a fighter has a bout scheduled in a high altitude
arena, their trainers will move the training camp to the high altitude location
several weeks prior to the event to help offset these effects.
The human body is a complex
machine that requires constant monitoring, exercise and proper nutrition to
maintain optimal health. Even with all of these requirements, it’s a miraculous
organism that has great adaptability and ability to cope with adverse
conditions.
References
Bryant, Cedric X., Ph.D., FASM and Green, Daniel J. Essentials
of Exercise Science for Fitness Professionals. (2010, 2011, 2012) American
Council on Exercise. ISBN 9781890720315.
Carroll, Linda. January 2, 2016. 2016: The year Americans get
serious about getting healthy?
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/2016-year-americans-get-serious-about-getting-healthy-n488731
Green , Daniel J., Project Editor. ACE, American Council on Exercise. 2014. ISBN 978-1-890720-50-6. American Council on Exercise Personal Trainer Manual, Fifth Edition.
Hagobian, Todd A.. Braun, Barry. 2010. Physical
Activity and hormonal regulation of appetite: Sex differences and weight
control.
Mickel, Kelly. October 12, 2011. The truth about exercise and diet. Self. http://www.self.com/story/exercise-and-appetite.
Nall, Rachel. September 14, 2010. Does Exercise Increase the Appetite? Livestrong.com. http://www.livestrong.com/article/244704-does-exercise-increase-the-appetite/
Powell,
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2007/04/humans-hot-sweaty-natural-born-runners/
Powers, Scott K., and Howley, Edward T. 2015. Exercise
Physiology, Theory of Application and Performance. 9th ed.
Sawka, Michael., Wenger, Bruce., Young, Andrew J., and
Stipp, David. June 4, 2012. All men can’t jump.