Couch potatoes are never healthy. This is the new age proverb for all those who lead a sedentary lifestyle. This is particularly true for the IT industry professionals. They simply cannot help it as their life is all about sitting around a computer. But can this also be an excuse to take health for a toss? Ofcourse not.
And so we at AnyLinuxWork, make our team aware of the health hazards of sedentary lifestyle. We make them do physical activities regularly so that they are not confined to their chairs. But this blog is all about the possible disadvantages of an inactive life. Why should one believe that inactivity is bad for one. Some major demerits of being a couch potato are:
Obesity: You cannot avoid it if you are not an exercise-savvy person. Since you do not work out, run or exercise, there is an imbalance between energy intake and energy consumed. In other words, the number of calories burnt is far less than those consumed leading to obesity. Obesity is the cause of many more dangerous diseases like heart attack, diabetes and many more.
Aging: Believe it or not but several research works have shown that those who lead a sedentary life, age real fast. The signs of ageing are more visible on their face. This is due to the damage of the telomeres, present at the end of the chromosomes. Telomeres play a role in preventing the aging process.
Heart problems: Sedentary lifestyle adversely affects circulation. If you are not physically active, the formation of blocks within arteries is promoted and this results in circulatory problems. The end result of this imbalance is heart related problems such as atherosclerosis.
Cancers: Physically inactive people around the world are more prone to getting several types of cancers like breast cancer, colon cancer, and other types of malignant tumors.
Weak muscles: Imagine what havoc sedentary life can inflict on your muscles. Since you don’t use your muscles, it reduces their strength, joint structure and functioning, thus predisposing the person to diseases such as arthritis and osteoporosis where bones become weak and fragile.
Work efficiency: It is ironic that the very work that is affecting your physical activity can be affected badly if you are inactive. The brain activity gets reduced making the person less reactive which in turn hinders the individual’s work progress. Lack of sufficient work progress makes the person depressed.
Your kids would suffer too: Since you don’t really mind having a sedentary lifestyle, you wouldn’t mind your kids sitting with video games, television or computer all day long. Like you, they would eventually develop problems of obesity and blood pressure.
It’s time to wake up and do some serious exercise just like Team AnyLinuxWork does. We also belong to the same lifestyle but we follow a strict physical activity routine. Right from our CEO Vivek Singhal who never misses his gym in the mornings or fitness conscious COO Nidhi Mongia who follows a daily exercise regime – everyone at ALW is fitness-savvy. You can be the same too.