Physical inactivity kills 32 lakh people a year!

GUEST COLUMN: Dr N Prabhudev

Bengaluru, Nov. 18:
Almost 500 million people will develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes or other non-communicable
diseases attributable to physical inactivity, between 2020 and 2030, costing US$ 27 billion annually! WHO report2022! Today, more than 80% of adolescents and 27% of adults do not meet WHO recommended levels of physical activity.
It’s also the cause of 21–25 per cent of breast and colon cancers, 27 per cent of diabetes cases, and around 30 per cent of ischaemic heart disease. One in four of us do fewer than 30 minutes of physical activity a week, while 1 in 6 deaths is caused by inactivity – but we know they stand to benefit the most if we can help them get a bit more active.
Walk! Put your best foot forwards!
Lots of people think, ‘I did 45 minutes of workout in the morning, I should be good for the day! Even after that if you sit continuously for six to eight hours with no break, you may not be able to counter the negative effects of long sitting! Stand up or Take the stairs or just walk for a couple of minutes!

Truly a silent killer’ -“Sitting for long is the new smoking”- an emerging health hazard akin to smoking! We spend about eight hours a day sitting! Sitting for 8 hours a day is associated with a 34% increase in mortality risk! Habitual inactivity raises risks for obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, deep-vein thrombosis, and metabolic syndrome. Aging societies represent a major challenge for health care systems all over the world.
A combination of aerobic, muscle strengthening, and flexibility exercises is recommended for aging adults to increase longevity, prevent chronic disease, and offer numerous cognitive and psychological benefits!
Sedentary lifestyle is increasingly linked to health risks, particularly cardiovascular disease. Insufficient physical activity now affects more than a quarter of the global population. WHO has identified physical inactivity as the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, contributing to 3.2 million deaths annually!
Physical inactivity, based on the recommendations of the World Health Organization is defined as failure to accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity or the combination of both intensities per week. Globally, physical inactivity is the fourth greatest risk factor for mortality, attributed to approximately four to five million premature deaths that could have been prevented.
Latest global estimates show that 1.4 billion adults – 27.5% of the world’s adult population do not meet the recommended level of physical activity to improve and protect their health. Of concern, this figure has remained largely unchanged since 2001.
Walking 4000 steps per day is enough to begin lowering the risk of death from any cause.Taking just 3000 steps per day can reduce the risk of death specifically from cardiovascular diseases.
Health benefits increase with additional steps. For every 1,000 extra steps taken daily, the risk of death from any cause decreases by approximately 15%, while an additional 500 steps each day reduces the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by around 7%. The benefits of increased physical activity apply across age groups, genders, and various climate regions. Walking between 6,000 and 10,000 steps daily was associated with a 42% reduction in mortality risk, whereas younger adults who walked between 7,000 and 13,000 steps saw a 49% risk reduction of premature deaths.
Walk and Walk every day!
It is never too late to start.
How much to walk?
Is 10,000 the magic number? 10,000 steps for many- may seem like a daunting task. The 10,000 step goal is a suggestion and not a prescription.
How to walk? Heel to Toe, Step forward landing squarely on the heel of your foot, Roll forward onto the ball of the foot. Raise the heel and push off with your big toe. Relax shoulders and keep them back and down. Stand tall with a slightly lifted chest and a straight back. Bend arms 90 degrees at the elbow and swing in time with the opposite leg.
Check hips are level; knees pointing forwards, Check steps are of equal length, Don’t tilt your head to one side, Don’t slump your shoulders, Don’t strike the ground with your toe first. Use your heel first.
Walking Mistakes to Avoid.
Are You Walking Wrong? Can lead to wasted effort or even injury. Over-striding, the Wrong Shoes, Walking Flat-Footed, Not Using Your Arms, Wild Arm Motion, Walking with Your Head Down, You’re doing too much too soon. Stand tall and do not hunch. Look straight forward and hold your head high.
The morning walk modifies your nervous system, lessens your anger and hostility, steadies your skelleto-muscular system and prevents falls and injuries there off. It connects you with people!
10,000 steps a day Walk can add 7 Years to Your Life -The research, presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress. Walking is a super food.
An early morning walk is one of the best exercises for a healthy life. The fresh oxygen that we often miss in concrete jungles of our cities may be easily obtained in the early hours of morning. The freshness and mist that you feel in the early morning is certainly a luxury and pretty much exclusive too. The movement in your legs releases good cholesterol in your blood, opening up some of the “chakras” or channels of energy.