WATCH OUT! 3 Major Causes of Physical Inactivity at Home

There is no place like home. Many people just love staying indoors, wearing cozy house clothes, snuggling under their thick blankets, dropping their hair down and enjoying the comfort of being at home. It surely is a simple but extravagant delight!

While being at home is one of the most precious things in life, especially for adults and those entering the adulthood phase, sometimes, it’s not spent as well as it should be. To be exact, many have immense physical activity disguised under the thought of ‘comfortably staying at home’.

Physical inactivity is when you do not obtain the regular physical activity that the body needs to stay in a healthy and well-functioning condition. According to Physiopedia, when you get less than 30 minutes of moderate intense physical inactivity every week, that is being physically inactive. Truth is that it can result in grave health problems, so it must not be taken carelessly.

When you are always staying at home or are required to do so in certain events, such as in a pandemic, you are at risk of physical inactivity. Don’t get this wrong though. It’s not a sin to just be at home; actually, in the COVID-19 pandemic period, it’s the best thing to do.

The point here is that there’s a big possibility of being physically inactive since you do not get much exercise, or you totally never exercise at all. It’s more serious than most people are aware of. For you to veer away from physical inactivity and its detrimental consequences, knowing the causes will absolutely help! That is why below is a list of the 3 major causes of physical inactivity at home. Read them all, and make sure you don’t forget how important your overall health is!

1 – SCHOOL AND WORK THAT REQUIRE SITTING ALL DAY

A lot of occupations in the digital era can be done from home because employers are foreigners abroad, and most of these jobs are Internet-based. Nowadays, when the COVID-19 pandemic is still not yet over, many workers are still highly advised to work from home for their safety. At the same time, schools are still not allowed to operate in actual classrooms, so online classes are still being implemented.

Both of these are necessities: education and work. It is understandable that students and workers from home are sitting all day because their tasks are done in front of their computers. If they don’t stay there, how will they be able to handle their responsibilities, right?

While it’s a requirement in virtual classes and work from home setting, this presents extreme physical inactivity to people. If you are a student, a teacher, an employee or an employer who can relate, you know! You feel exhausted from the mental weight of your duties plus from the lengthy hours of screen time. What makes you more tired is staying in the same sitting position for the whole day.

It’s possible that because of needing to wake up early and to sleep early, you just lie down in bed when you are not in front of your PC. You have no time to sweat off and exercise your body. That is visibly getting a daily dose of physical inactivity, and it’s not good.

2 – GADGETS, SOCIAL MEDIA AND GAMING

This number discusses the major factors that lead to physical inactivity to people at home, especially to teenagers and adolescents but even little kids and old adults are not exempted.

When you are on your smartphone, expect that it may take up at least 30 minutes of your time, and you won’t even realize immediately. You get too engrossed in social media, in watching or in gaming, so you don’t notice how time is flying swiftly.

Your character in that game is moving, running, jumping and doing all the physical activity that you must be performing yourself. Sometimes, you get tired from playing video games as if you walked a mile. It’s enjoyable, but it’s never healthy when that’s the only thing you do and when you skip the need for physical activity.

Sometimes, you spend long minutes watching those fitness tips by fitness vloggers on YouTube, but you never get up to follow their instructions. There’s no use until you actually put into action those fitness tips they talk about.

For gadget and Internet users who manifest signs of video game addiction, physical inactivity is one of the most apparent, if not the most apparent, outcomes. Many of them sacrifice personal hygiene and proper eating, too, which are both vital aspects in physical health. 

What’s more, improper use of and overuse of gadgets such as computers, laptops and cellphones are dangerous. These can lead to various health conditions, like numb and weak hands, carpal tunnel syndrome, eye strain, back pain and migraine. The effects can be quicker and more serious when you wash your hands or take a bath after long hours of physical inactivity in front of the screen and keyboard.

3 – OVERSLEEPING

Sleep is life for a lot of people. They can sleep for one whole day without caring much about what’s there in the outside world. Especially when they have been working like a dog for the past week or day, a long deep sleep is heaven! While that’s fine since it becomes a reward for these exhausted individuals, keep in mind that it’s very different from unnecessarily oversleeping.

Not everyone realizes, but oversleeping is also a common cause of physical inactivity among households. It may be letting your body rest, but it does that for an unhealthy duration. You don’t even get the chance to work your body out, jog around the neighborhood and stretch your body. Exercising is as important as sleeping, so it must not be forgotten.

Often, it is ridden with heavyweight laziness, so oversleeping really is not healthy. Want another proof? After sleeping beyond the recommended amount of hours, do you feel really energetic and strong? You don’t. Sometimes, you think you do, but you really don’t. Instead, your body still feels weary which is not a sign of good sleep.

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WATCH OUT!

Believe it or not, physical inactivity is one of the biggest contributors of death in many countries around the globe. Not to scare anybody here, but that’s research-based information. This is why physical exercise is a huge must wherever you go and ask. How academic textbooks have always emphasized the need for regular exercise is often underestimated by a lot of people when in fact, it is never false.

Physical inactivity may sound light and may seem not very weighty if you just hear of it, but its long-term effects when you experience them yourself is the alarming part.

The habit of bearing a healthful lifestyle begins in younger years, yet age is just a number, isn’t it? You can still live and stay healthy no matter your number of years — young or young-at-heart! One of the key ways is preventing, avoiding and getting rid of physical inactivity by knowing what causes it.

Hopefully, this piece has helped you be informed and be reminded, so you can take better care of yourself and your loved ones. Take note, and spread the word! Stay healthy and active together!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nicole Ann Pore is a writer, an events host and a voice over artist. Quality and well-researched writing is her worthwhile avenue to enlighten and delight others about things that matter. She also writes for Fitbiz Exercise Equipment, an excellent source of the ultimate fitness equipment collections in Australia. Nicole graduated Cum Laude from De La Salle University Manila, Philippines with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts.

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