The healthcare industry warns against lifestyles that promote sedentary behaviour. Short-term effects are small, but the long-term effects can sometimes be irreversible. On the more chaotic side of it, your life could very well end due to bad habits. Having multiple people telling you to be active sometimes isn’t enough to break the habit. But knowing the consequences may point you in the right direction

7. Obesity

This is the most common consequence of a sedentary lifestyle. Weight will pack on quickly, even if you’re a fairly healthy person. For non-active people, the weight tends to situate around the stomach area. This is impactful for a number of reasons; when you sit for most of the day, there is a higher chance to build up gas. This could be due to clothes fitting tighter around the waist area or your internal organs being scrunched together like an unsolved puzzle. You will notice when you develop a gut, that getting up requires a little more effort. Your posture changes a lot, whether it is slumped down shoulders or the way you sit in a chair. All of these little changes from obesity shouldn’t be overlooked since it leads to…

6. Diabetes

Diabetes, one of the biggest killers in the world. Obesity is directly related to obesity and is the main thing doctors warn their patients about. Diabetes research has become a lot more advanced, so the days of getting stuck with a needle every day are gone. There are no painless ways to extra blood for the daily reading, but why would you even want to get to that point? Comorbidity is a growing problem that is known as having multiple chronic conditions. Having one is a big enough problem, so imagine having multiple and living a sedentary lifestyle. It is a recipe for disaster that can lead to more problems, many of them irreversible. When you get to the point where diabetes is on the table, there is still a chance to reverse some of the lifelong effects. Find that small window of opportunity and jump through it if you care about your health.

5. Procrastination

There are countless people that procrastinate each day, and they are still well off. The difference with those people is that procrastination isn’t a set part of their life. Everyone procrastinates, it is a human thing. But when it becomes part of your daily routine, then you have a major problem. Procrastination hurts not just yourself, but everyone around you. Professionally, while everyone is giving 100% to a project, they are dragging along your 50% effort. Personally, it shows with everything you do. A dirty house, late bills, broken items that are easy to fix, the list goes on and on. Sedentary lifestyles don’t take into account that the world keeps moving even when you decide to slow down. Hey, guess what? You’re the dead weight that is slowing everyone else’s progress.

4. Chronic Pains

Anyone that lives with chronic pains can tell you how much of a daily struggle it is. Chronic pains make it harder to do normal physical tasks. Imagine needing to debate whether walking a few feet is worth the pain it would cause in both your feet. Imagine having a fantastic night of sleep, and then laying in bed for an extra half hour. Just the thought of getting up and moving your sore body is enough to delay your entire morning. Chronic pains come and go as they please, with some being worse than others. Paying attention to your active health makes it less likely that you will develop chronic pain. Being afraid to move is not fun, and is a slow decline that everyone should work to avoid.

3. Social Anxiety

It may sound silly, but the more hours you sit and remain inactive per day, the bigger chance there is for you to develop social anxiety. This makes sense, especially if you spend a lot of time on the computer. That makes it more likely that social media is your main source of human contact per day. In the sedentary lifestyle, there is a behavioural change that takes place based on familiarity. You gravitate to what you’re most comfortable with. Too much stationary behaviour will slowly change how you act around people. The upsetting part is that social anxiety is sneaky, so you won’t always see it coming.

2. Personal Hygiene Issues

A shower or bath a day keeps the bad odour away. When you live a busy lifestyle, there is a chance that missing a day of bathing becomes normal. No big deal, right? When that missed day stretches into a few days, then there is a problem. Someone that has gone off of the deep end may not even brush their teeth for a few days, opting for a quick mouthwash instead. This is the way of the sedentary lifestyle, and may or may not contribute to isolationist tendencies. When personal hygiene seems like a hassle, take a look at your habits to see if you can find a pattern. The results may be more telling than you think.

1. Death

This is, of course, an extreme consequence, but highly possible with the sedentary lifestyle. The worst part of it all is that there is a buildup where you can see it happening. Obesity, chronic pains, diabetes, valve issues, high blood pressure and even breathing problems. Your body slowly breaks down from inactivity until it can no longer repair itself. A sedentary lifestyle doesn’t always lead to death, but it also doesn’t improve your health. That is something to think long and hard about.

Wrap Up

Something as small as a hobby could be more than enough to break you out of a sedentary lifestyle. The personal and professional gains from being active are too good to pass up. If you think there is a chance that being active can save your life, then don’t waste any time. There are no drawbacks to a little bit of movement!