Inactivity 'may be as deadly as smoking'

[onehandle]

Source: BBC/INI

London, July 18 (ANI): Lack of exercise is now causing as many deaths as smoking across the world, a new study has revealed. The report, published in the Lancet, claims that about a third of adults are not doing enough physical activity, causing 5.3 million deaths a year.

That accounts to about one in 10 deaths from diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and breast and colon cancer. Researchers said that the problem was now so severe that it should be treated as a pandemic, the BBC reported.

And they said that tackling it required a new way of thinking, suggesting the public needed to be warned about the dangers of inactivity rather than just being reminded of the benefits of it. The team comprising of 33 researchers, drawn from centres across the world, also said that governments needed to look at ways to make physical activity more convenient, affordable and safer.

It is recommended that adults exercise moderately for 150 minutes, by brisk walking, cycling or gardening, each week. The Lancet study found that people in higher income countries were the least active with those in the UK among the worst as nearly two thirds of adults were judged not to be doing enough.


Read more: http://in.news.yahoo.com/inactivity-may-deadly-smoking-062529890.html

[qanda]

1. I am finally back into a routine of walking every day

Sometimes it is so hard to get motivated but reading a story like this definitely makes you want to get moving.

[sad sally]

39. Have a 10-year old dog who makes me walk every day - regardless of the weather - 7 days a week.

I'm just about her age (dog years); we're both healthier for it; we've both lost weight; my blood pressure is down.

[LynneSin]

2. I would agree to a point

If I sit on my butt and do nothing it is extremely unhealthy, I should know - been there done that bought the souvenir t-shirt. But my inactivity only affects one person and that's me.

The problem with smoking is many time (not always) smokers tend to be around others. And if they are non-smokers then they have to share that air with the smoker. It's not as bad as it was back a decade or so ago before all the smoking bans.

The biggest problem with inactivity is our schools and especially this 'No Child Left Behind' program. I really feel that our schools have had so much emphasis placed on taking standardized tests that physical activity programs like gym are being left out. We need to return gym back to our schools.

I was always an inactive child - I enjoyed books and music more than playing sports. But at least when I was in school for 12 years I was guaranteed 40 minutes of physical exercise twice a week for 12 years. We need to bring that back to our schools!

[chervilant]

3. Indeed.

We need PE *AND* recess. We also need healthier *FREE* food in the cafeterias.

Oh, wait...does that mean we'll FINALLY be a child-centric society?!?

(I'm not holding my breath...)

[Glitterati]

6. Sorry, that's just BS

Inactivity isn't killing the kids, it's killing adults. Like you and me.

Sorry, but no one can keep my kids or grandkids from burning off excess energy - no one.

Adults, on the other hand, have a problem with something as simple as mowing the lawn.

This is just a deflection, an attempt to change an uncomfortable conversation.

As for me, yes, I spend way too much time at this computer. However, if my rural community were more "walkable," I'd enjoy a walk around the lake in the evening. But, there are no sidewalks at all, and most of the lakeshore is owned by someone blocking access to the general public.

Taking a walk in my community is taking your life in your hands as you walk along a country road.

[4th law of robotics]

21. "We need to return gym back to our schools. "

I suspect that would cut down on a lot of behavioral problems as well.

Kids have a lot of energy. It has to go somewhere. That can either be playing games or interrupting class.

/of course you can always drug them in to somnolence.

[caraher]

4. What ever happened to editors?

Last edited Wed Jul 18, 2012, 11:33 AM - Edit history (1)

...the public needed to be warned about the dangers of inactivity rather than just being reminded of the benefits of it.

As Daffy Duck would say, "Pronoun trouble..."

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. It got fixed in the original:

And they said tackling it required a new way of thinking, suggesting the public needed to be warned about the dangers of inactivity rather than just reminded of the benefits of being active.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-18876880

[brentspeak]

8. Use this code to fix your youtube link

replace "...?v..." with "...?%3F..." (replace the 'v' with '%3F' to correctly add text to workable youtube links in DU3).

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1256&pid=1681

[caraher]

16. Thanks!

I didn't preview my post - thanks for catching this and giving me the fix!

[MADem]

7. Stress about reading what will kill you is likely to kill you, too!!!

I think exercise is a GREAT thing, makes ya feel good, improves mood, allows you to do more stuff, etc. I think it's a good idea to move a bit every day.

That said, I had a couple of old relatives--mostly women, but there's one or two men in there as well--who lived to 90 and more, and one that missed 100 by a few months, whose daily routine, for as long as I knew them, was to sit on their ass and bark orders. One of the longer-lived women was quite fat, too, though she belied the "jolly" stereotype. Her husband, since he was the one "hopping to" every time she wanted something done, was quite thin. He didn't last as long as she did!

I think genetics plays a role in longevity. There are things you can do to help your genetics along, certainly, but some people can do all the wrong things with great abandon and live for what seems to be forever.

[RagAss]

10. Agreed.

My father died suddenly at age 85. A smoker and the last time he ran around was his final college baseball game at age 23.

[HIlton Brackett]

9. It's a slipery slope

they used to warn you about tobacco, now look. Whats next mandated exercise,where you have to show your Dr your gym credits or pay a fine. Fat taxes? More taxes on unhealthy foods?


“And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual. This is what I am and what I am about.”
― John Steinbeck, East of Eden

[Glitterati]

11. Yes, that's next

We smokers have been trying to tell you for a very long time. When they finished with us nasty smokers, who would they come for next? We tried to warn you about that slippery slope, but your righteousness got in the way.

So, enjoy the next crusade. At least we smokers are not the only "nasty, disgusting" people on the planet anymore. It's actually nice to have company. Welcome to the club.

[Fuddnik]

12. The new lepers.

You can pry my Lazy Boy lounger from my cold, dead ass.

[Thor_MN]

44. Wow, the ass is so massive that the recliner would have to be pried from it?

rather than the reverse?

[Blaspherian]

53. Literally

LMFAO

[LanternWaste]

17. I don't rationalize, or even justify my pack-a-day habit...

I don't rationalize, or even justify my pack-a-day habit. It's simply far too absurd a position to take, and a waste of my time to pretend to myself that there's something righteously noble in my addition, or yet still, construct a cross to hang myself on as some kind of self-declaimed martyr for the cause.

However, I realize that other people will certainly do that very thing...

[Glitterati]

18. No rationalization or anything else here

I don't do any of those things either. In fact, I've quit smoking. Because my child asked me to. Not because of some ridiculous crusade by the "oh so righteous."

No martyr here. Just enjoying the next crusade; watching some oxes get gored.

I'll be the first one to admit I am thoroughly enjoying it.

[snappyturtle]

26. +1000 Welcome to DU!

[arbusto_baboso]

13. Don't be absurd.

Where in the OP is that even suggested?

[onehandle]

14. Clearly you're not using your tinfoil glasses.

They reveal the embedded messages in your own head.

[arbusto_baboso]

15. But you fail to remember...

it's been proven that the Venusians are liars.

[onehandle]

19. I've dispatched a carrier pigeon to Erich von Däniken for confirmation. nt

[obamanut2012]

32. lol

[4th law of robotics]

22. Apparently it was soda drinkers

judging by NYC.

I suppose they will come for fat people next.

[Glitterati]

24. Yep

The fat, lazy people. This whole thing plays right into Bloomberg's crusade. See, those fat people wouldn't be so fat if they got some exercise. Besides, being fat and not exercising is killing them.

[4th law of robotics]

25. Wait, I forgot salt and transfats

those were first.

Then soda.

Next probably chips and candy in general.

Or red meat depending on which lobby has the most influence at that point.

[Glitterati]

27. Salts!

Oh jeez, if they'd only regulate salts in food. Do you know that even raw chicken you purchase has been soaked in sodium to make it taste like chicken instead of rubber?

[kestrel91316]

29. Nah. But just don't expect us healthy folks to cough up tax dollars to provide long-term care

for your fat, lazy, diabetic, heart-failing, stroke-prone ass. And I don't want my medical insurer covering your willful dangerous lifestyle either.



Now go back to your little RW friends.

[Glitterati]

31. Wow

It's your brand of nasty that makes DU such an unwelcoming place.

Have no fear, dear. I have no right wing friends. My grandpa, who organized a steel workers union in the 60s would kick my ass if I had right wing friends.

But you just keep up that welcoming spirit, there!

[Psephos]

48. Well, I haven't seen very many of your posts...

...but I like what I see so far.

Welcome. Seriously. Diversity of opinion is one of our strengths.

[JNelson6563]

51. Welcome!

Much diversity of opinion here and some are more artful at expressing it than others.

Welcome to DU and keep adding to the mix!

Julie

[AndyTiedye]

40. I Get Plenty of Exercise, but Not in a Gym

Whats next mandated exercise,where you have to show your Dr your gym credits or pay a fine.

better not be, I get my exercise in the forest, in the garden, or on the dance floor, not in a gym.

[Arugula Latte]

55. Oh please. So people shouldn't study and report on health issues for fear of offending

the "Oooh! It's a Nanny State!" rightwing radio listeners?

[4th law of robotics]

20. TVs, couches, computers, etc should all come with a warning label

and graphic depiction of what being lazy will do to you.

[Quantess]

23. 150 minutes a week is really not that much

when it includes brisk walking, cycling or gardening. It is doable!

[4th law of robotics]

28. With a decent public transportation system

that would necessarily require a bit of walking that would be easily accomplished without any special effort.

[kestrel91316]

30. I am car-free in a big city and put in anywhere from 2.5-5 hrs a week of brisk walking a week, plus

at least an hour of cycling. I almost don't want another car, because I know how inherently lazy I am, lol, and if not forced by circumstances to get so much exercise I probably wouldn't.

[RebelOne]

33. Well, I guess I am on the road toward the grave.

Since I was laid off in 2010, I have spent a lot of time sitting at the computer and not getting much exercise other than walking my dogs in the afternoon.

[FiveGoodMen]

34. How long before we hear about the dangers of second-hand inactivity?

Will bar patrons soon be expected to jog in place while drinking (for the safety of all those in the room)?

[hughee99]

35. People rarely get cancer from "second-hand inactivity" though.

I don't think the issue is that physical activity isn't convenient, affordable or safe, so much as people don't want to do it (or would prefer to do something else with their time). It's usually affordable and safe (though not always convenient) to walk a couple of miles. They need to look to ways to get people to WANT to do physical activity and get in better shape.

[Glitterati]

36. But heart issues can be genetic

And exercise is one of the first things a heart surgeon tells a recovering heart attack victim.

Staring at a television is definitely a learned behavior, very much like smoking. And, according to this study, just as deadly.

[hughee99]

37. True, but it's much harder to make the case that another's inactivity

or genetic predisposition is the cause for one's own inactivity. You can't "will" second hand smoke away, but you can "will" yourself to exercise (in most cases).

If the government wants people to exercise, they have to make figure out how to get people to want to exercise. If people want to exercise, they'll usually find the time to do it on a somewhat regular basis, just like people who want to watch TV find some time to do it.

You can make exercise the safest, cheapest and easiest thing to do, but if if people don't want to do it, they won't. For someone who's not already addicted, it's easier to not smoke, but they WANT to smoke, so they go out and buy cigarettes and find the time and place to smoke them.

[AndyTiedye]

42. Let the People Dance!

If the government wants people to exercise, they have to make figure out how to get people to want to exercise.

We didn't have this "obesity epidemic" until the government started shutting down raves.

Let the people dance.

Dancing is very good exercise!

[hughee99]

45. Sounds good to me. n/t

[4th law of robotics]

38. They do seem to pass it on to their kids though . . .

[bitchkitty]

41. Get up offa that thing, and dance and you'll feel better! n/t

[dipsydoodle]

43. No kidding

I've spent the last 18 years doing this :

&feature=related

Not the aerials though - not used in social dancing..

Loving the music helps too.

If there is an embedding issue then search - Camp Jitterbug 2010 Lindy Hop Couples Finals

[AndyTiedye]

46. where's the "Like" button

now playing, Bennie Goodman, "Sing, Sing, Sing"

[bitchkitty]

47. This is more what I had in mind by "get up offa that thing!"

[AndyTiedye]

49. Dancing All Night Under the Stars is the Best

(I didn't take the photo but I'm in it)

now playing: Hallucinogen, LSD (Oliver Lieb Remix)

[freedom fighter jh]

50. We need to make human-powered transportation more viable.

Used to be that people exerted themselves physically in their work and in getting around. Now, for most of us, work is sedentary and transportation is powered by internal combustion.

We could still get some exercise out of transportation if the system were set up to allow it. (I am fortunate to live in a place where it is. If I have to go someplace within 3 or 4 miles, I usually bike it.) What would this look like?

* Special lanes, preferably *off*, not *on*, the main roads, set aside for cyclists and pedestrians. It's even better if there are separate lanes for cyclists and pedestrians. If not, cyclists should defer to pedestrians. I speak as a cyclist.

* Preference given to sidewalks and bike lanes. In other words, in a blizzard, don't plow the snow from the road and pile it on the sidewalk! When you do that you make it impossibly dangerous for people to get around in a human-powered way. Enforce rules against parking in the bike lane.

Even under the best circumstances, not everyone would be able to get everywhere on their own power, but most of us would be able to do some of what we have to do on our own feet or foot-powered wheels.

This system would benefit benefit citizens by:

* making a more (physically) active lifestyle viable,
* decreasing traffic in the main lanes, making traffic move faster,
* decreasing carbon dioxide emissions.

[onehandle]

52. Yep. nt

[Amonester]

58. Yes. (pics)

+ Concentrated Solar Power
http://social.csptoday.com/

[Blaspherian]

54. Lift weights

Feels great

[byeya]

57. Weight lifting and aerobics are two key things to do for yourself

to avoid chronic illmesses and/or avoid becoming so weak in old age that you can't easily
get out of a chair.

[Amonester]

56. My life saver: (pic)

[onehandle]

59. Bikesharing programs should be required by law.

I used the Vélib' system in Paris a couple of years ago.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vélib'

[Amonester]

60. It's a start. Hope it's not "too late" (climate change).

"As of May 2011 there were around 136 bikesharing programs in 165 cities around the world, made of an estimated fleet of 237,000 bicycles."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_sharing_system

See also the US and Canadian programs.

In 2012 New York City will launch its Citi Bike program[38] with thousands of bikes at hundreds of stations.

[Arugula Latte]

61. Keep moving, people. That's how we evolved.

[pitohui]

62. if you're active, you're sorry younger than if you're inactive tho

athletes have pain in our knees etc when we're in our 40s and 50s, the diseases of inactivity come much later if you survive to suffer them at all

i have lived long enough to deeply regret the fact that i was so active and exercised from an early age, our bodies were not mean to "keep moving" for 50 years

i don't know anyone who wasn't an athlete who had to have knees replaced in their 40s and 50s, it's ALL active ppl facing a lifetime of pain

you need to ask yourself if it's worth it to live a long time if it's going to be decades of pain

and i know two ppl killed riding bikes already

[AndyTiedye]

63. Is that an Issue with Being Active, or with Athletic Competition?

athletes have pain in our knees etc when we're in our 40s and 50s,

I'm not an athlete at all. I'm active because I can't sit still.

I'm 60 and my knees are still OK.

Is it possible that athletes tend to overdo it because of the pressure of competition?

What manner of athletics did you do, and what happened to you?

the diseases of inactivity come much later if you survive to suffer them at all

Not necessarily. One of my closest friends died of a heart attack at 36. Being sedentary and overweight had everything to do with that.

i have lived long enough to deeply regret the fact that i was so active and exercised from an early age,

Sorry to hear that.

our bodies were not mean to "keep moving" for 50 years

Or move in such a way that does not wear stuff out.

i don't know anyone who wasn't an athlete who had to have knees replaced in their 40s and 50s, it's ALL active ppl facing a lifetime of pain. you need to ask yourself if it's worth it to live a long time if it's going to be decades of pain

Doesn't the knee replacement make your knees stop hurting?

and i know two ppl killed riding bikes already

Where do you live? Have they declared open season on bicyclists there?

I prefer riding on dirt anyway, and the cars can't go there.

[nolabels]

64. 150 minutes of gardening i do before breakfast on any relaxed Sunday

You know them farmers, they live into 80's and 90's easily most of the time. So like, i would bet they didn't spend any time or even avoided checking that group, just too easy. Well it's time to go to the gym now, see ya