Hypokinetic disease! The Couch Potato Syndrome Hypokinetic disease is a disease or condition that is related to or caused by chronic physical inactivity and poor fitness. The term first originated in the book Hypokinetic Disease (Kraus & Raab, 1961). As unbelievable as it sounds, 70% of our population have some type of hypokinetic disease such as cardiovascular disease, some forms of cancer, low back pain, obesity, adult onset (type 2) diabetes, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, mental health, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. If so how can we stop or reverse the effects of a sedentary lifestyle! A sedentary lifestyle is actually so detrimental to your health. Coupled with high levels of stress, a lifestyle full of inactivity is a great way to hasten the process of declining health, ultimately leading to an early death. In our current society, physical labour has been overtaken by predominantly intellectual tasks. This new lifestyle, however, may be drastically increasing your risk for adverse health risks. Research from the American College of Cardiology has previously shown that sitting can be as deadly as smoking. When sitting for long periods of time, the body goes into something known as ‘storage mode’, while in this mode, the body stops working as effectively as it should. This is the primary reason that prolonged sitting has been linked to a number of conditions including heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and even early death. In addition, researchers from the University of Missouri have shown that sitting for long periods of time also increases your risk of diabetes, obesity, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The researchers noted that going from highly active (taking more than 10,000 steps a day) to inactive (taking less than 5,000 steps per day) is enough to increase your risk of type 2 diabetes. This is just one reason to partake in the simplest exercise there is – walking. Walking can have profound benefits on your health, acting as a fantastic exercise for both weight control and relaxation. In the United States Hypokinetic conditions are the cause of 40% of back problems. So what can we do to slow down the effects of Hypokinetic disease! If you work in an office building take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park at a parking lot that is a few blocks away from work, this will give you a healthy excuse to walk. On nice days have lunch outside, there is nothing like fresh air to clear your head. When you get home from work go for a walk after supper instead of sitting in front of the boob tube. Home activities like raking, pushing a lawn mower or gardening counts as exercise. 1
As the saying goes “a body in motion stays in motion”. Ian Harris is a Registered Nutritional Therapist, Natural Nutrition - Clinical Practitioner, Certified Wellness Coach, Certified Food Psychology Coach (Hon), Certified Personal Fitness Chef, Personal Professional Chef and has a Diploma in Nutritional Counselling (Hon). As well, Ian holds many other certification and specialties within weight management, wellness & nutrition and specializes in both Lifestyle & Weight Management and Nutritional & Lifestyle Oncology. Ian recently put his life’s work into practice by losing 55lbs pounds. Ian writes a bi-weekly health column in the Arnprior Chronicle Guide and has written for the Canadian Association of Natural Nutritional Practitioners. Ian Harris has also been heard on local radio and has been featured on local television. A Healthy Tomorrow Starts Today! What Are You Weighting for? – Ian Harris
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