What does inactivity do to your body?

Author: Ms. Melba Tremblay Sr.  |  Last update: Thursday, March 27, 2025

Studies have linked being inactive with being overweight and obese, type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer, and early death. Sitting for long periods is thought to slow the metabolism, which affects the body's ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and break down body fat.

What are the most common effects of inactivity?

What are the health risks of an inactive lifestyle?
  • Obesity.
  • Heart diseases, including coronary artery disease and heart attack.
  • High blood pressure.
  • High cholesterol.
  • Stroke.
  • Metabolic syndrome.
  • Type 2 diabetes.
  • Certain cancers, including colon, breast, and uterine cancers.

What happens when your body is inactive?

You may lose muscle strength and endurance, because you are not using your muscles as much. Your bones may get weaker and lose some mineral content. Your metabolism may be affected, and your body may have more trouble breaking down fats and sugars. Your immune system may not work as well.

What are 5 consequences of physical inactivity?

Physical inactivity puts adults at greater risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, type 2 diabetes, dementia and cancers such as breast and colon. The study was undertaken by researchers from WHO together with academic colleagues and published in The Lancet Global Health journal.

What are the symptoms of lack of exercise?

Sedentary Lifestyle: 10 Signs You Aren't Active Enough
  • High blood cholesterol and blood pressure.
  • Heart diseases including coronary artery disease and heart attack.
  • Obesity.
  • Metabolic syndrome.
  • Stroke.
  • Weaker immune system.
  • Type 2 diabetes.
  • Colon, breast, and uterine cancers.

How Physical Inactivity Affects Your Body

How do I tell if I'm unfit?

How To Assess If You Are Out of Shape
  1. Feeling out of breath during physical activity,
  2. Having difficulty maintaining a good, upright posture.
  3. Having a high resting heart rate or blood pressure.
  4. A prolonged recovery time from exercise or poor endurance,
  5. Increased muscle soreness after low-intensity physical activity.

What are the side effects of sitting too long?

Research has linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns. They include obesity and a cluster of conditions — increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and unhealthy cholesterol levels — that make up metabolic syndrome.

What diseases can you get from not exercising?

If you aren't physically active, you are at higher risk for:
  • Cardiovascular disease.
  • High blood pressure.
  • Type 2 diabetes.
  • Anxiety and depression.
  • Some kinds of cancer.

How many hours is considered sedentary?

Sedentary time was defined as any time awake spent sitting, reclining, or lying down, and using low amounts of energy. Sleeping and standing did not count as sedentary time. The average amount of sedentary time was 9.4 hours per day.

What happens to your body when you don't exercise?

Within the first weeks: The body starts to undergo biological changes in muscle size that can lead to weight gain. Over the long-term: Physical inactivity can lead to greater risks for major health problems, from heart disease and diabetes to early death.

Does inactivity age you?

Sedentary behavior promotes most of the hallmarks of aging in muscular cells. Its impact may be modulated by age, muscle fiber typology, and sedentary duration. More research is needed regarding genetic-related hallmarks and cellular senescence.

What happens if you are inactive for a long time?

Some issues that can be attributed to lack of physical activity are heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and stroke. Any or all of these conditions should be enough to deter anyone from being inactive.

What does sitting do to your body?

Summary. Sitting or lying down for too long increases your risk of chronic health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Too much sitting can also be bad for your mental health.

Is lying down better than sitting?

Unlike sitting, lying flat reduces pressure on the spine, making it less likely to cause musculoskeletal issues like back pain. However, habitual lying down during waking hours can lead to similar negative effects of sitting, like slowed circulation and reduced energy expenditure.

What is a major factor for inactivity?

78% not getting at least the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day. Higher rates of inactivity are partly due to leisure time spent sitting - watching television, playing video games, and using the computer.

Can you reverse years of sedentary lifestyle?

Small changes, such as breaking up each hour of sitting time with a few minutes of walking or spending 10 minutes per day on bodyweight resistance exercises, can go a long way. By sticking with a plan, developing healthy habits, and getting support from your community, you'll be able to get back into a routine.

What is the 20 8 2 rule?

The 20:8:2 rule was coined by Dr. Alan Hedge, an ergonomics professor at Cornell University, who found that sitting for 20 minutes, standing for 8, and then walking around for 2 minutes keeps your body active and in good posture.

Is walking 30 minutes a day sedentary?

Walking for 30 minutes daily has many physical and mental benefits, such as improved heart health, decreased risk of chronic diseases, and better mood. You can walk almost anywhere, and it doesn't require any equipment (other than a pair of supportive shoes).

What does lack of movement do to your body?

A lack of movement hurts more than just your physical health. It can also increase feelings of anxiety and depression. Get your blood pumping on the regular. Cardio exercises like walking, biking, swimming, or running, will boost and steady your mood, and even improve your self-esteem.

What happens to your heart when you don't exercise?

Less active, less fit persons have a 30-50 percent greater risk of developing high blood pressure. Physical inactivity is a significant risk factor for CVD itself. It ranks similarly to cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol.

What does an inactive lifestyle cause people to develop?

Sedentary behaviors have wide-ranging adverse impacts on the human body including increased all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality, cancer risk, and risks of metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidemia; musculoskeletal disorders such as arthralgia and osteoporosis; ...

Is sitting in a recliner bad for your heart?

More time spent sitting, reclining or lying down during the day may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death, according to a study in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology, and presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2024.

What happens to your legs when you sit too long?

Hip and leg pain

Prolonged sitting can put pressure on the sciatic nerve, which is responsible for movement and sensation in the lower body. Over time, that pressure can irritate the nerve, causing leg and hip pain.

What happens when you start exercising after being sedentary?

Suddenly increasing the level of activity could lead to an overload of stress on the body resulting in adverse side effects like fatigue, muscle tightness and strain or injury. To reduce the chance of this occurring, it is essential to include a warm-up and cool-down period into your routine before and after exercise.

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