Declare war on Sedentary Living

Yoni Whitten, D.C., C.C.W.P

More than two-thirds of the adult population in the United States is overweight or obese. The rates of childhood obesity have tripled since 1980. The incidence of diabetes has increased 90% in the last ten years alone. A few years ago the term “adult-onset” diabetes was jettisoned in favor of “type 2” because so many children nowadays are developing the disease. Obesity and sedentary living are responsible for an enormous burden of chronic disease, impaired physical function and decreased quality of life. In the U.S. these two factors alone account for over 300,000 premature deaths and more than $90 billion in health care spending each year.

How is it possible that a lack of exercise can lead to so many problems? As far as your body is concerned, movement is an essential nutrient. It is no different than air or water in that sense. According to Dr. James Chestnut, “movement is the single most important nutrient for human health and homeostasis ever identified.” Because our genes have evolved in the presence of daily physical activity, lack of exercise robs the the body of something that it has come to expect over hundreds of thousands of years. This movement deficiency results in abnormal gene expression which, more often than not, manifests itself as chronic degenerative disease.

According to the Journal of Applied Physiology “There is now unequivocal evidence in the literature supporting the notion that all environmental factors combined, including physical inactivity, account for the majority of chronic health conditions.” These “factors have been identified as 58-91% of causal factors for three of the most dominant chronic health conditions afflicting individuals in modern-day America: Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and most site specific cancers.” These “diseases of civilization” are responsible for 75% of deaths in the United States.

These diseases all have one thing in common: they’ve all been linked to lifestyle factors that are well within our power to change. Overwhelming evidence from a variety of sources links most chronic diseases seen in the world today to physical inactivity and inappropriate diet consumption. These “diseases of civilization” and the deaths caused by them are 100% preventable. Studies have demonstrated that 30-50% of all cases of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and many cancers were prevented with as little as 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per day.

Across numerous studies, those with the highest levels of physical activity showed a 50% reduction in the incidence of colon cancer. Other forms of cancer are affected as well. Sedentary individuals experienced a 64% higher incidence of melanomas than those exercising 5-7 times per week. Additionally, regular physical exercise has been shown to reduce the risks of cognitive impairment by 42%, Alzheimer’s disease by 50% and dementia by 37%.

Seventy percent of adults in the U.S. do not undertake the recommended half hour of moderate-intensity exercise 5 or more times per week. One in four Americans has no physical activity whatsoever. Our genome has evolved over millions of years and adapted in the presence of rigorous daily exercise. We can only express optimal health when we provide our genes with sufficient amounts of all genetically required nutrients, including physical activity. Movement is a required nutrient. It is requiredfor the normal function of every cell in our body. In that sense, it is no different than air or water. And we know what happens when we don’t have enough water, right?   

Action Step:

Make some kind of physical activity a part of your daily routine.

Remember:

• Exercise is not one size fits all – Find activities you can get excited about and enjoy doing.
• Begin each day with exercise – If left until later in the day, other things have a way of coming up.
• A good support structure can make all the difference in the world – Share the activity and your time with family members, friends or like-minded individuals.

References:

1.Manson,J.E.; Skerrett,P.J.; Greenland,P.; VanItallie,T.B. The Escalating Pandemics of Obesity and Sedentary Lifestyle. A Call to Action for Clinicians. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2004;164:249-258.

2.Booth et al. Waging war on physcial inactivity: Using modern molecular ammunition against an ancient enemy. Journal of Applied Physiology, 2002;93: 23-30.

3.Roberts, C.K. & Barnard, R.J. Effects  of exercise and diet on chronic disease. Journal of Applied Physiology, 2005;98: 3-30.

4.http://www.childrenshospitals.net/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Homepage&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=41737

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