Illnesses Due To Lack Of Exercise
- Jay Homewood
- Oct 21, 2024
- 4 min read
Everybody knows that exercise is good for you and that it is an essential element of living a healthy lifestyle. The benefits of exercise are well known – it helps with weight management, it’s good for improving mood and it helps to keep your body healthy from the inside out. What many people don’t always know is how detrimental a lack of exercise can be on the body, and the prevalence of lack of exercise as a key risk factor in many illnesses. Listed below are some of the diseases where lack of exercise is a known and evidenced contributor to their onset and progression.
Heart Disease
According to the British Heart Foundation, approximately 7.6 million people are living with heart disease in the UK. Increasing physical activity can reduce the risk of developing heart disease by up to 35%. There are various types of heart diseases, and the majority of them include high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and being overweight as key risk factors for their development. All of these factors can be prevented and the risk reduced by taking part in regular exercise. Lack of exercise could lead to a stroke, heart failure, Vascular Dementia and heart attacks, all of which have the potential to be fatal.
Cancer
Lack of exercise is a risk factor for a variety of different types of cancer. For example, numerous studies have proven that physically active women have less chance of developing breast cancer than inactive women. Exercise lowers the level of estrogen in the body which has been associated with the development of breast cancer, which could be a cause for the reduction in cases for physically active women. Similar studies have taken place for cancers of the bladder, stomach, uterus and kidney and have all shown that physically active individuals had less chance of developing cancer, in some cases by up to as much as 23%.
Exercise prevents high blood levels of insulin, improves the function of the immune system, reduces inflammation and prevents obesity. All of these effects of exercise have been hypothesised as potential reasons why exercise reduces the possibility of developing certain types of cancers.
For survivors of cancer, exercise can be used as a way to mitigate the fatigue caused by some treatments as well as improve mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.
Osteoporosis
From the age of 35 and above, natural bone loss begins to occur. To reduce the rate at which this takes place, adults are advised to do muscle-strengthening activities at least two days a week, according to the NHS. This could include weightlifting, exercising using resistance bands, yoga or using a cross-trainer. By taking part in regular activities to strengthen muscles, you can slow down the natural process of bone loss.
People who have osteoporosis can reduce the risk of fractures by taking part in regular exercise to strengthen their bones.
Type 2 Diabetes
Exercise can reduce your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 96% of all cases of diabetes in the UK. One of the main risk factors for the cause of Type 2 diabetes is being overweight, and this can be mitigated through regular exercise combined with a healthy and balanced diet. High blood pressure is another risk factor for diabetes that can also be mitigated with regular exercise.
For people who already have Type 2 diabetes, exercise can help support you with the condition and improve your life. Exercise increases insulin sensitivity which helps the body use insulin more effectively. It also reduces your blood pressure, reducing your risk of further complications that are often associated with diabetes. Exercise can improve your body’s average blood glucose levels, which can in some cases support diabetes going into remission. It can also help you lose weight and improve your mood. Diabetes can be a restrictive and very stressful illness to manage, and exercise can help you improve your mood.
Mental illness
Exercise can do so much for your state of mind. It can improve the quality of your sleep, boost your energy levels, reduce stress levels, and even improve concentration and confidence. For this reason, exercise has been documented as being as effective as antidepressants for mild to moderate cases of depression. Some of these reasons are environmental, such as exercise allowing us to socialise with others or switch off at the end of a stressful day, and some of the reasons are purely biological, such as the release of endorphins in the body caused by exercise.
Exercise could also potentially delay the onset of mental illnesses such as Alzheimer’s. Regular exercise improves cognitive function in humans, which recent studies have shown could delay the onset of conditions like Alzheimer’s.
Conclusion
Exercise is an integral part of leading a healthy lifestyle, reducing the risk of developing a myriad of diseases and health conditions. Not only does it prevent the onset of life-changing conditions that could be fatal, but it improves your mood, productivity, weight management capabilities and energy levels that allow you to be more productive, happy and confident. Exercise is recommended as a part of your everyday life, with all adults in the UK being advised to participate in 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, including two days of muscle-strengthening activities. Heart disease, diabetes and obesity levels have increased in the UK and globally in the past few decades, strongly indicating that lifestyle choices are the contributing factor for the overwhelming majority of cases. By finding an exercise routine that you enjoy, you can not only ensure that you prolong your life but that you enjoy it more too.
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