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Back when today’s CEOs were in school, health and wellness experts and corporate consultants alike were already discussing the dangers of an increasingly sedentary lifestyle in the American workforce. That is a conversation that has grown rather than faded with time, and the risks of sedentary habits have now been the subject of many research studies. Regular exercise, combined with the use of technology such as shockwave therapy machines, can help reduce chronic pain and increase mobility.
In 2013, researchers compared brain scans of sedentary mice and physically active mice to explore why a lack of physical activity increases anxiety. Over the past few years, researchers have found persistent regional disparities in physical activity. While residents in Colorado, Utah, and D.C. are, on average, the most physically active, residents in many parts of the South are among the nation’s least active. (There have also been studies on what specific cities are most or least supportive of an active lifestyle.) There are generational disparities, too; Gen Z prioritizes social gatherings that occur frequently (though not exclusively) online or at home.
Why an active lifestyle matters
Fatigue, along with muscle and joint pain, can result in a less-than-ideal lifestyle. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one quarter of American adults are now too sedentary, spending much of their day in a state of near metabolic rest. This has real consequences, including higher rates of anxiety, chronic fatigue, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and other health conditions.
On the other hand, a physically active lifestyle has a wide range of benefits. Stretching and regular physical activity help improve posture, reduce back and joint pain, and increase your energy and stamina. Physical activity relieves stress, improves your overall mood and perspective on the day, and contributes to more restful sleep at night. In the long term, an active body is less vulnerable to some types of injuries and retains mobility and flexibility as you age.
How stretching can help
Dynamic stretches (such as arm circles, torso twists, or walking lunges) can “wake up” your muscles and get your blood flowing before a walk, a jog, or a workout. This also reduces the risk of injuring yourself during more strenuous activity. Static stretches (such as a hamstring, quad, or triceps stretch) help your body “cool down” when transitioning from working out to rest. This can improve your flexibility and prevent sore or stiff muscles.
So you do dynamic stretches before getting active and static stretches after. The one involves controlled movements to activate your muscles, and the other involves holding a position for fifteen to thirty seconds rather than simply going from exercise to a full stop.
The 1-mile solution
Now that you have added more stretching to your daily life, what about physical activity? Between increasingly busy and crowded work and life schedules, the growth of remote work, and the convenience of having groceries and meals delivered to your door, many Americans now leave their homes less frequently, eliminating not only the gym but even the daily walk to the corner store.
This decline in physical activity recently prompted Andrew R. Cline, an associate professor of media and journalism teaching at Missouri State University, to propose the “1-mile solution.” The idea, for people living in urban, suburban, or small town environments, is to take a tool like Walk Score and use it to pull up a list of grocery and retail stores that are within one mile of their home. Then, you commit to walking or biking to those locations, rather than driving or relying on delivery.
Not that the one-mile walk is the only way to get your body into better metabolic shape. Other daily activities, such as yoga or dance, can be helpful. (If you have been eyeing that local salsa class in the evenings, this could be the right time to sign up.) Those who suffer chronic pain sometimes combine a yoga or exercise routine with the use of a clinical shockwave therapy machine, like those offered by Chattanooga Rehab and similar organizations. Often used to help accelerate healing of damaged tissue, these devices emit high-energy sound waves targeting a specific area of the body to increase blood flow and relieve pain.
Pulling it all together
The CDC recommends a minimum of at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of intense activity each week. 150 minutes, spread across five days, is just half an hour each day, and consistency can often matter more to your health than intensity. It can also feel better, both physically and psychologically, to build a daily routine than to rely on one intense workout each week. The benefits aren’t just better cardiovascular health, but can include lower anxiety, strength-building, and weight management.
Adopting an active lifestyle is a bit like starting a retirement fund. The earlier you start and the more consistently you contribute, the more it will pay off during your golden years. Unlike a retirement fund, however, an active lifestyle also pays off today and tomorrow. A few intentional changes and the personal ferocity to see it through can lead to a healthier and more energetic life.