Viewpoint by Sandy Hill/reporter
When it comes to exercise, I can think of plenty of excuses to abstain — too busy, too tired, too out of shape — and the list goes on.
Walking my dog might be considered an admirable attempt at exercise, but I’m not sure that even counts when I barely seem to get my heart rate above couch potato mode.
It wasn’t until I learned in my health class last semester that sedentary death syndrome is the second-leading preventable cause of death in the United States next to smoking that the issue truly got my attention.
In our techno-based society where someone somewhere has invented something to do practically everything for us, the thought of daily exercise seems like such a chore. And since we don’t have to plow the field or plant the garden or even get up to answer the phone or change the TV channel anymore, simply put, it’s hard to get motivated.
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, SeDS is a “major public health burden.”
While regular exercise helps control weight and strengthen bones and muscles, inactivity leads to chronic disease, which leads to millions of premature deaths each year.
With obesity on the rise around the country, the cost of healthcare will continue to skyrocket. If we spend more time focusing on our health now, we can secure more time with loved ones and hopefully become less of a burden.
Start by making small changes, but just start. Everyone can find something they enjoy that will get them moving. And before we know it, we’ll be addicted to that wonderful feeling good health brings. Put down the remote, shove that mouse aside and just start moving. The rest will follow.
I’m in, are you?
