47% of the Brazilian population is sedentary (See if you are too)

A recent WHO (World Health Organization) study pointed out that Brazilians are lazier than ever. From 2002 to 2016, there was a 15% increase in those who do not do any physical activity, and almost half of Brazil’s population (47%) is sedentary. The highest rate of physical inactivity is among women: 53.3%.

O awesome.club shows a little more about the research data and helps you find out if you are sedentary or not, in addition to giving simple tips to move and not run the risk of developing serious illnesses due to lack of physical exercise. Check out.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, a world reference when it comes to physical activity, people between 18 and 60 years of age who do less than 150 minutes (two and a half hours) of moderate physical activity per week are classified as sedentary, the equivalent to 30 minutes 5 times a week. Light activities such as walking slowly, sitting, cooking or washing dishes do not count towards moderate activity.

The WHO study that indicated that 47% of Brazilians do not practice physical activity reveals that more than half of women (53.3%) are sedentary. Another survey, carried out by the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), detected that men practice physical activities to relax or have fun, while quality of life and well-being were the reasons given by women. Both say that the lack of time is the main reason for not practicing more physical activities. One of the reasons for this difference is the current excessive burden of women, who, in addition to working hard, still take care of children, home and family.

Sedentarism is considered the main cause of non-communicable chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension. If physical inactivity is related to an increase in calorie consumption, the body will store fat and this can cause serious problems. The most alarming data is that obesity among young people has increased significantly to the point where the Ministry of Health has set goals to be achieved by 2019 to reduce the consumption of soda and artificial juice and encourage the consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Now that you’ve understood the dimension of the problem that is sedentary lifestyle and decided to move, know that in most Brazilian cities, medical examination is not mandatory to attend a gym.

However, several professionals recommend carrying out at least some tests as a precaution, such as blood tests, pressure measurement and the treadmill test, which will assess your cardiovascular capacity. For this, you will need to look for a doctor you trust and tell him what type of physical activity you will practice and the intensity you want. The consensus is that both children, adolescents and, above all, adults benefit from undergoing tests before starting to practice physical activities.

Now that you’ve decided to give up a sedentary life and you’ve checked your health, it’s time to start practicing the physical exercise you’ve chosen. As important as starting a physical activity is knowing if you are exercising correctly. For this, it is essential to know your personal characteristics and physical conditioning.

Walking, swimming and bodybuilding are recommended activities for all stages of life.

Experts indicate that the choice of physical activity should involve rational and emotional factors. Before venturing into any modality, assess your objective, whether it is weight loss, improving physical conditioning, strengthening, or self-defense, for example.

In addition, evaluate access to the training site, empathy with the activity and, above all, whether your personality is compatible with what you intend or not. Shy people, for example, prefer individual activities, and bodybuilding can be a good bet. If you’re willing to put yourself out there, group classes like gymnastics might be for you. Above all, if something doesn’t work out for you, don’t give up. There are countless physical activities that can do a lot of good for your life!

And you, do you like to practice some physical activity? Tell us what it is.