Who doesn't know it? You get up, sit down in the car or on the train, walk a short distance to work, school or university, sit there all day and when you get home in the evening you sit down on the couch again and let your evening fade away. Sitting for hours on end is part of many people's everyday lives in the 21st century and is actually a bigger problem than many assume. During the pandemic, this problem has been exacerbated because even the small trips that people used to make every day have been eliminated. Working from home and online classes have reduced our space for movement even more. Walking from classroom to classroom, lecture hall to lecture hall or to the coffee machine in the break room has become obsolete. Instead, many spent the whole of last year sitting at their desks at home with their laptops - all day long. The closure of gyms and the absence of sports clubs have only added to the need to find motivation within ourselves to escape this immobility. Otherwise, it can quickly become the case that the first complaints will creep up on us. Fortunately, an end to this exceptional situation is slowly in sight and hopefully we will soon be able to return to our old exercise routine (gyms, sports clubs, dance clubs, etc.), yet...

Lack of exercise comes with many health consequences and should not be taken lightly. Our constant sitting is now being referred to by scientists as the "Sitting is the new smoking". Dr Kelly Starrett even published a book under the same title in 2016, in which he presents a detailed plan to counteract sitting all the time.

Especially people who work in an office know one of the most common consequences of too little exercise and too much sitting: back pain.

Sitting for hours on end causes us to adopt a posture that tenses our neck and shoulders in the long run. Often we don't even notice that our muscles are tense until we perform a movement that is out of our habit and we wince in pain. Back pain can be dangerous because it can lead to postural problems, chronic headaches or, in the worst case, herniated discs. In addition to the discomfort in the spine, too little movement is also responsible for our circulation running down, making us sluggish and less able to concentrate or motivate ourselves. This feeling should be familiar to almost everyone who has ever tried to get up for something productive after a leisurely day.

Other effects of physical inactivity are found in the promotion of muscle decline, starting with the back muscles. If we don't move enough, we also increase our risk of diabetes and obesity. The list of health problems caused by lack of exercise is long and includes many more diseases, such as thrombosis, increased risk of stroke and heart attack, and high blood pressure. Thus the well-known adage proves true "A rolling stone gathers no moss". and when you finally decide to do something about it, it may already be too late.

Apart from the damage to our musculoskeletal system, lack of exercise also has a negative impact on our psychological well-being. Numerous studies have proven that sport has a positive influence on our mood, reduces stress and lowers our anxiety. This happens because sport releases endorphins and serotonin and dopamine, the brain's happiness messengers, so to speak. Accordingly, sport is often recommended as an accompanying treatment for burnout and depression. Furthermore, sport can positively influence our self-image, as self-confidence is promoted and one's own body sensation is strengthened by feeling a sense of success and thus gaining more confidence in one's body. As a result of our improved brain circulation, it is also easier for us to concentrate.   

The past year in particular has shown how much movement is good for us. Because what did we all do at the beginning when everything was closed?

That's right, we've been moving, and in many different ways. Lots of long walks, cycling, home workouts, new sports that were accessible from home (e.g. yoga), the rediscovered enthusiasm for jogging and much more were part of the pandemic programme for many. We became creative when the forms of exercise that we had previously incorporated into our daily lives were taken away from us. Many even realised how much they had been missing exercise as a balance in their daily lives and stuck with their new sport.

On the one hand, this "trend" was good to counteract the already prevalent lack of exercise and to strengthen our immune system. On the other hand, this trend was good because the restrictions on social contact make us more susceptible to spiralling thoughts and loneliness. Accordingly, sport was probably one of the best ways of coping to look after one's mental well-being during the pandemic.

But even after the pandemic, it would be important to make sure that we don't become sedentary and slump on the couch. We humans are still not using our movement capacity to the full, considering that our bodies are evolutionarily designed to do so. 20 to 30 kilometres a day.

The following tips show you how to incorporate more regular exercise into your daily life to prevent physical and mental illness.

As you can see, the list for more movement in everyday life is a long one and if you still have a few ideas, you can print out this list and continue it for yourself. This way you would always have a reminder of your daily exercise with you.  

But if you generally find it hard to motivate yourself to do sports and exercise, then become a child again and do the activities you used to enjoy. Jumping on a trampoline or rope, walking on stilts, badminton, frisbee, it doesn't always have to be jogging or going to the gym. There are countless sports and they are just waiting to be tried. All these things get you off the couch and into exercise. It's important to incorporate them into your daily routine, because even though exercising or working out after a day of work is better than nothing, even sitting down for a day can only slightly compensate. Exercise strengthens our immune system all around and accordingly you will be your body and your mood will thank you if you avoid the lift more often and opt for the stairs. Because only through these constant changes can you prevent diseases that arise from a lack of exercise.