Ikigai : the Japanese secret to a long and happy life pdfdrive com

A lot of sitting will age you

In the Western world in particular, the rise in sedentary behavior has led to numerous diseases such as hypertension and obesity, which in turn affect longevity.
Spending too much time seated at work or at home not only reduces muscular and respiratory fitness but also increases appetite and curbs the desire to participate in activities. Being sedentary can lead to hypertension, imbalanced eating, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and even certain kinds of cancer. Recent studies have shown a connection between a lack of physical activity and the progressive distortion of telomeres in the immune system, which ages those cells and, in turn, the organism as a whole.
This is a problem at all life stages, not only among adults. Sedentary children suffer from high rates of obesity and all its associated health issues and risks, which is why it’s so important to develop a healthy and active lifestyle at an early age.
It’s easy to be less sedentary; it just takes a bit of effort and a few changes to your routine. We can access a more active lifestyle that makes us feel better inside and out—we just have to add a few ingredients to our everyday habits:

Walk to work, or just go on a walk for at least twenty minutes each day. Use your feet instead of an elevator or escalator. This is good for your posture, your muscles, and your respiratory system, among other things. Participate in social or leisure activities so that you don’t spend too much time in front of the television.
Replace your junk food with fruit and you’ll have less of an urge to snack, and more nutrients in your system.
Get the right amount of sleep. Seven to nine hours is good, but any more than that makes us lethargic.
Play with children or pets, or join a sports team. This not only strengthens the body but also stimulates the mind and boosts self-esteem.
Be conscious of your daily routine in order to detect harmful habits and replace them with more positive ones.
By making these small changes, we can begin to renew our bodies and minds and increase our life expectancy.