Sedentary Lifestyle in Older People

A sedentary lifestyle can cause many health problems, especially in the elderly.

Ending a sedentary lifestyle in the elderly is a fundamental part of personal care: only through physical activity you can have a healthier life. In this article, Mark Berger, healthcare executive owner of Villa Healthcare will give you the keys to carry it out, and will also explain the causes of sedentary lifestyle, diseases associated with sedentary life, benefits of moving and solutions to avoid it.

Causes of sedentary lifestyle in older people

Mark Berger Villa Healthcare explains that in general, with the passage of time, we become somewhat lazier.

The affluent society in which we live does not make it very easy to encourage physical activity in any age group.

An analysis of sedentary lifestyle and its causes allows us to identify some traits that are more common in the elderly. The causes of sedentary lifestyle at this stage of life are usually related to issues such as:


· Lack of initiative or lack of external motivation

· Chronic injuries or illnesses

· Negative change in the concept of one's abilities and skills

· Fear of injury

· Need for special care

· Loss of security, confidence and interest in improving oneself

· Loneliness and self-esteem problems that derive from it.

Sedentary lifestyle and diseases: problems associated with lack of activity

The main problem with sedentary lifestyle in the elderly is that it is a silent enemy. The sedentary person may appear apparently healthy, but this unhealthy lifestyle is leading to an accelerated deterioration of their physical and mental state. Mark Berger Villa Healthcare indicates the consequences sedentary lifestyle and can manifest in ways that may or may not be identifiable at first glance:

· Hormonal imbalances

· Slowdown of metabolism

· Bone weakening and demineralization

· Loss of endurance and muscle mass

· Inflammatory / circulatory problems

· Weakening of the immune system

· Depressive feelings

· Impaired motor and cognitive abilities.

Diseases related to a sedentary lifestyle that could be avoided with a little more activity

A sedentary lifestyle and its consequences also have a notable impact on physical appearance, weight and mobility. But not only that. A sedentary lifestyle is also a cause of anxiety and depression problems. The negative impact of a life without activity should not be taken lightly. All of the before mentioned consequences are risk reasons for premature death. Mark Berger Villa Healthcare shares in his articles  about health care, the main pathologies and diseases related to sedentary lifestyle:

· Diabetes

· Cardiovascular diseases

· High blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic)

· Obesity

· Osteoporosis, arthritis, osteoarthritis and other rheumatic diseases

· Some types of cancer

· Cholesterol


How do you combat these attitudes? According to Mark Berger Villa Healthcare, a change of mentality is necessary to avoid the causes of sedentary lifestyle. Reaching adulthood is not having reached all the goals, much less having to abandon those that have not yet been met. Avoiding a sedentary lifestyle in older people not only contributes to a better state of physical health, but also favors a positive change in the concept that one has of their age, their possibilities and everything that this moment of life offers them.