[Closed] Inactivity 'kills more than obesity'

If you were really obese it would be hard to move around much......

If you were really obese it would be hard to move around much......

It's inactive skinny people too:

"The greatest risk (of an early death) was in those classed inactive, and that was consistent in normal weight, overweight and obese people," one of the researchers, Prof Ulf Ekelund told BBC News.

Its fairly easy not to do 20 mins activity a day, if you drive to back from work and have an office job.
If you don't use your body it probably starts to forget whats its for and shuts down.

well "skinny people not necessarily being healthy" isn't exactly news, but surely there's a lot of crossover with inactivity and overweight/obese...?

Edit had a cold last week so was taking the train to work, the walk to/from the train station only bagged me 40mins a day and tbh I'm not sure I'd class that as activity let alone exercise. If you park outside your house and place of work then sub 20minutes a day sounds all too easy.

I am actually struggling to think how I could be active for less than 20 minutes a day

I think when they mean 20 minutes of brisk walking they mean at a level that actually raises you pulse and gets you breathing harder. Its not just strolling around the shops at lunchtime.

I'm not sure I do 20 minutes of brisk activity EVERY day.

*puts down sausage roll*

I am actually struggling to think how I could be active for less than 20 minutes a day.

I've put on a few kgs since I started working from home because of all the short little walks around the site of my previous employer really did add up. Easy access to the biscuit cupboard when WFH doesn't help either 😀

I walk 20 minutes each day, as its a 10 minute walk to the pub from my office.

*picks up binners sausage roll*
Nom Nom Nom

Unusually, I'm working from home this morning - the Google Fit app tells me I've been 'active' for an hour.

Active?

*picks up second sausage roll*

Unusually, I'm working from home this morning - the Google Fit app tells me I've been 'active' for an hour.

I bet you have.

I. Bet. You. Have...

Edit: Dammit binners!

It's on my phone, not a wrist band 🙂

Its fairly easy not to do 20 mins activity a day, if you drive to back from work and have an office job.
If you don't use your body it probably starts to forget whats its for and shuts down.

This is spot on - I put Google fit app on my phone few weeks back...and frankly I was shocked to see my activity on a work day was essentially zero apart from 10mile bike commute ;-). Until you see the figures like that you don't realise how bloody inactive you are.

My colleagues who drive in though, and spend all day gossiping about the telly they saw last night....well...they are doomed! Many of them only walked while pushing a trolley around supermarket, and increasingly that's being replaced with online shopping/delivery. Won't be long before the only activity many of them get is hunting around the garden to see where the Yodel Trebuchet has deposited their BluRay Thai Ladyboy Art Films.

I had previously disregarded those activity tracker Garmin bands that remind you to get up and walk around every now and then as a gimmick.....now I think they should be compulsory and linked to some sort of Low intensity Taser.

well "skinny people not necessarily being healthy" isn't exactly news, but surely there's a lot of crossover with inactivity and overweight/obese...?

I think the point is that being overweight/obese isn't as unhealthy as people perceive it to be - its a combination of factors in addition to weight that are. Being active [i]and[/i] overweight seems to offset many of the ill-effects of being overweight.

The problem is we view weight as a health factor in its own right when its really part of a constellation of factors and when we're considering health and risks to health its not always clear where weight is a cause of a condition or symptom of it.

Similarly we don't really grasp the value of exercise - this is suggesting the activity levels required to get better health outcomes are very low. What we don't understand so easily is the difference between a little gentle exercise, (walking around a bit), and being sport-fit (running a lot, cycling a lot, working out etc) is practically bugger all in health benefit terms.

Its fairly easy not to do 20 mins activity a day, if you drive to back from work and have an office job.

These studies are about the ends of peoples lives, yes everyone can plan to walk a bit more as part of their working lives, but people who are not managing 20 minutes activity a day may be in that position because they are ill, injured or disabled or just plain old.

Sadly a large portion of the population would be very happy with a Wall-E style existence:

[img] [/img]

Seems to me that some people regard anything requiring physical effort as a bit unseemly. 🙁

the walk to/from the train station only bagged me 40mins a day and tbh I'm not sure I'd class that as activity let alone exercise

Then you'd be wrong. If you're an active bikey type the 40 mins per day walking might not give you a useful boost to your fitness (though I'm sure it'd do something), but for the very many people who do nothing at all just 20 mins of continuous moderate exercise will have a huge benefit. Which I believe is what the study said.

Setting the bar too high for what "counts" is very unproductive in public health.

I am actually struggling to think how I could be active for less than 20 minutes a day.

I know a girl who walks her dog 15mins a day. Thats her TOTAL exercise. She never eats breakfast and eats a small microwave ready meal for lunch, no water and only juice drinks. With a frozen processed meal for tea in the oven. She also drives everywhere.

It's inactive skinny people too:

"The greatest risk (of an early death) was in those classed inactive, and that was consistent in normal weight, overweight and obese people," one of the researchers, Prof Ulf Ekelund told BBC News.

Thats not what that says.

It says 'normal, overweight and obese'.

I get fed up of being called skinny because I'm a normal build.

I get fed up of being called skinny because I'm a normal build.

When the majority of adults are overweight or obese then being a "normal build" is no longer "normal".

I'm trying to offset my sedentary job by doing some form of activity every day or as near as I can. Either training or at least some kind of walk or slow run.

So far it's been training almost every day and my legs are battered 🙂

Setting the bar too high for what "counts" is very unproductive in public health.

Indeed, we have built an industry around packaging 'exercise' as something too difficult, time consuming, expensive and ultimately too boring for most people to do.

This is spot on - I put Google fit app on my phone few weeks back...and frankly I was shocked to see my activity on a work day was essentially zero apart from 10mile bike commute ;-). Until you see the figures like that you don't realise how bloody inactive you are.

This was quite a shock for me as well. I pretty much walk for 5 minutes a day and ride a bike for over an hour!

I am actually struggling to think how I could be active for less than 20 minutes a day.

They live local and drive
Break/lunchtime is an opportunity to stop talking and go on the Internet
They don't have anything to drink because then they'd have to get up and [i]walk [/i]to the toilet
All forms of relaxation/enjoyment are connected in some way with food and the consumption thereof

Not judging them it's just how people are

If only there was an easy way to identify inactive but not overweight people so we we could judge, bully and ridicule them.

I know a girl who walks her dog 15mins a day. Thats her TOTAL exercise.

Walking the dog is... open the door, throw the ball and the dog runs and brings it back. repeat 3-4 times.

If only there was an easy way to identify inactive but not overweight people so we we could judge, bully and ridicule them.

We could wait for them to die prematurely, then point and laugh?

I've not been able to ride much the last few weeks, and it's killing me!

I work in public health. We all sit at desks all day. I cycle an hour in, a couple of my colleagues walk and everyone else drives. Say as I say, not as I do....

Break/lunchtime is an opportunity to stop talking and go on the Internet

Worked with loads like this. I've always needed to get up and get out. Others don't move from the moment they come in till they leave. These aren't workaholics just theres no point. Its cold/too hot/raining/too sunny/too windy outside.

Saw something about Garmin Fit on the phone when it updated. Just assumed it was a gimmick for Goggle to learn even more about me.

Is it any good?

Worked with loads like this. I've always needed to get up and get out. Others don't move from the moment they come in till they leave. These aren't workaholics just theres no point. Its cold/too hot/raining/too sunny/too windy outside.

Saw something about Garmin Fit on the phone when it updated. Just assumed it was a gimmick for Goggle to learn even more about me.

Is it any good?

Assuming you mean Google Fit, it gets the time taken for my bike commute pretty much spot on, the step counts seem relatively consistent for regular trips I make on foot, and the activity graphs seem to show it's counting when I'm moving and not counting when I'm stationary.

It seems to do what all these activity trackers do, without the need to spend £80 and wear a bracelet 🙂

yeah google. I blame autocorrect 😉

Might enable it later to see what it's all about.

Break/lunchtime is an opportunity to stop talking and go on the Internet

That's where they're going wrong - they should be on the internet all the rest of the time.

I lived in Hong Kong for twenty years. If there was a place where it is chronically difficult to exercise that was it. Everyone lives in tiny boxes in tower blocks with lifts, and takes the metro or bus to work in tiny boxes in tower blocks with lifts. Very little open space, and zero chance of cycling to work or going for a jog from the office at lunchtime.
But - get up about 6am and every little corner - be it three square metres of concrete with a bench, or a inner city park would be packed with Chinese folk doing Tai Chi, stretching, jogging on the spot, or just flapping their arms around. Now, they knew the value of simple exercise, and didn't need any special facilities, clothing, technology, or in fact anything more than enough room to swing a cat to do it.
Sometimes we ignore the simple stuff, and believe you've got to have a personal trainer and an expensive gym membership - or nothing.
Just saying - that's all...

I always park at the back of the car park, no matter what time I get to the office. Most people get in early so they can get a space as near to the door as possible.

It's a 10 min walk from the back so there is 20 mins just there.

Most people live within an easy walk or cycle yet there is gridlock to leave most days. Because of this I calculate you'd have to live over 10 miles away before it becomes time positive to drive to the office yet 99% of people still do it.

Then everyone complains they've got no money and can't lose weight.

Nowt as queer as folk.

@sok - wait til you hear about the dieticians I met once, in fact GrahamS found a picture of one of them in her red jumpsuit up there ^
Kinda hard to take seriously...

I always park at the back of the car park....

It's a 10 min walk from the back

😯 how big is that car park!?

Most people live within an easy walk or cycle yet there is gridlock to leave most days. Because of this I calculate you'd have to live over 10 miles away before it becomes time positive to drive to the office yet 99% of people still do it.

Then everyone complains they've got no money and can't lose weight.

Nowt as queer as folk.

Same here, I live < 3miles form work, I cycle (obviously), it takes between 8-12 mins depending on traffic lights, by car between 10-45mins depending on traffic, walking is ~45-50mins no matter what.

On a good day I can take the 8 mile route home and still beat people home who live closer to the office than me, and that's just tootling along at commuting pace.

I even ride past several peoples houses who drive into work, the closest is ~800m from the office. I cannot get my head round that...

how big is that car park!?

Big. And there is more than one. I park at the back of the car park furthest away from my desk and will be sat down 10 mins later.

If the car part was empty I could pick a space 3 mins away from my desk.

The other great unfathomable is that people will drive around looking for a closer space for longer than it takes to walk from the first space they come to.

I was watching that BBC2 dieting program last night, interesting stuff but kinda spoilt by one guy saying he couldn't find time to do some exercise everyday.

So they strapped him up to a bike for 20 mins (or something like that, might have been 30) to measure how many calories he burnt.

Then tried to recreate it using 'everyday' things like
- shopping. Scientific shocker - apparently the heavier your basket the more calories you burn 🙄
- walking a couple of tube stops
- talking on the phone for 30 mins
- erm, walking up stairs for 5 mins

All that actually added up to more than cycling. which is great, but though what they kinda glossed over was the guy would have to find over an hour to fit all this in rather than shorter cycling. Not really sure what they had proven with this in-depth study.

- shopping. Scientific shocker - apparently the heavier your basket the more calories you burn

I've mentioned this before, but there is a family who regularly drive down our street to visit their elderly mother.

They live at the top of the street, a distance of less than two hundred metres. 😯

The other great unfathomable is that people will drive around looking for a closer space for longer than it takes to walk from the first space they come to.

I've seen people go to the car park at lunchtime just to move their car closer to the front. The difference was 100m, max. Maybe they were just desperate to get away from their desks for 5 mins.

Since I got my new phone with a health app I've been pleasantly surprised to discover that I walk an average of 25 miles a week. I don't even regard it as exercise, but it makes me feel slightly better about cycling far less than I used to.

I even ride past several peoples houses who drive into work, the closest is ~800m from the office. I cannot get my head round that.

mrs rocket's friend lives a couple of doors away and drives to work. Turn left out of her house, right onto the main road then left into where she works. 400 m max

All part of life's rich tapestry eh

I've mentioned this before, but there is a family who regularly drive down our street to visit their elderly mother.

They live at the top of the street, a distance of less than two hundred metres.

A little further is my neighbour's partner at 1/4 mile, a distance he regularly drives even on those lovely summer evenings. I can only guess he's upset a local dog or something and is desperate to avoid it, the lazy ****!

I've mentioned this before, but there is a family who regularly drive down our street to visit their elderly mother.
They live at the top of the street, a distance of less than two hundred metres.

Our neighbours bought a dog to help them exercise. They drive it to the (very) nearby park (its 300m's and stunning). I regularly bump into them at the supermarket (also 300m's) where they've driven too and I've walked.

I'd be interested to see what my activity is during a day at work...however, I guess for my phone to record it (eg. using the Apple Health app, iPhone6, latest iOS), I'd need to keep my phone in my pocket all day, yes? (and tbh, that's not happening, it would get knackered in no time.)

Any cheap fitness band thingies that would do it for me?

[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-30834196 ]Haggis is the answer[/url]

Our neighbours bought a dog to help them exercise. They drive it to the (very) nearby park (its 300m's and stunning). I regularly bump into them at the supermarket (also 300m's) where they've driven too and I've walked.

I have seen people 'walking' their dog by driving along the lane, very slowly, with the lead hanging out of the open door!

I think we have to accept that they set the bar low to a minimum requirement so as not to deter folk for whom 20 mins moderate exercise might sound daunting [ ? ] in the same way that they set the bar so low with the five a day requirements .Basically if they set a target higher most people would just fart and roll over

I'm not sure I do 20 minutes of brisk activity EVERY day.

Then you'd be wrong

The driving stories are pretty depressing

I work on the 1st floor of an office, there are people at work who have never used the stairs even though it takes twice as long in the lift......

I've seen people go to the car park at lunchtime just to move their car closer to the front. The difference was 100m, max. Maybe they were just desperate to get away from their desks for 5 mins.

See this makes more sense to me.

Park at the back in the morning as it gives you at least a tiny bit of exercise. But need to get away in a hurry so go back at lunch to move the car as close as possible.

Still get to walk too and from the back of the car park but save yourself 10 vital mins at the end of the day.

I will do it if I have a meeting butting up to when I have to leave to get the kids where being a min late is not an option.

I'm up to 90 minutes today, according to Google Fit.

How have I achieved this amazing (4.5 times what's needed) time? I've walked my daughter to school then walked home again, and ridden my bike the 4km to work, plus walking backward and forward to the kettle.

I'm not sure this'll offset the four mince pies and a chocolate brownie that I ate while marking exam papers this morning.

My 7 year old daughter walks to/from school everyday. From our child minders to School it is probably about 1/2 a mile.

Our 4 year old walks double the distance, as she does two round trips a day.

There are kids in her class who have NEVER walked to school, yet they live only 1/4 mile (or less) from School.
There are plenty of 4x4s in our village, that are used twice a day for school runs that you could walk in 5 mins.

Based on the above, i'm not sure we're bringing the next generation up to be any better.

At my daughter's school, there is a spot of congestion and a few parked cars near the school at 3.20, but there are hordes of kids walking out the pedestrian exits.

The study, on which the new report was based is available for free online at

for anyone interested.

Humans were meant to be explorers and adventurers. It's another case of science managing to explain the obvious, sitting on your arse 9-5 is not the natural human condition, I guess those who can just about suit it were potentially those suited to farming but at least that took some physical effort.

It's not just the physical side that is effected by our routine 9-5 office based world, it's our mental health as well. Exploring, hunting etc, all these took intellect - pressing buttons on data processing software that does everything for you and then delivers the reports does not.

I'm lucky if I'm [i]inactive[/i] for more than twenty minutes a day. I'm on my feet most of the day, moving around my own workspace and the rest of the building, as well as walking between our two units on the estate, with a certain amount of lifting, bending, carrying stuff, which counteracts the fact that I do drive to work during the winter. I start riding again around March.

It's another case of science managing to explain the obvious, sitting on your arse 9-5 is not the natural human condition

Actually I don't think that's true. We're evolved to conserve energy, and use our brains to catch our food rather than doing shitloads of exercise.

Seen plenty of films about hunter gatherer societies where the men do the minimum of hunting and then sit around all day on their arses. The women are busy, mind...!

Actually I don't think that's true. We're evolved to conserve energy, and use our brains to catch our food rather than doing shitloads of exercise.

Seen plenty of films about hunter gatherer societies where the men do the minimum of hunting and then sit around all day on their arses. The women are busy, mind...!

To a certain extent this is true, but it all depends on the geography of where you are located and how easy resources are to come by. Humans have made a living from some very, very hard climates, that require some guile and fitness to survive in. Northern Europe was once one of the hardest places in the world to survive - I doubt very much that those people lived a sedentary lifestyle.

Even those who lived in the food rich tropics would spend some of their day fishing or hunting, the rest of the day was spent sleeping or playing. None of which is at all like the office environment unless your office is full of lazy incompetent bastards.

Garmin fit syncs with your Strava account too, presumably it will eventually sync with MyFitnessPal etc too.

It would be interesting to find out how much actual exercise I do daily.
I don't drive but work is 2 miles away, I work in a machine shop & I'm on my feet all day plus lifting/moving stuff around etc. I cycle everywhere and will often do some shopping on the way home.
I once wore a cheap HR cheststrap & wris****ch combo & recorded that I burnt around 1400 calories during my working day, what that means in real life I don't know.

Northern Europe was once one of the hardest places in the world to survive - I doubt very much that those people lived a sedentary lifestyle.

Those who survived these conditions were those who were predisposed to storing excess summer food as fat, and so survive the winter. Hence, we're 'all' a bunch of fatties now.

There is a way around everything. Technology.

Want to go outdoors? Simply take a drive.

Wish to get a nice tan and look outdoorsy? Simply visit a tanning booth.

Wish to be more active? Take a job that takes an hour to drive to and then sits you down all day long. Then take out a gym membership, yet be sure to drive to the gym. Try and fit gym around watching TV so you don't feel short-changed.

I work on the 1st floor of an office, there are people at work who have never used the stairs even though it takes twice as long in the lift......

Same here, I work at a Uni and the number of students who will wait ages for the lift to go one floor rather than take the stairs is astonishing.

So the google fit is basically a step counter and a load of APIs
I guess it's more useful when linked with other apps (Endomondo, Strava, etc.), and with ANT+/BT gadgets?
But given that Endomondo and co. really want people using the paid-for app and a subscription, and that's where they give all the charts, I guess that Endomondo wouldn't dish out too much to google fit for its (basic) charting unless you're paid up.
Not going to use strava.

or am I missing something?

[i]Northern Europe was once one of the hardest places in the world to survive - I doubt very much that those people lived a sedentary lifestyle.[/i]

Sedentary in the meaning of sat at desks, or on the couch, or in the car, doubtless no, but did these folk conserve energy, do as little as possible, bitch and moan about the need to go and and find food YET again, and complain that they are always tired hungry and miserable, and there's still nothing to do..?

Probably 😆

Northern Europe was once one of the hardest places in the world to survive - I doubt very much that those people lived a sedentary lifestyle.

Yes, but I bet they wanted to. I bet if you offered them the chance to sit around and do nothing in the warm and dry and get their food from a shop around the corner, they'd jump at it. I reckon it's a safe bet, because that's exactly what did happen 🙂

but did these folk conserve energy, do as little as possible, bitch and moan about the need to go and and find food YET again, and complain that they are always tired hungry and miserable, and there's still nothing to do..?

I realised a while back that although I did a lot of exercise (cycle commuting & gym mainly) I was actually pretty sedentary/lazy apart from that. As I live in a flat I can't really potter about the house/garden so if the weather was bad of a weekend and I wasn't riding my activity level might well be extremely minimal!

I started using a pedometer app on my phone and it was a bit of an eye opener. I am now consciously more active whenever possible in my daily quest for 10,000 steps (on top of exercise). Taking a walk at lunchtime and also in the evening during the week and doing my shopping etc by walking/bike at the weekends rather than car.

As a side-benefit I am definitely less tired at work now due to making myself take regular breaks rather than just sitting in front of a computer for hours on end!

As well as doing 20 mins activity, there is something to be said for varying the activity. For instance, if you work in a factory, you may well be moving your body more than sitting at an office desk, but your body probably gets used to the movements after a while and your muscle memory learns to conserve the energy.
You've gotta mix it up!