Need to Get Active? Steps to Change Your Sedentary Lifestyle

Published: 2025-03-18

Updated: 2025-03-19

4 mins

There’s nothing wrong with spending a lazy day on the couch from time to time. But too much time without exercise can be detrimental to health. A sedentary (inactive) lifestyle continues to grow in the United States.

Many people are choosing to engage in activities that are less physically demanding. Health experts have found that at least a third of the global population isn’t getting enough physical activity. Being stationary for long periods of time can increase the risk of weight gain, cardiovascular conditions, and depression.

What Does it Mean to Have a Sedentary Lifestyle?

A sedentary lifestyle is a lack of physical activity in your daily life. For some people, this can be from working long hours at a desk job. Elderly adults may live a more sedentary lifestyle due to health complications. 

A lot of young adults may participate in activities like gaming and streaming, which may lead to them sitting for longer periods than they realize. However, not getting enough exercise can lead to health issues sooner in life.

What are the Health Risks of a Sedentary Lifestyle?

If you work long hours at a desk and commute to work in a car, you may be spending more hours than you think sitting down. When the body is inactive, it can slow down your metabolism and weaken muscles over time. 

Weaker muscles can lead to a loss in mineral content even if you continue to eat a balanced diet full of vitamins and minerals. Your body may also experience poor blood circulation and an increase in inflammation. 

While these health changes won’t happen right away, over time they may potentially lead to the following health conditions:

• Diabetes

• Depression

• High blood pressure

• Obesity

• Stroke 

• Colon cancer

• Anxiety

In some cases, living a sedentary lifestyle can also reduce cognitive abilities over time. This is especially true for elderly adults. Health experts have found that sitting for too long every day can also increase your risk of weight gain by slowing your metabolism and how frequently you burn calories.

Relationship Between a Sedentary Lifestyle and Obesity

While obesity is not always the result of physical inactivity, having a sedentary lifestyle can increase your risk. It’s common for people to passively snack during sedentary activities like watching TV, reading, and gaming. Over time, it’s not uncommon to not realize how much a person is consuming at once. 

However, obesity and weight gain are not always associated with low levels of physical activity. Certain health conditions that affect the thyroid and endocrine systems may lead to constant weight changes.

Steps to Prevent Health Complications from Inactivity

If you don’t have any health issues holding you back, there are small changes you can make in your life to lead a more active lifestyle. 

Health experts recommend engaging in 150 minutes of moderate to intense exercise weekly. For those who can’t achieve this right away, consider starting by working out for at least three days out of the week.

1. Start slowly

Take small steps to make every day more active. If you usually watch TV as soon as you get home from work, consider going for a short 30-minute walk instead. Walking and low-impact exercises like yoga can help build muscles in the legs over time.

If you prefer to have some scenic views as you walk, consider finding hidden nature trails or reserves near you to walk on if possible.

2. Keep moving

Try to find little activities you usually do sitting down and turn them into something more active. For example, instead of sitting down after lunch, work standing up or take a break to do gentle stretches.

Small exercises like standing up to do heel raises or doing small lunges at your desk can help keep blood circulation strong throughout the day. You can also take small walks around the office space to reset. These little changes may also help improve your mental health. 

3. Do it with friends and family

It can be encouraging to embark on healthy habits with your loved ones. Get your family and friends involved by scheduling walks with them or making suggestions for physical sports activities like tennis, kickball, basketball, and more. 

For those with kids, you can incorporate them into your new lifestyle while also helping them to burn some energy after school. Throwing a ball outside or playing active games around the house can help improve your health. It can also give you an opportunity to bond more with your family.

4. Figure out a workout routine that works for you

Once you become confident with getting more active, start thinking about how to take time out of your busy week to get active. It doesn’t have to be an intense activity. You can start with walking on a treadmill, squatting, and jumping jacks for at least 30 minutes.

5. Set goals to keep you motivated

When you feel comfortable, start setting goals for how much physical activity you want to engage in every week. This can start small with goals like standing while working for at least an hour a day or taking a longer walk in the park or around your neighborhood. 

If you’re interested in growing more muscle, a physical trainer can help you set goals for getting stronger. They can also help you set any weight loss goals you may have.

Where Can I Learn More About Staying Active?

The Rex MD Weight Management program can help you stay healthy by recommending ways to stay active and eat well. The program also provides access to groundbreaking GLP-1 medications and metabolic testing. 

See if you qualify to get closer to achieving your weight loss goals today.