Health risks associated with physical inactivity and sedentary behavior

Dr. Scott Lear, a professor of health sciences at Simon Fraser University, recently discussed the health impacts of physical inactivity in an article for The Conversation. The World Health Organization recommends that adults perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week, supplemented by two strength-training sessions. Despite these guidelines, only 73% of adults globally meet the recommended activity levels. In countries like Canada, more than half of the adult population is considered physically inactive. The professor defines physical inactivity as the failure to reach these minimum exercise thresholds, which often involves spending a significant portion of the day in a sedentary position. While self-reported data suggests adults sit for approximately 6 hours per day, objective measurements using accelerometers indicate that the actual time spent sedentary can reach up to 10 hours daily.