Fitness lifestyles may be on the rise lately but they are far from winning . Very far . in a us-wide survey from a few years ago , researchers found that 59 % of americans had never in their lives participated in any vigorous physical activity lasting more than ten minutes per week . never in their lives . that ’ s quite an “ achievement “, don ’ t you think ? if you ask what is to blame , it ’ s computerization . when everything became accessible to us via computer , from entertainment and food to friends , work and social contacts , our bodies have been left on the couch to decay . and the so called sedentary lifestyle was born , a lifestyle which is harmful to our health in ways we may not fully realize .
and it ’ s not just the us , if you ’ re thinking about some “ fat americans ” excuse right now . actually , the czech republic is the second most obese country in europe ( the first is malta ) and the fifth most obese country in the world , according to the world health organization ’ s report from last year . obesity has more than doubled worldwide since 1980 and currently , most of the world ’ s population live in countries where overweight and obesity kill more people than underweight . why ? well , because with every 15 kilograms , the risk of early death increases by 30 %. migraines , depressions , diabetes , high blood pressure , cardiovascular diseases , and osteoporosis or colon cancer – these serious health risks don ’ t necessarily have to be caused by obesity . they are actually very frequently caused “ just ” by a sedentary lifestyle . are you sitting down for longer than six hours a day and don ’ t really do sports much ? well , we ’ re talking about you , because you don ’ t need to be overweight at all to have some serious health problems . right after you sit down , the electrical activity in your muscles slows down and your calorie-burning rate drops to one calorie per minute . this is about a third of what it does if you ‘ re walking . if you sit for a full 24- hour period , you experience a 40 % reduction in glucose uptake in insulin , which can eventually cause type 2 diabetes .
when it hurts
Let ’ s not talk about cancer or cardiovascular diseases , as these can be where the sedentary lifestyle ends when you don ’ t do anything about it for years . Let ’ s talk about how it begins , about what sitting down and crouching in front of the computer can do to you after few months . Let ’ s talk about the problems of the musculoskeletal system caused by improper positioning of the body . the body is an amazing system , a fragile one but perfectly designed in order to provide support for the body parts that need support and to provide protection for the organs that need protecting . if forced into unnatural position , problems occur . if you don ’ t sit straight , your head applies way too much pressure on the neck , which is the most fragile part of human skeleton . if your chair is not high enough or if it ’ s too high , your knees are compensating for the difference and the joints within are significantly burdened . if you keep doing that for hours , you can ’ t be surprised when the stiffness and pain start . and when the joints give up and wear down and you ’ re left with an orthopaedic problem , such as degenerative joint disease , which occurs due to the loss of articular cartilage – cushioning at the end of your bones – within your joints .
what now ? if you start noticing difficulties when moving or if you occasionally feel pain , don ’ t wait up and visit an orthopaedist straight away as they can help you relieve both stiffness and pain during a single appointment . sometimes just the change of lifestyle helps greatly . You adopt healthier eating habits , start with regular walks and you ’ re fine . sometimes , however , a medical help is needed , most frequently in a form of injection treatments . there are three types of injections , which can be recommended for you by the doctor – cortisone / steroids , hyaluronic acid or PrP ( platelet rich plasma ). the first type usually results in significant pain relief , which can last for a few months , as cortisone is a potent anti-inflammatory drug . the second type , injections of hyaluronic acid , moisturizes the joints in order to restore their smooth function and they improve your pain for 4 – 8 months . the third option you can ask your doctor about is a swiss dna therapy regenPlasma ®. it takes advantage of our own plasma ,
BeautY in detaiL / stYLe
YOUTH CODE
SeDentaRy lifeStyle
1970 59 40 the expression “ couch potato ” was INTRODUCED
PERCENT of adult Americans have never exercised for more than 10 minutes per week
PERCENT higher risk of chronic diseases apply to people sitting down longer than 6 hours a day
which can repair and regenerate cells as nothing else can .
“ In a modern orthopaedic practice PRP treatment is used to treat post-injury states and chronic tendon or fibrous pains as well as degenerative joints disease especially in bearing joints ,” says dr . Filip svatoš , orthopaedic specialist of mediestetik clinic . “ There is a significant improvement of the patient ’ s condition after the RegenPlasma ® therapy or even a complete disappearance of their problems in approximately 70 % cases , which is a great result .”
PrP can also be applied together with hyaluronic acid to achieve a synergic effect . “ New clinical studies show that the ultimate effect of PRP plasma treatment for degenerative joint diseases is significantly amplified by the simultaneous application of hyaluronic acid ,” dr . svatoš agrees . a method combining both these substances is called regenmatrix ® and was also developed in switzerland .
PreVention matters a sedentary lifestyle cannot bring you to your knees ( or to a doctor ’ s office ) if you don ’ t let it . and the cure for prevention is surprisingly easy – stand up at least once an hour and sometime in the day get about 30 minutes of physical activity . a recent australian study suggests that short breaks from sitting once an hour can alleviate most of the problems described above . don ’ t worry , this isn ‘ t about working out – which you should do from time to time anyway – it ‘ s about creating pockets of moderate activity throughout the day and giving your body a respite from sitting . what exactly is such moderate activity , you ask ? well , it ’ s equivalent to a brisk walk . You can do that , right ? so get up and move a bit . Your body will be grateful .
# 5 autumn / winter 2016 23