Every movement counts

Nearly 1.8 billion adults at risk of disease from not doing enough physical activity

New data from World Health Organisation, WHO, show that nearly one third (31%) of adults worldwide, approximately 1.8 billion people, did not meet the recommended levels of physical activity in 2022. The findings point to a worrying trend of physical inactivity among adults, which has increased by about 5 percentage points between 2010 and 2022.

If the trend continues, levels of inactivity are projected to further rise to 35% by 2030, and the world is currently off track from meeting the global target to reduce physical inactivity by 2030. Physical inactivity puts adults at greater risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, type 2 diabetes, dementia and cancers such as breast and colon.

Disparities remain between gender and age. Physical inactivity is still more common among women globally compared with men, with inactivity rates of 34% compared to 29%. In some countries, this difference is as much as 20 percentage points. Additionally, people over 60 are less active than other adults, underscoring the importance of promoting physical activity for older adults.

150-300 minutes per week of moderate-vigorous exercise is the recommendation to achive health benefits according to World Health Organisation, WHO. The recommendations also include resistance training twice per week and limiting the amount of time spent being sedentary.

The main message is clear. Every movement counts. Remember that while more is better (up to a certain point), little goes a long way. Few people need to worry about too much.

How can you focus on ‘a little more’?
How can we as a society support an enviroment that faciliates and integrates more physical activity in our every-day life?

Continue to read here!

//Magnus Ringberg