Smoking VS Sitting – Which is Worse?
Yes, believe it or not, physical inactivity can be just as harmful as smoking. Many people do not realize the harmful effects of being physically inactive as it is not as widely documented. We bring together stats from the most reliable sources to convince you to get off your butt!
We all know the harmful effects of smoking. Smoking kills nearly 6 million people each year, of which more than 600,000 are non-smokers dying from breathing second-hand smoke. An increased risk of contracting heart diseases and stroke are among the hundreds of illnesses you are at risk for when you smoke.
Here are some stats that will shock you:
Overall mortality among both male and female smokers in the United States is about three times higher than that among similar people who never smoked.
The average Life expectancy for smokers is at least 10 years shorter than for non-smokers.
What about physical inactivity?
From statistics gathered by the World Health Organization, Physical inactivity has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality causing an estimated 3.2 million deaths globally.
If you look at the data from this bar chat, Physical inactivity is just below high blood glucose as a risk factor for death, and 2 places below Tobacco use.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the parent agency of NIH, recommends that adults ages 18 to 64 engage in regular aerobic physical activity for 2.5 hours at moderate intensity—or 1.25 hours at vigorous intensity—each week.
so, is it a close comparison? We think so. Given that an obese inactive person can have their life expectancy reduced by an astounding amount of more than 7 years, it is certainly a good idea to keep active and fit.
Furthermore, studies have recently discovered many more surprising health scares related to sitting down, such as this:
Prolonged sitting, meaning sitting for eight to 12 hours or more a day, increased your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 90%.
Exercise more! There are tons of benefits to exercise besides increased life expectancy. Entrepreneur Richard Branson, when asked the question
“How do you become more productive?”
Said: “Work out”
He said that working out gave him at least four additional hours of productive time every day.
So workout more and sit less, and definitely avoid smoking!