Lack of Exercise and the Social Determinants Essay

In the present day, living a sedentary life has been the norm for majority of individuals globally. People choose to avoid physical activity for various personal reasons. However comforting it may be to lead an inactive life, research has sternly warned against it as it has been established that lack of exercise is the leading cause of myriads of chronic diseases which are preventable. Additionally, physical inactivity has been equated to the deadly practice of smoking with the justification that it has equally caused the deaths of many people just like the latter (Booth, Roberts, & Laye, 2012). Some of the common maladies caused by not maintaining physical fitness include diabetes type 2, cardiac complications, colon, and breast cancer amongst many others. According to the WHO, about 10.5% of heart disease cases are reported to have been as a result of inactivity. There are many reasons as to why different people resort to inactivity thus it would be inaccurate to make a general assumption on the factor motivating the behavior. Physical inactivity, though perceived by many to be harmless, is a habitual affliction influenced by some of the factors in the society and is reported to have caused many deaths worldwide.

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Inactivity has been a personal battle for the longest period now. Despite being well aware of the imminent danger that is presented with not engaging in physical activities, I stiff feel compelled not to heed the call to lead a healthy life physically. The decision to wake up early in the morning to take that refreshing run around the neighborhood is usually a debate which in most cases the final decision arrived at is never favor of. However much I intend to change the situation, in the end, I would still return to a life of dormancy. The problem is not having the best intents to exercise regularly but maintaining consistency. From my point of view, I would point out two social factors to be the leading causes of my unhealthy indulgence. The factors consist of things whose interaction with them is unavoidable. These are common factors that basically have become significant contributions to my life. My temporary occupation as a student and the company I find myself in most of the time, have actively promoted my unhealthy tendency to avoid physical activities. Technology has also diversified the world making activities that would have otherwise required physical and mental strength more convenient and easily accessibility. My personal experience with technology has greatly contributed to my conscious refrain from physical activities.

As elaborated by Braveman and Gottlieb (2006), the community is responsible for approximately 75% preventable healthcare mortality. Different individuals have varied impacts on our daily livelihood. The more we spend time with these specific groups of people the more we get to interact and interchange personal beliefs and assimilate foreign practices. With that comprehension, another contributing factor would be the company of friends and acquaintance I keep. Most of my friends and classmates are equally engrossed in their studies as me. Therefore our activities together involve working to solve various problems to some of our classes and often we would engage in playing online and video games. The dependency on technology again proves to be quite a chief motivational factor of inactivity for my case. The likelihood of an individual to engage in regular exercise activities is thus dependent on their occupation, level of income, personal perception on the whole issue of keeping fit and their socioeconomic resources. While many may agree that abject poverty situations prevent many households to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, not everyone agrees that education and the level of income can also consequently cause inactivity in people (Braveman & Gottlieb, 2006).

As a student, a large proportion of the day is spent sited in classes and in most scenarios, the lectures happen in the same class, therefore, limiting my movements. Although this may not seem to be a monumental influencer since there is also physical education offered in school, I am always of the opinion that physical education is not a necessity in attaining academic excellence. My participation in gym class and extra-curricular activities is in most cases coerced by the facilitators. I spend the better part of my days on my desk working on assignments on my desktop. Partly, I also recognize the introduction and development of technology to instill a certain feeling of 'laziness' in me. Technology is recognized for its ability to make work easier but is also infamous for encouraging inactivity amongst the world population. For instance, instead of walking or riding a bicycle to school or home, I prefer driving there instead mainly because it conveniently saves time that would otherwise have been lost doing the former. Activities such as shopping for groceries and other personal effects has also been made easier by online shopping which is one of my favorite activities while browsing the network. Thus in between my classes and other daily activities, very little or no time is spared for exercising hence further encouraging my sedentary lifestyle.

From the above-illustrated constructs, the most influential factor would be my dependency to technology and my occupation as a full-time student. As a strong-willed individual, I am not easily swayed by the waves of the society. From my perspective, many people participate in physical fitness for the wrong reasons such as trying to fit in with the rest of the community or trying to attain certain body shapes as per the expectations of the society. All these factors demoralize me from being physically active because I prefer working out on my accord to benefit myself and not to live up to others' expectations. Technology has provided solutions to many areas of my life including saving me unnecessary trips to the grocery stores and supermarkets. Just as easily I could also acquire food recipes that promote fitness and even workout videos which would guide me during my irregular exercising days. The common hobbies I share with my friends also prevent me from being fully committed to being physically active mainly because when I am with them, I describe it as being in a comfort zone. Exercising would mean stepping out of our comfort zones and challenge ourselves mentally and physically which most of the time is strenuous.

I have identified the constant need to be in my comfort zone as a huge obstacle hindering me from actively participating in ensuring my physical health is upheld. Therefore, I would initiate a work out plan that would not only accommodate my interests but also conveniently suit my daily activities. For instance, I would find an interesting application that would help me to schedule and prepare for my work out sessions. The application could contain dietary needs, timing and even motivational quotes included to encourage me into the practice. Like other hobbies, exercising is habitual. Thus, I would condition myself to not only be willing to engage in physical activity but also enjoy the process while looking forward to a much healthier existence. Admittedly, it would be ineffective if at all my friends and colleagues still indulge in their unhealthy behaviors. I would then encourage them to join me so as to make exercising more interactive and fulfilling. We would also integrate technology into our workout routines by syncing our devices to alert us on the time and even share our results with each other.

Conclusion

Many people globally are currently faced with the dilemma on whether to exercise or continue living their lives ignoring the pertinent issue and its relevance to the human life. In most cases, these individuals are hindered by both personal and community factors (Hayden, 2014). Issues such as occupational timing and financial statuses actively impact the decision of these individuals. The community also through its cultural and moral expectations affects the choices people make. Thus both the social and personal constructs are effective in influencing the decision for an individual to either practice physical fitness or entirely ignore its existence despite the numerous advantages it offers human beings.

References

Booth, F. W., Roberts, C. K., & Laye, M. J. (2012). Lack of Exercise is a Major Cause of Chronic Diseases. Comprehensive Physiology, 5-17.

Braveman, P., & Gottlieb, L. (2014). The Social Determinants of Health: It's Time to Consider the Causes of the Causes. Public Health Reports, 129(1), 19-31.

Hayden, J. (2014). Introduction to Health Behavior Change Theories (2nd ed.). Burlington: MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.