The new millennium came upon us, North Americans increased reliance on technology and mechanization of many daily tasks that used to involve physical exertion (mowing the lawn with a push mower, hand washing clothes, and dishes, vegetable gardening, walking to work).
Work-related machinery that has taken the place of lifting, carrying, loading, etc. have significantly reduced the daily work-related physical activity as well as decreased the energy expenditure that was once required to carry out these necessary essential tasks. The advent of technology has replaced many activities that would have once required hours of physical work to accomplish what can be done in just a few seconds by pushing a button.
As we took advantage of the new technology and mechanization, it was believed that this “progress” would be a good thing, leaving more time for leisure activities like exercise. In fact, the opposite has been the case. Technology and mechanization have been a major factor in promoting a sedentary lifestyle, (leading to obesity), while the world of television and computers entertains us. Because of this, most individuals do not engage in any form of physical activity during whatever leisure time they have.
Technology and health risks
Technology poses many health risks to people who spend too much time in front of computers or smartphones. As a result of this preoccupation, a lower percentage of the North American population are joining a gym or a fitness center today. More than three billion people worldwide use technology daily, and that creates problems for physical and mental health.
Humans need physical activity at regular intervals – if the body doesn’t get physical activity, it won’t function at its optimal level leading to all kinds of risks and hazards. A sedentary lifestyle can affect the body and mind equally, and the long-term effects will have a significant impact on a person. Next to smoking, obesity is the second highest cause of death across the world.
The human body’s skeletal muscles were designed for movement and strenuous physical activity. As technology has taken the physical work out of most tasks, physical activity, in general, is not part of the average North American lifestyle. Our skeletal muscles form the functional and metabolic engines that control the expenditure of energy and the general health of our internal systems (heart, lungs). We cannot expect our bodies to function optimally and remain healthy if we don’t use our muscles, and instead, we burden our body by piling on body fat due to bad eating habits and lack of exercise.
Technology and weight gain
When we spend endless hours focused on a screen, watching Netflix or YouTube videos, we also tend to eat poorly. Generally, it is something fast, and we tend to overeat when the time comes. The energy balance we need is out of kilter. Energy balance is the caloric intake based on energy expended, and for the most part, it should be balanced. When passive eating is the primary source of nutrition, weight gain is inevitable. There is a direct correlation between obesity and screen time – a lack of activity – will disrupt our appetite signals, and that produces passive eating.
The risks to children are the greatest of all long-term health risks. Too much time spent in front of the screen is responsible for children becoming overweight and obese, a condition that studies say will follow them all through their lives. Studies have also shown that dopamine levels in children rise as a result of spending time on social media activities, equivalent to cocaine use.
Spending too much time in front of our electronic devices, our exposure to marketing campaigns that promote unhealthy foods and drinks is greater and can negatively influence our eating habits. While screen time isn’t the primary cause of weight gain, obesity and inactivity is a signpost on the road to an unhealthy lifestyle.
In Canada, one in 10 premature deaths are caused by obesity. Now many factors cause obesity, socioeconomic, genetic, lifestyle, poor diet, and overindulgence in using our electronic devices is high on the list.
Healthier Life = Is the PREMIER LIFE
As a result of the lack of work related physical activity, fewer people exercising at a gym, and the increase in calories-laden fast foods available on every corner, obesity has become North America’s new epidemic, giving rise to chronic diseases. Being overweight has proven to be a greater risk to life and health than smoking. Obese adults have more chronic health problems than smokers. To stop the problems from happening, a shift must happen in ones thinking. That shift is that you have total control over your life, that no other persons has. Therefore make the decision that starting TODAY your actions will lead to making the best choice for you to be on a new road to incredible health and happiness!
A healthier life is the PREMIER LIFE!
John Cardillo is a gym entrepreneur and your premier expert in all things fitness related! He started out as a Canadian body building champion, and became the pioneer of the HIT3 exercise program and the SHREDDED NUTRITION diet.