Being Sedentary is not classified as an Addiction but there are many parallels to one. Addictions trap us in a vicious cycle of immediate reward and gratification. They quietly borrow from our person’s future while slowly draining our health…and finances. Let’s look at how being stuck to the couch can do the same to anyone.
- The reward of Sedentariness is the comfort of avoiding the perceived annoyance of physical work and fatigue – a comfort that comes from doing nothing. Lack of activity then speedens loss of muscle (aka sarcopenia) and accelerates gain in fat tissue, which in turn starts chipping away at stamina and vitality. With energy levels sliding down, attempts at movement only seem to feel that much tougher, because weaker muscles need higher efforts for the same task. This then makes the ‘reward’ of being comfortable by doing nothing even more attractive. You can see how this sets up a vicious cycle.
- Similar to an Addiction, Sedentary behavior starts to progressively take over our time and interferes with doing what’s right and affects regular functioning in society and work. Sitting around can quietly expand from 1 hour → 3 hours → 6 hours/day, without feeling like a deliberate decision.
- Sedentary behavior becomes increasingly cue-driven. For people addicted to drugs, some places, people, times, or emotions can trigger cravings. Likewise, Sedentariness finds and reinforces cues: Finishing work → couch. Eating → couch. Watching TV → couch. Phone → bed.
A drug addicted brain says, “I need this drug to feel good”, while a brain addicted to sedentariness says, “I need to avoid effort to continue feeling good.”
With my obese patients, I have learnt to approach sedentariness as an addiction. The tone of my discussions don’t blame or shame the patient, rather move focus of the problem from the person to the ‘condition’ and makes them more open and receptive towards taking their first baby-steps towards ‘De-addiction’.
I recently watched what Ben Affleck had said about his alcohol addiction issue – “The Cure for addiction is suffering. You suffer enough and then something inside you goes ‘I am done'”
I don’t know if I agree with his take completely, but I know that the ‘suffering’ from Sedentariness is unfortunately a lot slower than drug and alcohol addictions. The damage to health creeps from sedenariness and obesity creeps on you slowly and cause a lot of health damage before the ‘suffering’ eventually registers.
For readers struggling with this addiction of their couches, I encourage thinking about breaking the cycle before it’s too late. Whenever you feel the need to change things, simple habits suggested on Just10Daily are a easy way to get started and will eventually help you find the right balance again.
