Inactive lives and the connection to loneliness 🙃

 

There has never been a more important time to be more active. As a society we have huge opportunities to steer in the direction of being more connected. The strongest influence upon our ability to extend our life is social connection 👬. Consider this - if we work together to find solutions to become more active and increase our fitness level, we can combine this with social connection. When we feel like going for a walk 🚶🏽or joining a local fitness 🏋🏽group, we increase our chance to make new friends and reconnect with friends we already have. There has never been a time in society where the number of people who are isolated from the chance to connect with people has been so low. 

The benefits of increased activity directly relate to our feeling 🎼of wellbeing and increased confidence in our own capabilities. Less physical activity and exercise can lead to: 

•   Higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression 🙈.

•   Higher risk of heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes and risk of Alzheimer’s disease, just to mention a few.

•   Higher risk of cancers including prostate cancer and breast cancer.

•   Decreased libido and desire for intimacy. 

These examples can all lead to a higher risk of social isolation.  We have the highest level of social media 🤳🏽and internet 💻use in history, and this is dampening our desire and distracting us from having the volition and drive to stay connected. Although there are many positives about social media, consider this. Being connected socially is much healthier if they are time with real people 🤼🏽. We must also never underrate those “micro moments” of social connection that we make in life with other people. They rate highly in my mind, notice the wonderful way you feel when you have those “micro moments” with another dog🐕 owner on a walk, colleagues you briefly see at work that you like, or the staff you meet in a coffee shop, food store or local community group. There is no such thing as a minimum amount of time needed to get a health benefit, their benefits continue to accumulate. I make these suggestions as a starting point to become more active:

 1.     Make a journal 📑of the number of days you exercise and for what period on that day.

2.     Look for local walking tracks and parks🌳 in your area and arrange a walk. Better still ring a friend and ask them to join you.

3.     Don’t wait to ring ☎ that friend you have been thinking of reconnecting with, do it now!

4.     Stop looking for reasons and excuses why you won’t just get up and do some more walking.

5.     Become more active around the house🏡. Make some efforts to have some short walks for maybe one to 2 minutes every 20 minutes ⏰around the house. If you have any medical conditions that make this a risk to your health, get clearance from your family doctor. 

As I have said before, life is not a dress rehearsal 🕺🏽, get out and join into whatever social connection 👐🏽you feel you are able to engage in, and be gentle on yourself. Do it at a day at a time, and watch your confidence grow. We are social beings; we are happier when we feel we are more socially connected. If you have any more suggestions for physical activity and social connection as readers, I welcome you to participate by leaving your most valued comments. We must be ambassadors for change and work together as a society to be more connected 👭, healthier and to increase our chances to have a longer and high quality of healthy living. Have a delightful day. Happy activity 😊!

 

 

Dr Jeremy Hawke (Podiatrist) is a certified Lifestyle medicine practitioner with The Australasian society of Lifestyle Medicine (ASLM) and is the published author of “Let’s learn about Power of Activity”, available on Amazon Books. He has also been a professional presenter on human motion and Lifestyle medicine.