Health officials in the U.K. recently warned that sitting on your couch all day will have a severe effect on your health.
The message is based on a report from Public Health England (PHE), which claims that the couch potato lifestyle is just as bad as smoking, which is the cause of one in six deaths in the country, according to The Telegraph. Officials added that 20 percent of the U.K. population is less active than it was in the 1960s, and that not engaging in physical activities is damaging the health of half of the women and one third of the men.
This increasing lack of activity among the population could have a dangerous impact on the welfare state, and it could also lead to an increase in self-inflicted diseased caused by obesity, smoking and alcohol. If this trend of laziness continues, it can result in 35 percent of the population being less active by 2030.
However, several suggestions have been made by researchers to keep this crisis from happening, such as switching the clocks forward by one hour so that children would have more time to be more active, The Telegraph reported. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found from a study that evenings that are lighter lead to kids engaging in more moderate and vigorous physical activity each day by two minutes on average. Activity levels were shown to be 15 to 20 percent higher during the summer when the sun set at 9 p.m. than during the winter when it set at 5 p.m.
PHE pointed out several aspects of the everyday lifestyle in Britain that pose a threat to health, such as long hours at desk jobs, driving a lot and watching TV in the evenings. The organization added that activity is a much bigger part of everyday life in Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and other high-income countries.
People are recommended by government guidelines to engage in at least 2 and a half hours of moderate aerobic activity each week, or an hour and 15 minutes of vigorous activity each week, The Telegraph reported. Activities recommended for adults include weight lifting and yoga, while those for kids include bike riding, running, playing at playgrounds and getting involved in sports.
To ensure the physical, mental and economic health of the population, the NHS is working on plans that will involve cash prizes being awarded as well as workers competing to lose weight.
"Whatever age you are, physical activity is vital for maintaining good health, quality of life and independence: for young people, it is vital to get into healthy habits for life," said Public Health Minister James Ellison.
