More and more frequently, people are living increasingly sedentary lifestyles. As a matter of fact, just 5% – if not even less – of the total adult population of the United States is getting up and exercising for even just a mere half of an hour on a daily basis. In addition to this, only just one third of the population, well less than half, are meeting the amount of exercise that is recommended for a weekly basis. For adults everywhere, getting stuck in the monotony of going to work and going back again is leaving little time for movement. As most people work desk jobs, the problem is only continuously compounded.
In addition to the issue of adult movement, children are becoming more and more sedentary as well. After all, the access to electronic devices has skyrocketed in recent years, with the average child of today now spending a total of, on average, seven and a half hours using screens over the course of just one single day. Up to two thirds of all parents in the United States alone have already expressed fears that their children are too bound to technology – and are not getting enough exercise as a direct result.
According to the data that has been gathered on the subject, this is a very valid fear indeed. After all, this data has been found that only about one third of all kids all throughout the United States in its entirety are getting up and moving over the course of the day. Ideally, they should be exercising for at least an hour, if only just through various forms of active play. A lack of this physical activity and exercise in the early years will have a hugely negative pay off down the line, especially if these poor health habits are not changed but reinforced.
When you look at the typical American diet, you’ll see how the problem becomes even more compounded. Coupled with the lack of exercise, our portions are growing ever larger. This is particularly true of fast food establishments, where food full of saturated fats, high levels of sodium, and refined sugars and grains is offered. With the number of fast food restaurants doubling over the course of the last 40 or so years, getting fast food after a long day of work has become more appealing than ever.
But all of the above is making us very sick indeed. According to data gathered in recent years, up to one third of the adult population is obese with another one third classified as being overweight, which can still have a considerably detrimental impact on your overall health. After all, at least 78 million adults in this country fall outside the range of a healthy rate – and up to one third of all people have type 2 diabetes brought on by weight and unhealthy living, though this is a condition that can be managed through lifestyle and medical care.
Even more unfortunately is the fact that so many of our country’s children are already overweight or even obese. The statistics don’t lie, and they show that more than 12.5 million kids are not at a healthy weight because they weight too much. This means that, effectively, nearly 17% of all children in this country are now weighing in at weights that are simply too high to support health and healthy growth in their coming years.
Fortunately, buying gym equipment can help. Sports stores and fitness stores all throughout the country now sell all kinds of gym equipment. You can get small gym equipment or large gym equipment – what ever gym equipment fits in your home and within your budget. But having gym equipment in your home can make a big difference, as you are likely to be much more inspired to use this gym equipment. Having your own gym equipment also means that you can work out pretty much whenever you want, ultimately making the cost of gym equipment likely to save money at the end of the day, at least in direct comparison to the cost of what a gym membership might have been.