Why – The importance of staying physically active
When Finnish adults are awake, they prefer to sit or lie down – over 9 hours a day on average. If your body was allowed to decide, it would add a little physical activity to every hour of being awake.
Services, equipment and technologies related to work and everyday life have reduced the level of people’s daily physical activity. On average, adults walk just over 7,000 steps a day, and the number of daily steps taken has decreased in recent years 1.
Why even go anywhere if you can do something from home with less effort?
Over the years, the amount of physically demanding work has decreased, and in recent years, there has been a sharp increase in remote working and digital services. We are used to using technology in everyday life, laying on the sofa and binge-watching series, but it’s also possible to learn out of these habits.
In small doses, we can add movement to our everyday lives because movement adds life in us.
Everyday hustle and bustle takes its toll on physical activity
The most common reasons for low physical activity among Finnish adults are lack of time (57%), permanent physical injury or disability (21%), lack of interest (14%) and economic factors (7%). 2
It doesn’t take much time or money to increase physical activity on a daily level. It’s worth starting before the effects of low physical activity start to show up in the body and mind.
The body and mind need movement
According to a study by THL, physical activity has increased in recent decades. 3 Yet it is not enough to compensate for the reduced movement in everyday life. Your body needs movement – everyday steps and daily muscle work.
Continuous and prolonged immobility puts strain on the body and causes adverse effects that predispose to various long-term illnesses. If you’re sitting for most of the day, even daily exercise isn’t enough to overcome the disadvantages of being inactive for a long time. According to the UKK Institute, adults should move around and take active breaks as much as possible on a daily basis. 7
Studies have shown that particularly people who are not very active benefit from light exercise. It reduces blood sugar and fat levels, increases blood circulation and strengthens muscles and joints. There’s no need to become a sports fanatic – even a little fun activity or exercise here and there is good for you.
Better quality of life
Good fitness helps us to cope in everyday life and with various physical activities. It protects against a number of illnesses and functional impairments. 4 Physical fitness consists of a number of different factors that independently and collectively influence an individual’s health and ability to function.
Sufficient exercise in its various forms also supports mental well-being. Moving around in nature in particular has a positive impact on mental health. 5
Inactivity costs billions
The effects of low physical activity and high immobility are also reflected in the increased costs of health care, home and institutional care for the elderly, and marginalisation, as well as in lower productivity and income tax losses. 6
The price tag for too little physical activity is more than EUR 3.2 billion per year for society. 7 More than eight hours of physical inactivity a day while awake, in turn, causes costs of around EUR 1.5 billion per year in Finland.
Make a move
Light physical activity in everyday life can be doing chores, gardening, using the stairs instead of the lift, taking a break from sitting or activating muscles 8. You can get a taste of a more energetic everyday life with just one small movement – everyone has their own way and style.
More information on everyday movement for different population groups and tips on how to increase physical activity:
1 UKK Institute: Työikäisten liikkuminen Suomessa (ukkinstituutti.fi)
2 UKK Institute, Activity Report 2022.
3 Health, well-being and service research of adults (ATH) and FinSote 2017–2018. The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.
5 Pasanen, T. Everyday physical activity in natural settings and subjective well-being: Direct connections and psychological mediators, 2020
6 UKK Institute: Costs of inactivity and immobility (ukkinstituutti.fi), 2022b.
7 Kolu P., Kari J.T., Raitanen J., Sievänen H., Tokola K., Havas E., Pehkonen J., Tammelin T.H., Pahkala K., Hutri-Kähönen N., Raitakari O.T., Vasankari T. The economic burden of low physical activity and high sedentary behaviour in Finland. Journal of Epidemiology Community Health, 2022; 76: 677-684. doi: 10.1136/chech-2021-217998.
8 UKK Institute: Physical activity recommendations (ukkinstituutti.fi)