Regular physical activity and good eating habits can improve women’s health and help prevent many of the diseases and conditions that are major causes of death and disability for women around the world.

Regular physical activity helps prevent cardiovascular diseases(CVDs). These diseases, which include heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke, account for one-third of deaths among women around the world. CVDs cause half of all deaths in women over 50 in developing countries.

Sedentary lifestyle is a major underlying cause of death, disease, and disability. Approximately 2 million deaths every year are attributable to physical inactivity; and preliminary findings from a WHO study on risk factors suggest that sedentary lifestyle is one of the ten leading causes of death and disability in the world. Physical inactivity increases all causes mortality, doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and obesity. It also increases the risks of colon and breast cancer, high blood pressure, lipid disorders, osteoporosis, depression and anxiety. In Bangladesh, over a quarter of deaths are due to noncommunicable diseases, nearly half of this cardiovascular diseases.

Myths about physical activity

Physical activity can be done almost anywhere and requires no equipment! Carrying groceries, wood, books or children are good complementary physical activities, as is climbing the stairs. Walking, perhaps the most practiced and most highly recommended physical activity, is absolutely free. Most urban areas have some parks, waterfronts or other pedestrian areas that are ideal for walking, running or playing. There is no need to go to a gym, pool or other special sports facility to be physically active.

I’m very busy. Physical activity takes too much time!

At least thirty minutes of moderate physical activity every day are recommended to improve and maintain your health. This does not mean however, that you must stop what you are doing and perform some physical activity for half an hour. Most activities can be incorporated into your regular daily activities—at work, school, home or play. Also, the activity can be accumulated over the course of the day: a ten minute brisk walk, three times a day; or twenty minutes first thing in the morning and ten minutes later in the day. Even if you are very busy—you can still work in thirty minutes of activity into your daily routine.

The lack of physical activity is a major underlying cause of death, disease, and disability. Preliminary data from a WHO study on risk factors suggest that inactivity, or sedentary lifestyle, is one of the 10 leading global causes of death and disability. More than two million deaths each year are attributable to physical inactivity. In countries around the world between 60% and 85% of adults are simply not active enough to benefit their health. Sedentary lifestyles increase all causes of mortality, double the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity, and substantially increase the risks of colon cancer, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, depression and anxiety.

In the rapidly growing cities of the developing world, crowding, poverty, crime, traffic, poor air quality, a lack of parks, sidewalks, sports and recreation facilities and other safe areas make physical activity a difficult choice. For example, in São Paulo, Brazil, 70% of the population is inactive. Even in rural areas of developing countries sedentary pastimes such as watching television are increasingly popular. In addition to other lifestyle changes, the consequences are growing levels of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

Low- and middle-income countries suffer the greatest impact from these and other noncommunicable diseases – 77% of the total number of deaths caused by noncommunicable diseases occur in developing countries. These diseases are on the rise. They will have an increasingly severe effect on health care systems, resources, and economies in countries around the world.