The challenges associated with practicing physical activity go beyond individual desire
Despite evidence of the importance of exercise in preventing and treating various health problems, approximately 31% of adults worldwide do not practice recommended levels of physical activity, according to the survey. World Health Organization (WHO). Why?
The answer, according to the experts participating in the Health and Wellness Summitpromoted by Estadao this Tuesday, the 21st, there are difficulties in accessing and lack of incentives.
“You can’t blame the person themselves for sedentary behavior. It’s not laziness, it’s a multifactorial problem,” said Alex Antonio Florindo, researcher and professor of physical activity epidemiology at the University University of Sao Paulo (USP). “There are psychological, interpersonal variables and environmental factors that influence a sedentary lifestyle.”
According to Florindo, physical activities related to commuting, such as walking to work or riding a bicycle, are decreasing in Brazilian cities, even in those with the implementation of bike paths and bike lanes, such as São Paulo.
For him, people’s fear of having an accident while cycling in large urban centers can be a factor inhibiting the practice of the activity. “Do we have environments conducive to walking and cycling in cities?” he asked.
“We need to intervene, put a culture in place. In our country there is a lot of violence in traffic”, observed the professor.
According to Florindo, the high price of equipment and poor infrastructure in workplaces and other modes of transportation, such as the subway, also discourage this practice.
“We don’t have favorable environments to practice physical activities,” added Tania Cristina Pithon Curi, doctor of human physiology and professor at Cruzeiro do Sul University.
“One of the main problems Saint Paul It’s a safety issue, people don’t go to parks and walk because of these problems,” he said.
Actions to change the scenario
One measure to help combat the problem would be to practice physical exercise at work. “Carrying out work is not a cost, but an investment in the prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases,” said Florindo.
Another measure to expand access are initiatives such as the Academia da Saúde program, which brings together physical activity centers in primary health units (UBS), with physical education professionals to guide patients.
Alan de Aquino Nogueira, primary healthcare analyst at Ministry of Healthalso highlighted the Health at School Programme, which integrates healthy eating and physical activity actions.
“In August of this year we reached almost 3 million proposed activities in primary care in 2025,” Nogueira said. “The federal government guides and trains professionals. This is one way to combat sedentary lifestyle.”
Finally, Tania underlined that the influence of the family is also very important to encourage the practice of physical activity. According to her, when parents do physical activity, the chances of a son or daughter doing it increase significantly, and even if only one parent acts as an example, children tend to follow the model.
Source: Terra

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.