How to Stop Being Sedentary

Publicado March 25, 2026

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), physical inactivity is one of the main risk factors for premature death. It is estimated that more than 3.3 million deaths per year are attributed to sedentary lifestyles.

However, the good news is that it is never too late to start exercising. Incorporating regular physical activity into your daily routine can bring many benefits to both your physical and mental health.

First step: Identify your stage of physical activity behavior

Pre-contemplation: I haven’t even considered exercising.
Contemplation: I’ve thought about it but haven’t started.
Action: I’ve started but haven’t met basic goals yet.
Maintenance: I’m already exercising with the proper guidelines, intensity, and duration.

Guide to start exercising from scratch at home

Once you identify your stage, you should begin gradually, step by step, choosing activities you enjoy or at least don’t cause discomfort, anxiety, or pain.

Set goals

Short term: Start exercising
Medium term: Exercise 4–6 times per week, 1 hour per session
Long term: Lose weight

Second step: Keep a training log

Record things like:

Whether you exercised or not
Duration
How you felt
Type of exercise
Calories burned
Heart rate

Review it weekly and adjust what’s not working.

These are some exercises and their calorie expenditure

Third step: Evaluate types of training

Consistency, effort, and dedication are key to increasing calorie expenditure and achieving weight loss.

For patients with a gastric balloon:

Start with aerobic exercise for general adaptation
After the second month, begin strength training (weights or bodyweight) to optimize the use of large muscle groups

Exercises that involve multiple muscle groups burn more calories.

Additional tips