Sedentary life? Louisiana ranks among the worst in physical inactivity. See national data.

Many adults spend much of their lives being sedentary — getting out of bed in the morning only to go to an office desk chair for eight hours, followed with TV time (or some scrolling) on the couch before bed.

A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 8.3% of deaths of nondisabled adults ages 25 and older were attributed to physical inactivity.

Louisiana ranks 45th in the United States with 28.3% of adults in the state reporting doing no physical activity or exercise other than their regular jobs in the past 30 days.

Although the number of Louisiana adults reporting physical inactivity is declining — from 31.9% in 2019, 29.0% in 2020 and 29.4% in 2021 — the state is still well below the national average of 23.4%.

Colorado takes the top spot with the least amount of adults reporting physical inactivity with 16.8%, followed by Utah with 16.9% and Washington with 17.5%.

Mississippi had the highest rate of physical inactivity among adults in 2022 with 31.9%, with Arkansas (31.1%) and West Virginia (30.2%) following in the state rankings.

Being physically active and reducing sedentary behavior benefits health at all ages, according to the CDC. Regular physical activity is associated with reduced risk of:

• cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease and stroke
• hypertension
• type 2 diabetes
• certain cancers, including bladder, breast and colon cancer
• dementia
• anxiety and depression