Five Ways Sitting Down Can Kill You

'Studies show that too many hours of sitting down each day can lead to an early death.

I’ve been sitting too much. Here’s the break down. There were the two intensive years of writing my last book, Light of the Andes. Before that, there was a super intensive six months working on Beating the Flu. I wrote in the middle of the night and on weekends, and got little sleep. It seemed that my life was at my desk in front of a computer.

Over the last five years, I wrote two hours each day five days a week. On weekends, I wrote at least 10 hours a day. I spent another two hours every day sitting answering emails and recording notes in patient charts. On average, that’s at least six hours every day sitting still. When I factored in driving, sitting on airplanes and waiting for flights in airports, and watching the occasional movie, sitting time could reach a whopping eight hours a day.' 

Read more...

Read more »

5 Totally Painless Ways to Be More Active

 '“Find ways to be more active!” I hear it all the time. And to be honest, I really do need to find easy ways to be more active. Most of my work is on the computer, so it’s easy to lose track of time and suddenly realize I’ve been sitting down for most of the day! And I have a feeling I’m not the only one who has this problem.

But I Exercise! Why Find Ways to Be More Active?'

Read more...

Read more »

The Sitting Sickness: Is It Silently Killing You?

The Sitting Sickness

'If you've heard that life is movement, it's true. If you've heard that just sitting around can kill you, it's also true. Physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide![1] You may have heard the media reporting recently on several studies showing that prolonged sitting significantly increases the risk for death, including death from heart disease and cancer, but I'm not sure this news has really hit home yet[2],[3],[4]. 

Most people know that exercise is critical for health and preventing disease, but the issue of physical activity and inactivity is much bigger than exercise. Regardless of the amount of exercise one performs, the level of aerobic fitness one exhibits, or whether a person is thin or overweight, stillness still kills[5].'

Read more...

Read more »