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Sitting Kills, Moving Heals: How Everyday Movement Will Prevent Pain, Illness, and Early Death--and Exercise Alone Won't
This groundbreaking new medical work demonstrates how modern sedentary lifestyles contribute to poor health, obesity, and diabetes, and how health can be dramatically improved by continuous, low-intensity, movement that challenges the force of gravity. Citing her original NASA research on how weightlessness weakens astronauts' muscles, bones, and overall health, the author presents a simple and effective plan for maintaining good health throughout life by developing new lifestyle habits of frequent gravity-challenging movement. Written for everyone who spends most of their lives sitting in chairs, at desks, and in cars, this practical, easy-to-follow action plan outlines simple gravity-challenging activities such as standing up frequently, stretching, walking, and dancing that are more healthful and effective than conventional diet and exercise regimens.
150 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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315 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
May 2, 2013
When I read Sitting Kills - Moving Heals by NASA scientist, Joan Vernikos a lot clicked! Maybe not the best written book on planet earth but the relentless message is challenging. Day to day my challenge -- our challenge -- is to stand up to gravity.
When I stand; when I lift weights or jump; when I get out of bed in the morning or dance or bounce up and down on a scooter -- I'm pushing hard against gravity.
...but when I sit down at the computer or vege out or sleep I'm pushing a lot less.
Think about it: G forces rule our lives. And it's not so much about being upright or seated or lying down but changing the location of your body (and its organs, muscles, bones and Proprioceptors) relative to the rest of the universe. It's about standing up and sitting or lying down. It's about jumping or skipping; climbing or descending stairs. It's about lifting not only objects and weights but your own body upwards away from the earth at your feet.
This may sound almost ethereal but space does not lie. We are moulded by our relationship to gravity. It impacts on our muscles and bones; on our blood pressure and metabolism. It rules our lives.
So when you take that view -- that long long view from the POV of the solar system -- all our activities and all our exercising must relate to the force of gravity. When we 'exercise' we challenge those G forces more than when we don't.
Think about it.
If that's the domineering principle -- then what you do or don't do day in/day out is sure to impact on what sort of body you'll age with. What Vernikos argues is that if you consciously and frequently assert yourself against gravity you are going to be conditioning your body, training it up to work better and undermine any penchant it has -- you have -- to remain in a state of rest. You also slow down its deterioration.
G Challenge I: lay down on the floor and get up without using your hands
G Challenge II: (to make you feel better) get out of chair without using your hands.
So what does that mean day to day? What's the take-away message?
Well, it is not about more exercise is it? Exercise is only a few focused moments of giving gravity the finger.
When I stand; when I lift weights or jump; when I get out of bed in the morning or dance or bounce up and down on a scooter -- I'm pushing hard against gravity.
...but when I sit down at the computer or vege out or sleep I'm pushing a lot less.
Think about it: G forces rule our lives. And it's not so much about being upright or seated or lying down but changing the location of your body (and its organs, muscles, bones and Proprioceptors) relative to the rest of the universe. It's about standing up and sitting or lying down. It's about jumping or skipping; climbing or descending stairs. It's about lifting not only objects and weights but your own body upwards away from the earth at your feet.
This may sound almost ethereal but space does not lie. We are moulded by our relationship to gravity. It impacts on our muscles and bones; on our blood pressure and metabolism. It rules our lives.
So when you take that view -- that long long view from the POV of the solar system -- all our activities and all our exercising must relate to the force of gravity. When we 'exercise' we challenge those G forces more than when we don't.
Think about it.
If that's the domineering principle -- then what you do or don't do day in/day out is sure to impact on what sort of body you'll age with. What Vernikos argues is that if you consciously and frequently assert yourself against gravity you are going to be conditioning your body, training it up to work better and undermine any penchant it has -- you have -- to remain in a state of rest. You also slow down its deterioration.
G Challenge I: lay down on the floor and get up without using your hands
G Challenge II: (to make you feel better) get out of chair without using your hands.
So what does that mean day to day? What's the take-away message?
Well, it is not about more exercise is it? Exercise is only a few focused moments of giving gravity the finger.
May 25, 2022
Review originally published October 2012
Sitting Kills, Moving Heals by Joan Vernikos, Ph.D. is a short book that offers tips on improved physical wellbeing to everyone. The concepts in this book were developed by the research done at the NASA Ames Research Center, under the direction of Joan Vernikos, Ph.D.
By studying astronauts after they had returned from outer space, the researchers found that the astronauts often displayed the following symptoms: slower reaction time, increased body fat, loss of collagen, abnormal reflex patterns, flabby muscles, stooped posture, aching joints, and more. And most interestingly, these temporary symptoms experienced by the astronauts were almost totally reversible.
By comparison, the researchers also found that the same symptoms of inactive muscle usage experienced by the astronauts are similar to the conditions frequently experienced by sedentary adults on Earth.
The researchers believe that anyone can improve his or her physical condition with simple everyday movement, just as the astronauts did. Physical health improves with any and all physical movement.
Sitting Kills, Moving Heals offers many tips on how people can increase their simple everyday movement, thereby improving their health. These tips include: standing while getting dressed, standing while putting on socks, balancing an "imaginary" bean bag on top of your head to insure that you stand or sit straight, gentle stretching often, and virtually all other physical movements that time and conditions allow. Everybody can expand this movement concept to fit their personal lifestyle, and thereby improve their health.
Sitting Kills, Moving Heals is a superb fitness book that can be checked out or requested from any La Crosse County Library. I highly recommend this book!
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
Sitting Kills, Moving Heals by Joan Vernikos, Ph.D. is a short book that offers tips on improved physical wellbeing to everyone. The concepts in this book were developed by the research done at the NASA Ames Research Center, under the direction of Joan Vernikos, Ph.D.
By studying astronauts after they had returned from outer space, the researchers found that the astronauts often displayed the following symptoms: slower reaction time, increased body fat, loss of collagen, abnormal reflex patterns, flabby muscles, stooped posture, aching joints, and more. And most interestingly, these temporary symptoms experienced by the astronauts were almost totally reversible.
By comparison, the researchers also found that the same symptoms of inactive muscle usage experienced by the astronauts are similar to the conditions frequently experienced by sedentary adults on Earth.
The researchers believe that anyone can improve his or her physical condition with simple everyday movement, just as the astronauts did. Physical health improves with any and all physical movement.
Sitting Kills, Moving Heals offers many tips on how people can increase their simple everyday movement, thereby improving their health. These tips include: standing while getting dressed, standing while putting on socks, balancing an "imaginary" bean bag on top of your head to insure that you stand or sit straight, gentle stretching often, and virtually all other physical movements that time and conditions allow. Everybody can expand this movement concept to fit their personal lifestyle, and thereby improve their health.
Sitting Kills, Moving Heals is a superb fitness book that can be checked out or requested from any La Crosse County Library. I highly recommend this book!
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
Read
August 7, 2016So it took awhile to finish this book. But it is well worth reading. I later heard the author speak and she told a "Stand up every 20 minutes" that I still tell to everybody!!!
June 27, 2012
There's quite a bit of good, sound, evidence-based exercise data in here, and good recommendations based on the author's original research at NASA (some of which I've read in peer-reviewed journals). Unfortunately, it's interspersed with anecdotes and unsupported pseudoscience. This results in a book that is equal parts enlightening and infuriating.
August 12, 2022
For starters, this is unlike any other move-because-it's-good books. Apart from listing of benefits movement has on human body, the author stresses the gravity vector and illustrates the Gravity Deprivation Syndrome effects both on astronauts having returned from ISS and bed-rest studies patients. She also compares those effects with ageing on Earth.
The author claims that movement is ineffective without gravity and gravity is downright harmful unless we move; therefore, she suggests we carry out a multitude of small, low-intensity movements throughout the day, frequent movements, that is, a sort of perpetual motion, to increase bone density and muscle strength.
At the same time, she stipulates that regular one-hour gym time of an office worker (where you mostly target large muscles) may not be sufficient to slow down aging. Interestingly, however, she approves of yoga/tai chi, saying that yoga is the only exercise discipline that most comprehensively uses gravity to stimulate all body parts, both mobilisers and stabilisers, and forms the basic level of the health & fitness pyramid for all-day activities.
Finally, the book enlists several tips for activities to engage your body perpetually and is accompanied with a health assessment questionnaire.
The author claims that movement is ineffective without gravity and gravity is downright harmful unless we move; therefore, she suggests we carry out a multitude of small, low-intensity movements throughout the day, frequent movements, that is, a sort of perpetual motion, to increase bone density and muscle strength.
At the same time, she stipulates that regular one-hour gym time of an office worker (where you mostly target large muscles) may not be sufficient to slow down aging. Interestingly, however, she approves of yoga/tai chi, saying that yoga is the only exercise discipline that most comprehensively uses gravity to stimulate all body parts, both mobilisers and stabilisers, and forms the basic level of the health & fitness pyramid for all-day activities.
Finally, the book enlists several tips for activities to engage your body perpetually and is accompanied with a health assessment questionnaire.
May 15, 2013
A slim book. The take-away I was most impressed with is the statement that short periods of standing, interspersed with sitting or reclining were most important to readapt to normal 'gravity' fitness after an extended period of weightlessness, forced bed rest in convalescence, or continuous sitting, 32 periods of standing for as little as 2 minutes at a time each day, more effective than continuous exercise or standing for an hour at time 3 to 5 times per week. Very interesting contrast to the conventional wisdom.
But I would have liked to see some rigor, show me the data, talk about mechanisms. I would have preferred that the book err on the side of a more technical approach, this was too simplified! The portion of the book that stepped away from the NASA research with which the author was involved seemed like a compendium of related materials gleaned from the popular press.
But I would have liked to see some rigor, show me the data, talk about mechanisms. I would have preferred that the book err on the side of a more technical approach, this was too simplified! The portion of the book that stepped away from the NASA research with which the author was involved seemed like a compendium of related materials gleaned from the popular press.
April 27, 2012
This is an interesting perspective, thinking about how to make gravity your ally as you age.
Read
December 29, 2013Great book...need to own my own copy! Gives simple, everyday things to do to stay in shape.
June 20, 2020
Boring Science Book
Part 1 was almost a science textbook on gravity, especially in relation to space travel. Part 2 was some practical applications that could have been made more practical. The best thing about this book is the truism title. Not much new or helpful to me otherwise.
Part 1 was almost a science textbook on gravity, especially in relation to space travel. Part 2 was some practical applications that could have been made more practical. The best thing about this book is the truism title. Not much new or helpful to me otherwise.
March 30, 2023
Written by a true devotee, this book about gravity and how it affects our bodies, down to the cellular level, is certainly backed up by science. It might be a stretch (oh, good, movement countering gravity), but certainly has lessons for all of us in our sedentary lives. Get up, get moving.
March 29, 2024
The use of gravity and everyday moving like walking and not just exercise to keep you fit and healthy and to avoid premature death. Some topics talk about space science and how astronauts lose their bone density on a faster rate than when they are benefiting on Earth's gravity.
May 25, 2024
Slow read.
August 30, 2024
Quick, informative book
December 29, 2020
Gravity. Astronauts. Low-impact movement. Balance. NASA Life Sciences Division.
August 16, 2013
I like to keep a "collection" of quotes on different topics and these 2 by Hippocrates, the father of medicine ("above all, do no harm") , are among my favorites.
"Let your food be your medicine and let your medicine be your food".
"Walking is a man's (and woman's) best medicine".
For all the wisdom of the ancient Greeks, including philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, the 2 quotes above seem, to me, among the wisest observations ever preserved from the "cradle" of Western Civilization.
Even though modern doctors still swear by the Hippocratic oath, in my opinion, they sometimes seem oblivious to the 2 quotes above. I suppose the pharmaceutical industry and its army of lobbyists has something to do with the first quote. As for the second, maybe as members of a complex society, even doctors sometimes forgot how little we really need. The more populous and complex a society becomes, it seems to me, the further we tend to drift from the basic truths, including the needs of our bodies. New pills and new exercise products often deflect us from these simple truths and we tend to forget that their primary purpose is usually to make a buck.
These thoughts struck me after reading the Epilogue to this book.
The author is a medical research scientist who has worked at NASA and has seen first-hand the debilitating effects of gravity, or accurately, the lack of it, in our astronauts. Her "prescription" for a healthy and active life is to make a friend of gravity, through a series of easy-to-do activities and movements, done many times throughout the day, every day. This is really not an exercise book, though, at least not in the usual sense. In fact, the author makes it clear that even though the reader may engage in frequent and strenous workouts, such as distance running or weight-training, these workouts are no substitute for the daily movements outlined in her Action Plan. She also advises the reader to avoid the two extremes, sitting too much and exercising too much. Both can have harmful effects, as anyone who has exceeded their limitations probably knows. This is good counsel, I think, especially given today's "extremeist" attitude towards exercise.
Besides the exercises, the author discusses the research which led her to write this book. Some readers may be put off by the scientific details, but the author feels that sharing this data will help her readers understand why they should do these exercises.
There is also a chapter on using "G(Gravity)-Therapy" for specific physical problems. At the end of the book is a Health Assets Questionnaire.
All in all, I found this book very interesting, but I also felt there was more in it than I needed, or wanted, to know. Still, this book could be a real eye-opener for readers who wonder if working out until you are exhausted, sick or injured is really necessary and may even be harmful, later in life.
In these confusing times, we are led to believe, on the one hand, that we need all sorts of gear and gadgets, from expensive running shoes to "power" drinks, or, on the other hand, that Fitness involves pushing oneself to go longer, faster and harder. I don't believe any of this is necessary and in fact, may do more harm than good, over time. So, it's gratifying to see a book that basically says all you need to do is just stand up and move around, as often as you can. Books that advocate a saner, more practical approach to fitness are usually much less popular than the books urging us to attempt longer and longer runs and more and more reps. Maybe this is just a sign of the times. The current conventional wisdom seems to say if we aren't doing everything to the max, drenched in sweat and nursing sore joints, then we aren't doing enough. This is too bad.
It also seems that many people who push themselves to go farther or lift heavier, often feel superior to those who don't. I can only wonder what sort of shape they will be in, say, 20 years from now. There are no guarantees, of course, but a book like "Siting Kills" probably offers us a much better chance that we will be walking and moving around freely, many years from now, than the books and programs that drive us into the dust.
I honestly believe that books like "Sitting Kills, Moving Heals" could go a long way towards solving American's Health Care crisis, if only people would follow its simple advice.
"Let your food be your medicine and let your medicine be your food".
"Walking is a man's (and woman's) best medicine".
For all the wisdom of the ancient Greeks, including philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, the 2 quotes above seem, to me, among the wisest observations ever preserved from the "cradle" of Western Civilization.
Even though modern doctors still swear by the Hippocratic oath, in my opinion, they sometimes seem oblivious to the 2 quotes above. I suppose the pharmaceutical industry and its army of lobbyists has something to do with the first quote. As for the second, maybe as members of a complex society, even doctors sometimes forgot how little we really need. The more populous and complex a society becomes, it seems to me, the further we tend to drift from the basic truths, including the needs of our bodies. New pills and new exercise products often deflect us from these simple truths and we tend to forget that their primary purpose is usually to make a buck.
These thoughts struck me after reading the Epilogue to this book.
The author is a medical research scientist who has worked at NASA and has seen first-hand the debilitating effects of gravity, or accurately, the lack of it, in our astronauts. Her "prescription" for a healthy and active life is to make a friend of gravity, through a series of easy-to-do activities and movements, done many times throughout the day, every day. This is really not an exercise book, though, at least not in the usual sense. In fact, the author makes it clear that even though the reader may engage in frequent and strenous workouts, such as distance running or weight-training, these workouts are no substitute for the daily movements outlined in her Action Plan. She also advises the reader to avoid the two extremes, sitting too much and exercising too much. Both can have harmful effects, as anyone who has exceeded their limitations probably knows. This is good counsel, I think, especially given today's "extremeist" attitude towards exercise.
Besides the exercises, the author discusses the research which led her to write this book. Some readers may be put off by the scientific details, but the author feels that sharing this data will help her readers understand why they should do these exercises.
There is also a chapter on using "G(Gravity)-Therapy" for specific physical problems. At the end of the book is a Health Assets Questionnaire.
All in all, I found this book very interesting, but I also felt there was more in it than I needed, or wanted, to know. Still, this book could be a real eye-opener for readers who wonder if working out until you are exhausted, sick or injured is really necessary and may even be harmful, later in life.
In these confusing times, we are led to believe, on the one hand, that we need all sorts of gear and gadgets, from expensive running shoes to "power" drinks, or, on the other hand, that Fitness involves pushing oneself to go longer, faster and harder. I don't believe any of this is necessary and in fact, may do more harm than good, over time. So, it's gratifying to see a book that basically says all you need to do is just stand up and move around, as often as you can. Books that advocate a saner, more practical approach to fitness are usually much less popular than the books urging us to attempt longer and longer runs and more and more reps. Maybe this is just a sign of the times. The current conventional wisdom seems to say if we aren't doing everything to the max, drenched in sweat and nursing sore joints, then we aren't doing enough. This is too bad.
It also seems that many people who push themselves to go farther or lift heavier, often feel superior to those who don't. I can only wonder what sort of shape they will be in, say, 20 years from now. There are no guarantees, of course, but a book like "Siting Kills" probably offers us a much better chance that we will be walking and moving around freely, many years from now, than the books and programs that drive us into the dust.
I honestly believe that books like "Sitting Kills, Moving Heals" could go a long way towards solving American's Health Care crisis, if only people would follow its simple advice.
Read
November 14, 2012** Originally posted at www.bunnycates.com **
After seeing author John Green’s video on getting himself a treadmill desk, I really started paying attention to how much I sit every day.
He was right. I, my whole family – actually, sit a ridiculous amount of time each day! A few days after his video got me to thinking about my fitness, or lack there of – I was contacted by Quill Driver Books and offered this book to review. Coincidence? I think not! lol.
According to USA TODAY a recent study showed that prolonged sitting is linked to both breast cancer and colon cancer. Many of us have jobs or pastimes that, lets admit it… require out butts in a chair far too many hours a day. How are we supposed to deal with that? Sitting Kills, Moving Heals: How Everyday Movement Will Prevent Pain, Illness, and Early Death – and Exercise Alone Won’t by Joan Vernikos PhD is a 130 page answer.
This book was written by the former Director of NASA’s Life Sciences Division, Joan Vernikos, PhD. , who discusses the effects of gravity and being stationary have on us. It also contains tips on how to combat this problem. This is NOT an exercise book, instead it contains a few simple “activities” you can work into your everyday life.
This book is a manual for preventive health care and a guide to living a natural, health-sustaining lifestyle. – page 116
I thought this book was a quick read (read it in one afternoon) and I found it to be informative and helpful. I have been doing a few of the activities listed in the “Your Action Plan” section, and my back hasn’t hurt for 2 days. I can’t say for sure the two are related, but I can say I’m not doing anything else different…so…
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in finding some SIMPLE STEPS to living a healthier lifestyle. So many of these self help books are really pitches to get you to purchase a bigger product: a certain brand of protein shake or some overly expensive exercise machine *cough, treadmill desk, cough* Not this book. There is no “special equipment” needed and no “special foods” or pills to buy. Its just you, armed with the info, and whether or not you choose to implement that knowledge into your hefty sitting routine. =D
Edited to add: I am not dogging on John Green! I love him! Kuddos to him for being proactive with his health and taking steps to better it! I am just using the treadmill desk as an example of overly expensive equipment. At over a THOUSAND dollars, a treadmill desk is not an option for our family. So no hating on me! I <3 John and Hank!! #DFTBA
After seeing author John Green’s video on getting himself a treadmill desk, I really started paying attention to how much I sit every day.
He was right. I, my whole family – actually, sit a ridiculous amount of time each day! A few days after his video got me to thinking about my fitness, or lack there of – I was contacted by Quill Driver Books and offered this book to review. Coincidence? I think not! lol.
According to USA TODAY a recent study showed that prolonged sitting is linked to both breast cancer and colon cancer. Many of us have jobs or pastimes that, lets admit it… require out butts in a chair far too many hours a day. How are we supposed to deal with that? Sitting Kills, Moving Heals: How Everyday Movement Will Prevent Pain, Illness, and Early Death – and Exercise Alone Won’t by Joan Vernikos PhD is a 130 page answer.
This book was written by the former Director of NASA’s Life Sciences Division, Joan Vernikos, PhD. , who discusses the effects of gravity and being stationary have on us. It also contains tips on how to combat this problem. This is NOT an exercise book, instead it contains a few simple “activities” you can work into your everyday life.
This book is a manual for preventive health care and a guide to living a natural, health-sustaining lifestyle. – page 116
I thought this book was a quick read (read it in one afternoon) and I found it to be informative and helpful. I have been doing a few of the activities listed in the “Your Action Plan” section, and my back hasn’t hurt for 2 days. I can’t say for sure the two are related, but I can say I’m not doing anything else different…so…
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in finding some SIMPLE STEPS to living a healthier lifestyle. So many of these self help books are really pitches to get you to purchase a bigger product: a certain brand of protein shake or some overly expensive exercise machine *cough, treadmill desk, cough* Not this book. There is no “special equipment” needed and no “special foods” or pills to buy. Its just you, armed with the info, and whether or not you choose to implement that knowledge into your hefty sitting routine. =D
Edited to add: I am not dogging on John Green! I love him! Kuddos to him for being proactive with his health and taking steps to better it! I am just using the treadmill desk as an example of overly expensive equipment. At over a THOUSAND dollars, a treadmill desk is not an option for our family. So no hating on me! I <3 John and Hank!! #DFTBA
September 6, 2012
Astronauts suffer a great deal of physical deterioration when in space. They lose bone density rapidly. Their muscles become weaker. Their immune systems are suppressed. Their sleep is disturbed. Many of the symptoms experienced by astronauts are similar to those associated with aging on Earth. It seems the absence of gravity that causes physical harm in space is often replicated on Earth by lack of physical activity. When we live a sedentary lifestyle, we are not using gravity to our advantage. This is the focus of Dr. Joan Vernikos's book Sitting Kills, Moving Heals: How Simple Everyday Movement Will Prevent Pain, Illness, and Early Death - and Exercise Alone Won't.
Vernikos devotes half of her book to the science behind the effects of gravity and its relationship to the sedentary lifestyle common in today's world on Earth. Many modern advances have provided conveniences that mean we don't have to get up and exert ourselves as much as our ancestors did. While technology has produced many benefits, it has also cause many health problems that are associated with less movement. According to Vernikos, exercising a few times a week won't help. It's the little everyday movements that matter. Standing up and sitting down. Walking up and down the stairs. Stretching and moving often throughout the day.
It's an interesting concept and I definitely plan to put some of her suggestions into action. I work at home but I sit in front of my computer most of the time. I intend to start stretching and standing frequently throughout the day to hopefully improve my health. I can see why Vernikos says those who exercise on a regular basis but then just sit around the rest of the time still have physical issues. It's constant movement that matters most.
The advice part of the book resonated with me, but the link to gravity and all of the scientific discussion around it was a bit too much for me. I found myself thinking that it's really the sedentary lifestyle that is the issue. The link to gravity feels like just a way to make the book a bit more unique. It's an interesting concept but in the end, the key is moving rather than sitting still all the time.
If you're looking for some ideas on how you can live your life in a healthier way every day, Sitting Kills, Moving Heals is a great option. There's also quite a bit focused on those who are physically impaired and how they can use small movements throughout the day to keep healthy.
Vernikos devotes half of her book to the science behind the effects of gravity and its relationship to the sedentary lifestyle common in today's world on Earth. Many modern advances have provided conveniences that mean we don't have to get up and exert ourselves as much as our ancestors did. While technology has produced many benefits, it has also cause many health problems that are associated with less movement. According to Vernikos, exercising a few times a week won't help. It's the little everyday movements that matter. Standing up and sitting down. Walking up and down the stairs. Stretching and moving often throughout the day.
It's an interesting concept and I definitely plan to put some of her suggestions into action. I work at home but I sit in front of my computer most of the time. I intend to start stretching and standing frequently throughout the day to hopefully improve my health. I can see why Vernikos says those who exercise on a regular basis but then just sit around the rest of the time still have physical issues. It's constant movement that matters most.
The advice part of the book resonated with me, but the link to gravity and all of the scientific discussion around it was a bit too much for me. I found myself thinking that it's really the sedentary lifestyle that is the issue. The link to gravity feels like just a way to make the book a bit more unique. It's an interesting concept but in the end, the key is moving rather than sitting still all the time.
If you're looking for some ideas on how you can live your life in a healthier way every day, Sitting Kills, Moving Heals is a great option. There's also quite a bit focused on those who are physically impaired and how they can use small movements throughout the day to keep healthy.
July 17, 2014
Quite a different perspective detailing the importance of achieving a healthy lifestyle. Joan Vernikos, PhD. is the former Director of NASA's Life Sciences Division and uses research from NASA to substantiate key point that activity is a fundamental tool to being healthy. The reader is already aware of the fact that life today with all the modern conveniences does not equate with an active lifestyle. Instead it can foster a more sedentary lifestyle. This book presents a guide to living a natural health-sustaining lifestyle. It advocates returning to the fun activities of our childhood. The underlying theme promoting a health-sustaining lifestyle is one's attitude. Being healthy and taking care of one's body should be our primary, personal responsibility. Reading this book helped me to see the importance of incorporating everyday activities like house cleaning, and gardening into my exercise program. When these everyday activities are added the positive healthy results will be multiplied.
August 24, 2015
I sit WAY too much in a typical day, although I do try to get in three - five hours of formal exercise each week. According to this author, and based on studies related to astronauts returning from weightlessness in space, gravity has a huge role to play in keeping us healthy, and if we oppose gravity by spending too much time in bed or sitting, our muscles and bones deteriorate, and we will have balance and strength problems as we age. The solution? Get up, walking around, stretch, play, swing, do anything to break up the hours and hours of sitting. Great message, but the advice - which was the only part I was really interested in - could have been summarized in a one page article. Lots of information about how cutting edge treatments - using gravity-based principles - could help patients suffering from illnesses such as cerebral palsy, or spinal cord injuries, but not really relevant to the average reader.
December 8, 2013
I don't have a lot to add to what the description and other reviewers have said. I enjoyed the insight into what we take for granted all the time: every cell in our body is designed to interact with gravity; when we change position/posture every cell adjusts. Her recommendations for health seem to boil down to keeping every cell adequately stimulated by gravity. Examples: If you sit at a desk, stretch or hold your elbows certain ways (p.62), change posture several times a day (as in, stand up for 2 minutes every 15 minutes; or go from laying down to standing up 16 times a day--much as Muslim prayers would have one do), stretch, do yoga, dance, play at the playground (swings, seesaws, centrifuge if there is one, gyro gym if there is one…).
September 2, 2016
One of the most important books I have read in a long time. We are meant to be perpetual movement machines. Most of us aren't. We sit all day looking at a screen, come home to relax in front of the TV and then go to sleep. This book demonstrates why it is so important to move, to stand and do it everyday. I use a standing desk at work now, walk more, move more, do yoga and I feel so much better. Really a life changing book.
June 2, 2012
A great insight into why going against our natural instincts is (understandably) harmful to your health. Combines scientific insight with practical steps and plans on how to keep moving in your daily life and don't let the lures of sedentary modern comfort attract you! It's subtitle could have been: how not to end up like the fat people in Wall-E.
May 9, 2015
Read this for our work lit circle. It is full of unsupported, unscientific opinions and I think promises good health for minimal effort to sell books.
In my opinion, eating healthy is most of the battle- maybe 85%, maybe 5% core work- yoga/Pilates and 10% weights and cardio. Anything that promises too much from doing little is just trying to sell you something.
In my opinion, eating healthy is most of the battle- maybe 85%, maybe 5% core work- yoga/Pilates and 10% weights and cardio. Anything that promises too much from doing little is just trying to sell you something.
May 4, 2016
"The human body is designed to be much more physically active than most of us are today.........The state of health in the world is deteriorating. In the US two out of every three people are unhealthy. This alarming trend must be stemmed and reversed, or it will cripple personal health, national vitality, and resources. Something needs to be done."
January 16, 2012
Interesting assessment of what really helps: is it exercise, stretching, balance...and how much and how often? A quick read or flip-through will give you some good ideas for staying healthy and on your feet!
January 16, 2015
This is such an important book - especially for anyone heading towards their 70s and beyond when loss of body muscle impacts health in so many ways. When I was researching for "Eat to Cheat Ageing" this book inspired me. A must read for anyone who wants to live well in their later life.
October 9, 2020
This is an eye-opening book about sitting too much, even if you hit the trail, gym, or rock climb an hour or two a day, you are still in danger. A simple, easy, and very workable solution to move every 20 minutes. Move it! :)
October 16, 2013
I love that this is written by a former NASA scientist.
I may have to be adolescently oppositional and read it while sitting.
I may have to be adolescently oppositional and read it while sitting.
April 23, 2012
A quick read with easy, every day ways in which to keep your body moving, active and healthy.
July 12, 2012
Very interesting, especially to one who loathes the idea of exercise. I've been stretching more. Really.
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