Culture

THE NEW WAY TO LOOK AT EDUCATION

Are our kids sitting too much? (Are we?)

CJ Westerberg, June 20, 2011 6:29 PM

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"What's particularly interesting about recent research is the revelation
that sitting for extended periods of time does significant damage
to human health that cannot be undone by exercising
."

-CNN

Sitting.  Start them young.  From school to  . . .

by C.J. Westerberg

Those who follow The Daily Riff know how strongly we believe that as responsible adults,
we should be modeling and allowing for healthy behavior, which include physical activity
as an integral (let alone daily)  part of being a human being.  In school and out.  We know
the reasons for the increased incidence of obesity, heart disease and diabetes with even
our youngest. 

Then why are we still sitting more?

This latest report from CNN, "Sitting for hours can shave years off life" - with excerpts and video below - takes it a step further.  To think how much our kids sit all day in school .  . .
wow.

As I sit and watch Wimbledon while I write this (as you wonder why my grammar may fail me on occasion, as I attempt to multi-task a post, and am horrified sometimes later), it reminds me why I have to unwire more often, stand more often while online, along with a host of other things.  I am thankful that I learned early on in life (with an athletic and tennis-obsessed family), if I get blue, it's usually because I'm sitting on my butt too much, even if with intellectual pursuits. 
". . . and instill the love of moving."
-C.J. Westerberg

In any event, with these following words, enjoy the weekend with fresh air and complete guilt-free time-liberated physical freedom.  Hit or kick a ball, somewhere.  Preferably, with your kids, and instill the love of moving.  The CNN excerpt:

"Sitting too much will probably shorten your life.
That might sound ridiculous -- or obvious -- depending on your perspective, but the findings don't come from a fringe study. They come from the American Cancer Society, whose researchers studied 123,216 people's health outcomes during a 14-year period.

In particular, the American Cancer Society study finds that women who sit for more than six hours a day were about 40% more likely to die during the course of the study than those who sat fewer than three hours per day. Men were about 20% more likely to die.

That large study focused on the numbers of people who died. Other studies have focused on specific conditions affecting the most Americans, things such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and depression. In those studies, too, extended periods of sitting increased risks of illness."

Let the five-hour Wimbledon tennis matches (with plenty of training before and after), inspire more than the ten-minute stretch in your day.  Wimbledon Video below:




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For most of my career, I was an awful listener in almost every possible way. I was arrogant throughout my 30s for sure--maybe into my early 40s. My conversations were all about some concept of intellectual winning and "I'm going to prove I'm smarter than you."
Kevin Sharer, Amgen CEO, Why I'm a Listener
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