More on Sitting All Day Being Harmful for Your Health

Just read a great article with lots of information on research done regarding the dangers of sitting all day rather than standing or moving.  Written by Dr. James A. Levine of the Mayo Clinic, the article is entitled, "The Extreme Dangers of Sitting," and it's worth the read.

One big thing that stuck with me:  you will spend THREE times the energy standing instead of sitting.  So, using that standing desk without anything more means you're tripling your energy output.

So, even if you're not into a standing desk because it's fun or it's cool (remember, Ernest Hemingway wrote from a standing desk), think about this:  you might just lose some lbs and never have to go to the gym, never have to break a sweat.

Now, that's a scoop, right?

Oh, and one other thing from this study that stuck with me:  a nice evening constitutional for an hour, where you walk to enjoy the scenery and let the dog sniff the tree trunks, will expend the same amount of calories as if you were to take a ramped-up 30 minute power walk. Sweet. 

I'm off to walk the dog!

The Dangers of Sitting Too Much - It Can Kill You

This graphic demonstrates the dangers of sitting at your desk too much and too long.

I've started using a standing desk for a least a part of my work day, and I really enjoy it.  A friend told me that Ernest Hemingway always used as standing desk and I found this photo of Hemingway posing next to his standing desk (here) - cool, right? 

Me, I wasn't influenced by Ernest Hemingway.  It was much more basic:  I got the standing desk because I didn't like sitting at the keyboard for long periods of time (in the words of author Robin Lee Hatcher, I was getting "numb butt"). 

I also appreciate the warnings that are now coming out like this one at Boing Boing:  sitting without getting up for breaks is bad for your body. As in, sitting for many hours at a time, as a routine practice, is extremely bad for you and causes all sorts of problems with your gastrointestinal system, your heart, and other things.  Beware.

So, standing desk or not, get up if you're at a computer right now and move - or at least, stand. 

Walking 6 Miles a Week Keeps Your Brain Healthy

In today's Natural News, there is a great article summarizing the latest studies on walking and its impact on memory function (and aging, and preventing Alzheimer's Disease or dementia).  Great thing to learn from it: walking 6 miles a week is a major health benefit.  That's not that much, is it? 

Of course, they report that 9 is even better than 6, and there's discussion of "brisk" walking - is it "brisk" walking when my dogs are pulling me along at a semi-run, because they've got a scent on the trail?  Sure feels brisk, lemme tell ya. 

How to keep track of that mileage?  I use a fabulous pedometer: the Omron HJ-112.  It's not that costly, but it is pricer than the $5 pedometers at WalMart.  I keep it in my pocket and if it's not accurate enough for NASA, it's accurate enough for me - I think it comes darn close, based on the trail markers. 

How many steps equal 6 miles?  I've always heard that while each person is different, it's a safe estimate that 2000 steps equals one mile of walking.  So, 6 miles?  12,000 steps a week. 

You can do that.  Yes, you can.  No one says it has to be 6 miles at a time, you could do half a mile in the morning, half in the evening every day but Sunday and get this done.  Maybe park farther away from the office? store entrance? 

Or, take a morning and evening constitutional.  Doesn't that sound sophisticated - "I'm taking my morning constitutional" just means more than "I'm off for a walk."  You're almost British, maybe Bostonian.  You might start wanting to wear tweed.

Seriously. Boost up your walking during the day if you're not hitting this target already.  Your brain will thank you for it -- and walking is great, especially in pretty places. 

Natural Anti-Inflammatories: What is Inflammation? Do You Have to Take a Pill for It? (Yes, Fine. I Hurt My Foot.)

Inflammation is your body's reaction to an injury -- it's the protection implemented by your own internal system to thwart whatever is hurting it and thereafter to initiate healing. It can be internal or external. 

Inflammation moves blood to the injury site, and there's usually swelling.  And for acute inflammation, there's pain -- which isn't necessarily bad: pain keeps you from moving the injury, giving the body time to heal the site.  Only problem is that pain, well, hurts. 

Inflammation is needed for any wound (or infection) to heal.  However, when it turns into chronic inflammation then it can become a problem, inviting disease (from hay fever allegies and heart disease to rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer's).  Things like diet are a consideration when fighting against chronic inflammation (more below).

Popping Pills for Inflammation

The common practice for inflammation is to pop a pill - take an aspirin, or one of the newer anti-inflammatories, the NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).  You may know them as aspirin (Bayer, etc.), naproxin (Aleve), or ibuprofin (Advil, Motrin, or Tylenol).  NSAIDs are used to treat inflammation, as well as combat pain and lower fever.

There's lots of talk about these pills causing lots of problems on their own, things like a bleeding stomach and ulcers.  So, how to avoid them when you're fighting inflammation?  Can you? 

Natural Anti-Infammatories

Sure. There are several natural alternatives to NSAIDs that are proven anti-inflammatories.  They include (for a much longer list of herbs, spices, and foods that are natural antiinflammatories, go here):

Cayenne Pepper (Capsaicin)

You can find these creams alongside BenGay, IcyHot, and the other tubes of pain relief next to the Ace Bandage display at your local drug store.  These have a small amount of cayenne pepper in them, and it's been proven that rubbing capsaicin into sore muscles and joints can stop pain. 

Ginger

Again, studies have shown that ginger is a very effective anti-inflammatory.  In fact, some have found ginger to be more effective than aspirin (wow).   Make ginger tea, buy an organic hand of fresh ginger, take a finger and peel it, then drop the peeled ginger into a pot of boiling water to steep. 



Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Your entire diet can be targeted toward fighting inflammation.  Dr. Andrew Weil outlines an anti-inflammatory diet on his web site. 

Over at WebMD, Russell Greenfield, MD, a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, discusses the impact of chronic (or constant) inflammation and how it's known to be a big contributor to certain diseases, including arthritis, as well as some cancers, as well as heart disease and possible Alzheimer's Disease.  An out-of-balance diet, with too few omega-3 fatty acids, and too much omega-6 fatty acids (in other words, the processed food and fast food diet of most Americans) can cause chronic inflamation - and the person will not even know it.  Eww, right? 

Don't Forget RICE!

Additionally, for injuries (acute inflammation) consider the practical aspects of RICE -- you don't injest a thing.  Instead, you Rest (R) the injured arm, leg, foot, whatever; you put Ice on it (I); you wrap or bandage the site, called Compression (C) and you keep the injured limb immobilized and elevated, Elevation(E). 

What Happened?  I Hurt My Foot on the Trail. 

Okay, what brought this on?  Well, fine.  While on the trails with the pups, I injured my foot.  While being all foot-proud about my new bouncey help-you-butt shoes, the official name of which I won't be providing but you know what I'm talking about, right? 

Tendon pulled, not torn.  Gonna take weeks to heal, and at first this hurt like a big dog.  Now, I know all about tendons and the importance of wearing good shoes. 

And I've discovered that I love ginger tea (I add an organic green tea bag to the pot, so I suppose it's really green tea with ginger).  And yes, I think that the ginger has helped.  Quite a bit, actually.

Doctor Mark Hyman Decries Conventional Medicine in HuffPo: The Rising Awareness of Lifestyle Medicine

Dr. Mark Hyman (M.D.) practices medicine and writes bestselling books (he's made the New York Times Bestsellers list four times so far). Dr. Hyman also founded The Ultra Wellness Center, and is considered to be a world-wide leader in "functional medicine" - so when he writes an article for the Huffington Post (the top blog in the country per Technorati), people pay attention. 

The article is entitled, "Millions Die Due to Withheld Medical Treatment" and if you can't read it at the link (it will be archived at some point), feel free to check Dr. Hyman's website or contact me -- I've saved a copy in OneNote because I don't want to lose it.)

Practicing Physician Claims Conventional Medicine Corrupted by Greed

You should, too.  Why?  Because Dr. Hyman is standing up against a huge contingent of his peers when he writes that conventional medicine today is corrupt: that by its co-dependence upon the big pharmaceutical companies, the true cures for such major diseases as diabetes and heart disease lies in lifestyle medicine. 

What is Lifestyle Medicine?

Since lifestyle medicine isn't as profitable as conventional methods, it's being ignored according to Dr. Hyman and the result is akin to the Tuskegee Experiments of the 1920s (and if you don't know about this  horror, it's worth your time to stop and read what Dr. Hyman's written - just to learn about this).  

Dr. Hyman's providing lots of information on the web to help people - his website is great, so is the UltraWellness Center.  For example, check out his free series of articles online, "7 Keys to Ultrawellness."  Great stuff in here. 

Lifestyle Medicine Incorporates Simple Living.  Wow. 

Dr. Hyman promotes many of the things that simplifiers value.  Things like eating whole, fresh, organic foods.  Foods that you cook yourself in ovens and on stovetops.  Avoiding bad stuff like high fructose corn syrup and mercury.  Exercising.  Getting enough rest.  Avoiding stress.  Drinking lots of good water.  Taking vitamins. Taking herbs, too. Understanding detoxification. (Did you know that internalized stress can make you fat? Wow.) 

Want to Learn More About Lifestyle Medicine?

To learn more, check out his personal site or Dr. Hyman's UltraWellness website (where he offers a free ebook and lotsa free videos), follow him on Twitter (http://twitter.com/markhymanmd), or surf around for "lifestyle medicine" where you'll find good sites to learn from, including: 

American College of Lifestyle Medicine
Harvard Medical School's Lifestyle Medicine Institute
The Institute of Lifestyle Medicine

Flip Flops Can Seriously Injure Your Feet - Beware!!!

Flip flops are fun, and right now they're so popular.  Creative spins on how to make a pair of very basic sandals unique abound - buy them, make them - and they're a great choice of summer foot wear for the whole family. 

Except flip flops can seriously, seriously injure your feet and cause you major pain. 

Dear Reader, it happened to me.  I had a beloved and growing collection of flip flops.  Different colors, shiny, sequined, bowed!  Here in San Antonio, it's perfect flip flop weather -- for almost the entire year, these shoes are a footwear option.  Heck, all year long when you're indoors. 

And, they're so simple.  Not expensive (tho you can pay a high price for some, if you choose to do so).  Unique, creative.  Fun.  And, your pretty toenail polish gets to show itself off, to boot. 

Until last year, when my excessive Flip Flop Fashion resulted in foot pain so intense that I had trouble standing - my mother would have diagnosed "fallen arches."  You may recognize the condition as "plantar fascitis." I had torn ligaments in my right foot by walking for so long in poor footwear.

Choosing Summer Sandals - You Can Have Flip Flops, But You Must Be Picky

Recognizing the greatness of the Flip Flop, the American Podiatric Medical Association hasn't prescribed an outright ban of this type of shoe.  Instead, they've issued a Tip Sheet on which Flip Flops to buy, and they even recommend a brand or two:  SOLE and Orthaheel. 

When I was in such pain (and I'm talking PAIN here, folks - Plantar Fascitis isn't for sillies), Birkenstocks were recommended to me.  I was sold on them the minute I walked - make that hobbled - into the local Birki store, and tried on a pair.  I could feel the support immediately.  Amazing difference. 

I've been sold on Birkenstocks ever since, just from the store experience, but I've gone on to learn much more about the brand.  They originated in Germany back in the 1700s, and they've been around ever since.

Sure, some Birkenstocks are ... well ... ugly.  I love them, but that Arizona model is just Not Cute.  Have horrific foot pain, you don't care.  Get to feeling better, and you miss those Glow-in-the-Dark Floral Flip Flops of old....

Luckily, Birkenstock has come out with a lot of variety, and I'm pleased with the newer versions.  And, I found an online store where I can get Birkis for a great price -- Birkenstocksd.com.    Such great deals that I almost stopped from sharing this link with you Dear Reader -- but that would be wrong.  Right?

Image:  Oasis Flip Flops, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

Walking - It's More Than You Think: The Art of Walking

Living simply means discovering things you put aside in your consumer/materialism/rat-race life, and one of those great, great discoveries for me was walking. 

Not just walking down the street, though I live in a very pretty, tree-filled neighborhood.  Walking in nature, sometimes with friends and sometimes not, and always with dogs.  There's something wonderous and magical about it - the quiet, the beauty, the peacefulness.  It's medicinal, it's refreshing, it's wonderous.

Today is Sunday.  Maybe you have to drive to find Nature.  So do it.  Take some bottled water and some fruit, maybe a bag of nuts.  Your dogs, your kids, yourself.  Maybe your journal, maybe your camera.  Just GO. 

Learn what walking in Nature will give you.

I'm not the only one who's discovered this.  Henry David Thoreau used to go around giving lectures on the benefits of taking long walks, and after awhile, he took those lectures and published an essay entitled (simply) "Walking."  It's in the public domain now, and you can read it in its entirety online. 

(For more on walking, check out the American Volkssport Association as well as the Top Ten Walks (Walking Trails) in the USA for 2009.  )

Now, back to Walking.  Here's how Mr. Thoreau starts off:

I wish to speak a word for Nature, for absolute freedom and wildness, as contrasted with a freedom and culture merely civil--to regard man as an inhabitant, or a part and parcel of Nature, rather than a member of society. I wish to make an extreme statement, if so I may make an emphatic one, for there are enough champions of civilization: the minister and the school committee and every one of you will take care of that.

Free Pedometer - Thru 01/31/07

Over at MyHeartNow.Com, you are rewarded with a free pedometer if you take the time to answer a short survey at their site.

Compare this to the ones at Walmart for $15.00 or more. The offer is good through the end of this month - the pedometers are provided by Pfizer.

And, about that walking you're going to be doing: while the pedometer will guessestimate your steps/mile, you should know that one mile is the same as 5280 feet. While everyone's stride is unique, unless you're Tim Duncan or Bindi Erwin your stride is going to cover about 2.5 feet, or 2112 steps. (My pedometer is right around this: one mile is shown at 2102 steps.)

For lots more info on walking, check out thewalkingsite.com, aarp.org, and walkinginfo.org.

Finally, this post would not be complete without including a jump to Thoreau's essay -- Walking, which is such a treasure. Many things to ponder there while you're taking step after step:

"But the walking of which I speak has nothing in it akin to taking exercise, as it is called, as the sick take medicine at stated hours — as the swinging of dumb-bells or chairs; but is itself the enterprise and adventure of the day. If you would get exercise go in search of the springs of life. Think of a man’s swinging dumb-bells for his health, when those springs are bubbling up in far off pastures unsought by him. Moreover, you must walk like a camel which is said to be the only beast which ruminates when walking. When a traveller asked Wordsworth’s servant to show him her master’s study, she answered 'Here is his library, but his study is out of doors.'"