“The book that will change your life by giving you a new mindset.”
Ten things you will learn in Sedentary Nation.
1. New Studies, Always New Studies
Have you “had it” with the latest studies? You’re already on information overload anyway.
Most studies are produced by a giant industry that seems to flourish the unhealthier we become. Our ancestors didn’t need a new study to teach them that physical movement meant health and wealth. Few of the practical answers come from the overabundance of health and diet research studies. In fact, for about 6 million years, no one needed them. Wisdom got handed down. Has any “latest study” reduced the downward spiral of our unhealthful, sedentary lives? If you looked at the two piles of research on the science of medicine and wellness, pre-1970’s would look like a two-story duplex while the post-1970’s pile would climb higher than Jack’s beanstalk. If I ever get around to writing a book on that, I may call it The Tale of The Duplex and The Beanstalk. The problem is people will want to read it sitting on their couches. Better they spend more time off the couch.
2. Hunter-Gatherers knew what worked. For about 6 million years, upright walking hominines moved their bodies in meaningful ways. The hunter-gatherers knew that movement brought food and joy. Be stress free, adopt the way of the hunter-gatherers–move.
3. Wisdom of the ages. Your ancestors are laughing at lots of you. They can’t believe you have accepted to live in sedentary positions when movement is so invigorating and keeps us looking our sexy best. Wellness comes from the proper mindset, daily activity, good food, and good rest. When’s the last time you listened to the wisdom of your ancestors?.
4. Wellness is not a drop-in class. Why do so many think they can move or not move depending on their mood of the day? Movement sets everything up to function. The early-bird special is the best deal. Get some movement and fitness out of the way before the day of busyness begins.
5. Maintenance is how we care for our property. Our bodies and minds are our most valuable property. Care for them as well as you care for your pets, car, and home.
6. Wellness is not a separate part of the day. Wellness is a lifestyle. The history of humankind reveals a physical and dietary program that was rarely a separate part of the day. It was an integral part. That’s the philosophy that kept human types fit and well for millions of years before we became desk, couch, and car potatoes, and agreed to the supersizing of our food and drinks. People used to eat food from nature, not man-made concoctions from boxes, bags, and cans.
7. Our ancestors weren’t ‘wired’. Our ancestors may have been exhausted at times but they were rarely ‘wired’ like so many of us are after long days in the digital world. They didn’t need pills to go to sleep; their tired bodies told them to head to bed within a few hours after dinner. They weren’t flipping channels or surfing the Net until late at night.
8. Stress is a modern pandemic. It’s not because life is tougher these days than at other points in history. A big part of it is our inability to sleep properly. Proper sleep reduces stress and indigestion. Insufficient, excessive, or unsound sleep causes a myriad of problems including nervous tension and depression. Improper diet and exercise negatively impact our sleep patterns. Did you know that counseling centers at modern universities have reported lines of students waiting for psychological appointments? Did you know that today, many students are wired and sedentary? Is all that worth it for uncertain job prospects? No matter what you think about the future, fitness is still free and is a great curative and restorative.
9. The Post Industrial Revolution Breakdown. Since the advent of the post-Industrial Revolution service economy, we have continued to prepare ourselves for breakdown. We are getting ahead to get behind, and getting much bigger behinds. The mid-20th century parents were the first large group of humans to witness how the evolution of the human species started to degrade for the first time in history. They saw it happening to their offspring, and to themselves. What do you call it? Couch potato syndrome? Desk potato disorder? Car potato calamity? How about just ‘chosen sedentism’?
10. Overworked and Under Recreated. Sedentism has little to do with distaste of exercise or lack of athleticism. More often it’s the result of being overworked and under-recreated. Many simply suffer an addiction to an immobile lifestyle that comes from a broken pattern and a flawed mindset, two things that gain power until the human organism’s entire wellness system collapses. There are so many rapid-paced personal improvement programs. Mine is different in that I offer a simple, step-by-step program for busy people with highly-programmed lives: Fitness and wellness with no gym required and a natural chemical euphoria with no side effects.
