Get moving! (the sitting disease)

As Seneca put it, “Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.” . One of the truest quotes ever spoken. Or written for that matter. Especially during these most trying times. With the pandemic and all that entailed, we’ve become static and complacent with our attitudes and outright lack of movement. We need to MOVE. It is being referred to as, “The Sitting Disease”, and it’s considered more dangerous than even smoking. The stats speak for themselves.

From Ryan Holiday’s, “Alive Time Challenge” email on the very first day…

***Before this epidemic, scientists have been banging on the doors about a different kind of disease plaguing the globe: the “sitting disease,” as they refer to it. “Sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV and is more treacherous than parachuting,” director of the Mayo Clinic Dr. James Levine says. “We are sitting ourselves to death.” 1 in 4 Americans sit for more than 8 hours a day. Only 4% spend less than 4 hours a day sitting. People who spend more than 6 hours per day sitting have a 71% increase in mortality rate and a 147% increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease. We wonder why we’re unhappy; being sedentary for 7 hours a day increases risk of depression by 47%.***

After reading those stats and doing a bit of my own research it stands to reason that we NEED to get off our collective asses and get MOVING. During the several months I was in lockdown I still kept in shape (I’m a bit of a gym rat) and did what I could to keep moving. It wasn’t easy mind you. That little voice in my head kept trying to get me to stay put, but the mental toll, on top of the lockdown situation…would’ve been devastating t say the least.

Now with whatever the “New normal” brings it is even more important to keep and or get MOVING. If you sat back and took the ride through the lockdown…get out there! If you were like me and did what you could…DON’T STOP. It is more important than ever to get/keep moving. If for any reason, to set the example for our youth who have (even before the pandemic) taken the low road more traveled.

I hope this post reached you in good health and fortune.

With gratitude, Kevin “Doc” Burgess