Stand Up & Be Healthier

A recent book called “The First 20 Minutes” has information on how to exercise more effectively. A theme of the book is that we don’t need to do a lot of exercise nor do we need to exercise hard to be healthier. Some quotes from an interview of the author I like:

“The science is really clear that [sitting] is very unhealthy, and that it promotes all sorts of disease. All you have to do to ameliorate that is to stand up. You don’t even have to move.”

“One of the biggest misconceptions is that exercise has to be hard, that exercise means marathon running or riding your bike for three hours or doing something really strenuous. That’s untrue and, I think, discourages a lot of people from exercising. If you walk, your body registers that as motion, and you get all sorts of physiological changes that result in better health.”

The author has changed her approach to fitness, including not stretching before a workout, only drinking when thirsty and eliminating sit-ups. Kinda interesting.

“It validated some of the things I was already doing, like not stretching before a workout, which I always hated doing. I hated sit-ups and found out they were bad for your back. I was pleased to learn that. It has changed how I approach hydration in exercise. Now I drink when I’m thirsty, and it seems to be completely fine.”