Jeff Davidson's Blog, page 9
July 2, 2019
Sitting is too Long is Hazardous
An excerpt from an article in The Week
"If you work at a desk, you should get up on your feet for at least two hours a day to avoid the serious health consequences of prolonged sitting, a panel of scientists has recommended. The average office worker sits for 10 hours a day, then heads home to spend the evening glued to a television or computer screen.
A growing body of research has found that hours of sitting triggers a destructive chain reaction in the body, slowing metabolism, altering hormones, raising cholesterol, and weakening muscles; over time, the result is heightened risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, weight gain, cancer, and a shortened life. Scientists say, in fact, that prolonged sitting does as much health damage as smoking cigarettes. And the negative effects of eight to 10 hours at a desk can’t be undone by exercising before or afterward."
"If you work at a desk, you should get up on your feet for at least two hours a day to avoid the serious health consequences of prolonged sitting, a panel of scientists has recommended. The average office worker sits for 10 hours a day, then heads home to spend the evening glued to a television or computer screen.
A growing body of research has found that hours of sitting triggers a destructive chain reaction in the body, slowing metabolism, altering hormones, raising cholesterol, and weakening muscles; over time, the result is heightened risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, weight gain, cancer, and a shortened life. Scientists say, in fact, that prolonged sitting does as much health damage as smoking cigarettes. And the negative effects of eight to 10 hours at a desk can’t be undone by exercising before or afterward."
June 28, 2019
Slowing Down is Good for You
Joseph Bailey in his book “Slowing Down to the Speed of Life,” has some profound observations. “My enjoyment of life has everything to do with being ‘in the moment’ and that the only thing that keeps me (or anyone) from being fully in the moment is our misunderstanding of the nature of our own thinking -- how it pulls us away from the moment, confuses us, and stresses us."
"I realized that everything I ever needed is right here, right now -- as long as my thinking doesn't carry me away from this moment. I learned that there is nothing in the future to rush off to that can offer me anything more than this precious moment that you and I are in every instant. I realized that, more often than not, my mind is somewhere else -- a past regret or a future worry, anywhere other than right here."
"My first reaction to this insight was to feel a deep sense of peace. I felt like I did in the happiest days of my childhood. I felt relaxed, at peace, fulfilled, satisfied. At the same time, however, this message made me uncomfortable for two reasons. First, it was too simple. The answer had been right under my nose all my life."
"Why had I been searching so hard and stressing myself out in the process? I felt stupid and foolish. Second, as a teacher in my field, I felt not only that I had misled myself by running on the treadmill, but that I had done the same to hundreds of clients and professional colleagues as well. We had all been innocently searching outside of ourselves.”
"I realized that everything I ever needed is right here, right now -- as long as my thinking doesn't carry me away from this moment. I learned that there is nothing in the future to rush off to that can offer me anything more than this precious moment that you and I are in every instant. I realized that, more often than not, my mind is somewhere else -- a past regret or a future worry, anywhere other than right here."
"My first reaction to this insight was to feel a deep sense of peace. I felt like I did in the happiest days of my childhood. I felt relaxed, at peace, fulfilled, satisfied. At the same time, however, this message made me uncomfortable for two reasons. First, it was too simple. The answer had been right under my nose all my life."
"Why had I been searching so hard and stressing myself out in the process? I felt stupid and foolish. Second, as a teacher in my field, I felt not only that I had misled myself by running on the treadmill, but that I had done the same to hundreds of clients and professional colleagues as well. We had all been innocently searching outside of ourselves.”
June 18, 2019
Yoga Poses both Risk and Rewards
The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards by William J. Broad is a book that explains why yoga, as beneficial as it can be in some respects, can also lead to some undesirable results.
June 8, 2019
Stay Healthier: Save More
I first wrote about this phenomena in 1989 in the 1st edition of
Breathing Space
, and it is confirmed by a study: "More workers who make saving a habit report better health than those who do not. And it's not just about having a high income."
"People who save money out of habit are more confident about retirement and better prepared financially, as you might expect. But there’s a sleeper benefit, new research shows. Consistent savers also are in better health -- no small matter as longevity stretches out life spans and means you likely will live in retirement more years than you did in childhood."
"People who save money out of habit are more confident about retirement and better prepared financially, as you might expect. But there’s a sleeper benefit, new research shows. Consistent savers also are in better health -- no small matter as longevity stretches out life spans and means you likely will live in retirement more years than you did in childhood."
June 3, 2019
Obesity Can Actually Spread!
According to a New York Times article and since backed up by other research, "Obesity can spread from person to person, much like a virus, researchers are reporting today. When one person gains weight, close friends tend to gain weight, too."
Hmmm, what does that mean in terms of our social circles?
Hmmm, what does that mean in terms of our social circles?
May 26, 2019
Public Discourse and Disclosure
A report from the Associated Press is distressing. "We're the YouTube Generation, living in the YouTube Era, in a YouTube World. And now we apparently have a YouTube Divorce. Some prominent New York divorce lawyers couldn't think of another case where a spouse -- in this instance, the wife of a major Broadway theater operator -- had taken to YouTube to spill the secrets of a marriage in an apparent effort to gain leverage and humiliate the other side."
"This is absolutely a new step, and I think it's scary," said Bonnie Rabin, a divorce lawyer who has handled high-profile cases. "People used to worry about getting on page six of the New York Post, the gossip page. But this? It brings the concept of humiliation to a whole new level."
Jeff's take: if only it would stop here. From high school beatings, to beheadings, to crime sprees, to what have you, the level of public discourse and disclosure is taking some severe and sordid turns. Should we all now tread as if candid camera is lurking around every corner?
"This is absolutely a new step, and I think it's scary," said Bonnie Rabin, a divorce lawyer who has handled high-profile cases. "People used to worry about getting on page six of the New York Post, the gossip page. But this? It brings the concept of humiliation to a whole new level."
Jeff's take: if only it would stop here. From high school beatings, to beheadings, to crime sprees, to what have you, the level of public discourse and disclosure is taking some severe and sordid turns. Should we all now tread as if candid camera is lurking around every corner?
May 16, 2019
Deluged by Over-Information
As reported in the Atlantic Monthly, "...two researchers, both then at Carnegie Mellon, decided to calculate how much time it would take to actually read every privacy policy you should." The conclusion reading the software privacy policies you encounter in the course of a year would require 76 work days.
May 14, 2019
Birth and Death, and In Between
Here are some motes from What to Do Between Birth and Death: The Art of Growing Up, by Charles Spezzano, Ph.D. (William Morrow):
* You don't really pay for things with money. You pay for them with time. "In five years, I'll have put enough away to buy that vacation house we want. Then I'll slow down or get out of this business altogether." Okay, that means the house will cost you five years. That's one-twelfth of your adult life.
* Translate the dollar value of the car or the house or anything else into time, and then see if it's still worth it. Sometimes you can't do what you want and have what you want at once because each requires a different expenditure of time. Those are the moments when you have to think of the cost of the thing in terms of time and not dollars.
* The phrase "spending your time" is not a metaphor. It's how life works.
* You don't really pay for things with money. You pay for them with time. "In five years, I'll have put enough away to buy that vacation house we want. Then I'll slow down or get out of this business altogether." Okay, that means the house will cost you five years. That's one-twelfth of your adult life.
* Translate the dollar value of the car or the house or anything else into time, and then see if it's still worth it. Sometimes you can't do what you want and have what you want at once because each requires a different expenditure of time. Those are the moments when you have to think of the cost of the thing in terms of time and not dollars.
* The phrase "spending your time" is not a metaphor. It's how life works.
May 5, 2019
Will Generalists Again Rule?
"We have become a society of specialists," writes Vikram Mansharamani, a lecturer at Yale University. "Business thinkers point to 'domain expertise' as an enduring source of advantage in today's competitive environment. The logic is straightforward: learn more about your function, acquire 'expert' status, and you'll go further in your career. But what if this approach is no longer valid?"
April 26, 2019
Aromatherapy for All
A study found "that sniffing lavender oil before bedtime was just as effective as sleep medication" for some insomniacs. "The oil may reduce the time it takes to fall asleep as well as the need for sleeping pills," says Dr. Alan Hirsch, the founder and neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.
