James A. Levine (1)

It took me awhile to really get reading this book beyond the first few pages, but once I did, I became very interested in the subject of how we all need to keep moving and not be chained to a chair, so I kept reading. The book is written in a very approachable way, and includes humorous anecdotes as well as sobering statistics and reminders of how our society has gotten away from regular physical activity in modern times.

I was struck repeatedly of how the author referred to being show more chair-bound as a sentence, as that is how I’ve referred to my “sentence” many times over the years of being a writer/editor in an IT organization and having to sit still in front of a screen for 8+ hours a day. As I am a company “peon” and not a decision-maker, I don’t see our workplace (in the physical office sense or the climate of allowing movement) changing radically in the foreseeable future. In other words, in order to move more physically during the work day, there is no way to do it at my current workplace other than stopping working altogether and sneaking outdoors for a walk (of course, for security reasons, there is a camera watching the elevators and stairwell doors!). Working within our college town milieu where the economy is depressed other than the university bubble, I would have to quit and take a lower-paying job with fewer benefits if I wanted a position that allowed more physical movement.

I loved the passages on changing the school environment for kids and am going to point a teacher friend to this book who bemoaned how little students are moving physically nowadays.

I also appreciated the end-of-chapter questionnaires that were great food for thought and offered practical tips.

The only thing that gave me pause was the animal research findings referred to. While Dr. Levine did not conduct this study himself, as a cat lover, I had to shudder at the findings from cats that were deprived of light. :(

A great book that inspired me to move more, and in fact, pace back and forth in my home and/or stand while reading passages, as I couldn’t justify sitting to read the whole text! show less

James Levine is a passionate proselytizer for the chairless society. Unfortunately his writing style is somewhat annoying as he tries to convince us of the scientific validity of his ideas with numerous footnotes, but then shifts to a conversational tone with many anecdotes, some rather crude, and many that do not add to his arguments. This makes for an uneven reading experience when, as another reviewer said, why doesn't he just get to the point. But all that said, Levine certainly show more convinces us that almost everyone, ranging from small children to the elderly, sit too much contributing to everything from obesity to mental laziness to children's problems with ADHD. The last chapters list his suggestions for getting us out of our chairs, but again these suggestions are not all that easy to follow and seem to be written for the scientific community which I'm guessing will turn off the general public from following his suggestions. show less

A fun, readable synthesis of the science behind standing desks, written by the person who put all the pieces together into an actionable argument for "getting up". If you have a FitBit or track your calories - read this book. (My favorite take-away: basal metabolic rate accounts for 60 percent of daily energy expenditure in a sedentary person; The thermic effect of food - aka digestion - accounts for 10 percent. The remainder is NEAT - nonexercise activity thermogenesis. That is the bit that show more we can affect via increased movement, which can translate into lower weight and greater overall health. It takes less than you think.) It was interesting to find that this was also a personal success for Dr. Levine - changing his own habits and health provided added incentive for him to persevere in his work. (The mention of his colleagues decreeing him mentally defective because of his research is quite chilling.) I was pleased to see that the extension of his research to the business environment recognized the need to change culture as well as furniture. Examination of how this can be effective in education was thought-provoking. Hard not to read this without ending with a plan to reengineer your home/business office! show less

I did enjoy this book, the author is a bright and funny guy. As a child he would wake himself up every hour at night to track the travel paths of two snails he kept under his bed. What kind of kid does this!? He did this for over two years and got into a prestigious school because of this rigorous study! He was also willing to make himself a human guinea pig for his study on calorie intake that he could not get enough volunteers to apply for which I thought was pretty brave. Sitting too much show more is definitely not good for you, we all know that but James Levine really brought the facts to life in an entertaining way which I enjoyed. I think the most important nugget of knowledge I got from this book is the notion that if we just take a stroll for 15 minutes after each meal our blood sugar will mellow out and does not turn directly to fat like it would if you go back to sitting at your desk or on the couch after that meal. I thought it was interesting that even if you go to the gym and work, work, work it's still better for your blood sugar levels to take a walk after a meal. Interesting stuff told in a common sense way. Recommended. show less