Leadership

Warning: Reading This Blog May be Hazardous to Your Health

By Robert Pagliarini

Updated on: June 2, 2011 / 3:11 PM EDT / MoneyWatch

Investing some of your other 8 hours to this blog, learning, and advancing is critical to creating new wealth and enjoying life, but doing so may be hazardous to your health. So why is this blog dangerous?

What are you doing right this moment? You're reading this blog. What else are you doing? You're sitting. My guess is that you have been (or will be) sitting for quite some time today. And that's the bad news. Too much time sitting and not enough active time is a bad for you. Duh, right?

I consider myself a health nut -- I exercise daily and I scour food labels -- but I was shocked to learn just how good a little bit of exercise can be for you mentally and physically. During my commute, I've been listening to some of the latest research on the benefits of exercise in John Medina's book, Brain Rules.

Why Exercise?

Boosts things like problem-solving, planning and attentional tasks.
Cuts risk of Alzheimer's by 50%.
Strengthens muscles and bones.
Improves long-term memory.
Regulates appetite.
Bolsters the immune system.
Reduces risk for diabetes.
Treats depression.
Reduces risk for cancer.
Cuts risk of stroke in half.
Decreases risk for heart disease.

I knew exercise was good, but come on. This list is incredible. You'll feel better, look better, live longer, and you'll become smarter. But how much exercise do you need? An hour a day? No. At least 45 minutes, right? Nope. Just 30 minutes. Oh, and you only need to exercise two or three days a week to reap these rewards.

So you're looking at just an hour or so a week! If you can't find an hour in an entire week to dedicate to exercise, you don't have to. Try combining several activities into one. For example, take a walk with your family. Bring a book or magazine to the gym. Print copies of your favorite blog and read them on the stationary bike. Make calls while you're on the treadmill. Listen to an audiobook. There's no excuse whatsoever.

You can find an hour a week, even if that means less time reading my blog...

(Caution image by JoelZimmer, CC 2.0)
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