Is Sitting in a Sauna Exercise Without Exercising?
Passive heat exposure is an ancient tradition found across many cultures, from the sweat lodges of Native Americans to the Finnish sauna. This practice continues evolving, and now includes steam ro...
Do Supplements Extend Life? No, But We Know What Does. And by How Long.
There's a good deal of interest in living longer, healthier lives, especially in the United States. How great an interest? Well, the U.S. market for dietary supplements is around $70 billion a year...
How Plants Control Humans: The Coffee Bean, Caffeine & You
Caffeine is perhaps the most brilliant bit of alchemy plants ever performed, but it took them a while. This little molecule was added to plants’ pharmacopeia just a few million years ago, an eyebli...
Exercise is Good and Sitting is Bad. But What Matters Most?
When epidemiologists study things that lead to longer lives, a clear pattern shows up: moving more buys you roughly twice as many life‑years as sitting less. But there is a catch. Exercise takes ti...
Chocolate Is a Health Food, But Only If You Hate Chocolate
Chocolate was a recent addition to the Western diet, but today has a devoted following: the average American eats about a pound of chocolate a month, a habit that adds up to nearly $200 (and 50,000...
Are the Elderly Supposed to be Overweight and Hypertensive?
Most people gain fat and lose muscle as they age. One framing has been that "Old people are fat and weak because they don't spend enough time at the gym!". But these anatomic changes are simply t...
The Lost Art of Walking: Paleolithic Walking and Why Terrain Matters
We’ve been hunter-gathers for almost all of our history, and walking is our signature move. It’s therefore not surprising that walking is among the best forms of exercise for humans, keeping our mu...
Tech Neck Isn’t Bad Habit You Need to Fix. It’s a Postural Pandemic Affecting Us All
Tech neck isn’t a personal failure—it’s a predictable response to how we work and live today. Forward head posture is a natural position that becomes harmful only when it turns into a default. Unde...
Grip Strength, One Leg Standing, and the Sit to Stand Test Three simple, at home tests provide insight into how long, and how well, we’re likely to live. Fortunately, our futures are not immutable,...
Tai Chi is an ancient practice long believed to have health benefits, a view that has been confirmed in over a thousand peer reviewed studies over the last two decades. Modern research methods find...
For most of history, humans were just another fragile primate, clinging to survival in Africa. Yet three unexpected abilities—intelligence, throwing, and sweating—pushed us from the brink of extinc...
The Surprising Downsides of Swapping Your Office Chair for a Yoga Ball
Yoga balls may seem like a healthy alternative to office chairs, but research shows they offer no real benefits and some drawbacks. Fortunately, better solutions for healthier sitting do exist.
Sitting Isn’t as Bad as We Thought: It’s Worse
Sitting isn’t just bad for your posture—it may harm your heart, metabolism, and even your brain. Learn why movement matters, and how small changes—like active sitting—could make a big difference.
Lumbar support isn’t ergonomic salvation—it’s a marketing gimmick born from Herman Miller’s Aeron chair. Forcing spines into ‘90-90-90’ contortions creates pain; freeing knees below hips restores n...
Are Office Chairs Really “One Size Fits All”?
The short answer is no. Because people come in such a wide range of sizes, the 5 inches of height adjustment available in office chair can’t possibly accommodate all people. So, the real question i...
The Evolution of Posture and the Origins of Back Pain: a Return to Primal Posture
It’s been argued that our back pain shows that evolution hasn’t yet completed our transition to upright posture. But this isn’t right. Rather, it is our failure to use our spines as intended that i...
A Doctor Explains “Dead Butt” Syndrome
As a physician I winced when I first heard the name “dead butt syndrome”. Actually, I still do. But, as a lifelong medical researcher who occasionally strays onto the internet, I get it. If you wan...
Why Can’t Physiotherapists Agree on the Best Seated Posture?
Physiotherapists often debate the "best" seated posture, but research suggests there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. The key is movement. Dynamic sitting—frequent shifts in position—helps reduc...
Now On Our Health Food Menu: Ice Cream topped with Maple Syrup?
The Obesity EpidemicEpidemiologists agree that America is facing an obesity crisis. Three-quarters of U.S. adults are now overweight or obese1, and about one in five children are obese.2 There are ...
How and Why to Move More, While Sitting.
Sitting still all day can harm your health, even if you exercise. Try active sitting with an unstable chair or a wobble board to keep your muscles engaged. It’s an easy way to boost movement, impro...
“Hunchback”: A Silent Epidemic and Posture as Prevention
Avoiding or improving a hunched back simply requires that we adopt a new spinal posture. But, because postural muscles are fundamentally different than normal muscles, changing one’s habitual spina...
Running Is One More Thing Where Less Is More: Is there such a thing as too much running?
Exercise is well known for its health benefits, but recent research suggests that when it comes to running, less may be more. Studies show that light jogging—just a few hours per week at a slow pac...
The obesity epidemic has surged over the past 50 years, with over 40% of Americans now classified as obese. This rise is linked to the increased consumption of ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks,...
Golf, tracing back to ancient Rome, gained popularity in 15th century Scotland. Today, 40 million Americans play golf, continually aiming to improve their game. A key aspect of golf mastery is core...