Friday 29 March 2013

The Comfy Chair?

Because nobody expects...


I'm writing this post lounging like a lounge-lizard on a comfy three-seater sofa. When I'm driving from A to B, I'm sitting in a comfy chair. Basically, I have a cushy life. I go for a walk in the evenings and I go to many music events, but as I'm (a bit of) an information junkie, I spend many happy hours on-line, lounging on my sofa. My bad.

Thanks to technology and energy, many of us have labour-saving devices and horseless carriages. Therefore, many of us don't burn much energy from doing hard physical work and from having to walk everywhere.

Therefore, to maintain energy balance, many of us have to eat little food energy to maintain a reasonable weight and body composition. To get all of the vitamins*, minerals, fibre/fiber etc required for good health from little food energy requires the consumption of foods with high nutrient densities. You know where this is going, don't you?

*Except for Vitamin D, which requires sensible sun exposure between the end of March and the end of September when your shadow is shorter than you are.

If you enjoy irony, see What Did You Expect? Coca-Cola's Newest Anti-Obesity Ad Blames Chairs, Not Coke.

P.S. According to the BBC TV series "QI", the Spanish Inquisition gave thirty days notice of their arrival. Therefore, according to "QI", everybody expected the Spanish Inquisition!

P.P.S. As a cushy life results in muscles burning carbohydrate at a low rate, sedentary people are better-off eating less carbohydrates. See 10 Rules New Low-Carb Dieters Should Follow.

5 comments:

Bill said...

Their defense is laughable. disclaimer: I tend to favor the opposite order-of-events: drinking more cola is the cause of inactivity and obesity, not vice versa.
all best,
Bill

Galina L. said...

I got aware of effects of too much chair-sitting (as an exercise nut), in order to offset it I try to sit more on a floor cross-legged, on a yoga blog in a squat-like position (my yoga instructor advice), computer on a coffee table, on exercise ball, sometimes I place my computer on a kitchen counter-top and read things while standing. When computer is on a counter top, I usually go and check something from time to time while doing something else. On my last work I used an exercise ball for sitting.

Nigel Kinbrum said...

@Bill: Funnily enough, I agree!

@Galina: My G-Plan sofa is so long and comfortable that I can fall asleep on it and sleep for hours.

ProudDaddy said...

My only solution for the sitting problem is to drink a lot of decaf green tea, but I'm not sure how much good results from being forced to get up every hour and take a short walk.

Nigel Kinbrum said...

Same here, but with a different drink. Can you take a longer walk by using a different loo?