“Sedentary Nation” recalls pivotal moments of the history of physical movement. Despite modernism and the decreasing use of the physical body, the book shows how almost anyone can easily benefit from a program that has a payoff of improved health, youthful look and energy, better sleep, and clearer thinking without the physical toll and battle fatigue that often accompany other approaches to wellbeing and fitness.
Expanding on that, the author details how, as Chinese philosophy explains, you can change your thinking and the body will follow. By sharing knowledge and practices from those he respects the most and cites throughout the book, including Jack LaLanne and Bruce Lee, Sifu Slim describes his own journey of self-mastery. “Sedentary Nation” is the result of several hundred interviews and over a decade of research. It stands as both wellness guide for the busy, modern era and humorous memoir of a life spent living the wellness walk.
Steeped in endearing anecdotes, 'Sedentary Nation' is a fun, yet instructive read. It considers our own human history, sociology, psychology, physiology, anthropology, and need for nature. An added bonus is chapter three which contains what may be the most comprehensive chronological timeline on the history of intentional physical movement.
Through a wide-angle lens, Sifu Slim examines humans through the times of the hunter-gatherers, the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions, and finally the modern couch, desk, and car potatoes. As we live along the curve of indoor, sedentary living and busyness, we seek natural wellness. Through compelling research findings and a look back in time, this book explains the current human condition and the benefits of what we lack most--daily intentional movement. Sifu Slim shares the hybrid program that has allowed him to get up and get outside for some physical movement and recreation and forestall many of the problems of the aging process. When we're done with the chores of our day, we can spend a bit of the day with what has always allowed our species to recover and enjoy some quiet moments--DOWNTIME.
