A recent publication from the American Hearth Association (AHA) has reiterated a commonly understood link between sedentary behaviour and heart disease. What's interesting is that they link it to the amount of time we spend in front of our screens. Longitudinal studies among adults show that increases in key indicators of sedentary behavior, including screen time and sitting time, are associated with an increased risk of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular disease. As our screen time continues...

Thanks for sharing Howie! I remember when the articles starting coming out a few years ago claiming "sitting is the new smoking" I was very, very scared. Those of us who work behind a computer know how much time we spend sitting in front of a screen. I can imagine that for young people, it will be even more true when they reach the working world, as they are accustomed to being on their phones/computers in their personal time. Let's hope the future brings some sort of technological advances...

Thanks for sharing. As a mom with an adult son who is now 14 months detoxed from gaming, I can't say enough about how much exercise played a huge part in getting into recovery and continuing it with success for my son. It not only helps with keeping his heart healthy but also gives him the dopamine high he was addicted to with gaming. He is still working hard at keeping the balance as his work in in a maintenance software company doesn't provide the needed movement and cardio. He uses a...

Great article, Howie, thanks for sharing! I agree with Elaine; exercise is so important to get our blood flowing and reduce our risk of developing one of the communicable diseases (e.g. high blood pressure, type II diabetes, etc.). The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) has released physical activity guidelines for adults and children. I think what's important to remember is to incorporate exercise into your daily routine so that you're more likely to stick with it. For example,...

Thank you for posting the links for those guidelines, Tanya.

Thanks for sharing, Howie! I think it's so important to highlight how sedentary behaviour, including screen use, has multiple risks associated with it across different dimensions of wellness. In other discussion threads we've discussed some of the psychosocial risks associated with screen use, and it's also important to highlight some of the physical health risks (as the article you posted suggests). The Canadian Pediatric Society has released a guide for physicians focusing on sedentary...