“Is sitting the new smoking?” This thought-provoking question has made the news a lot, thanks to the work done by Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic. He’s compared the negative health effects of sitting to those of smoking — including higher risks of cancers and heart disease — and described our modern lifestyle of desk jobs and too much screen time as “lethal.”

I couldn’t agree with Dr. Levine more about the human body̵...

The muscle weakness associated with age may, in fact, be more an issue of disuse than an inevitable “side effect” of aging. According to a fascinating study involving 40 “recreational athletes” or “masters athletes” aged 40 to 81, adults who exercise regularly do not experience the muscle atrophy and weakness often associated with age.

This is part of an article by David Goldman R.D. It originally appeared in the Spring 2016 issue of Health Science magazine, the member magazine of the National Health Association.

Everyone needs to be able to sit down and stand up. Performing this movement, called “the squat,” and performing it well, is essential to our independence. Excelling at the squat makes life easier and more enjoyable.

If we are unskilled at the squat, we m...