Experts disagree – slow down or speed up?
In The Joy of Laziness: How to Slow Down and Live Longer, Dr. Peter Axt, says everybody has a limited amount of “life energy” and that the speed with which it is consumed determines their life span and those who exercise more produce more “free radicals” – unstable oxygen molecules that are believed to speed the aging process. The author, a reformed long-distance runner, says gentle walking is sufficient to keep people in shape if combined with a diet that is low in carbohydrates and high in protein.
But Dr. Graham Archard, of Britain’s Royal College of General Practitioners says: “I can understand why the book might sell well as it is always nice to be told that you can sit on your backside and do nothing.”
The answer is that we need balance in our lives: periods of reset and periods of activity, work and play, as the Bible says, “To everything there is a season.” We don’t need to be long-distance runners nor do we need to be sleeping all the time. Moderation is the key to a happy, long, healthy life.