Table Of ContentOVERCOME your SEDENTARY
LIFESTYLE
(A Practical Guide to Improving Health,
Fitness, and Well-being for Desk Dwellers and
Couch Potatoes)
PJ Sharon
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, or as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976,
no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author. This e-book
is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other
people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for
each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use
only, then please return to your retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard
work of this author.
Note to reader:
This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful and
informative material on the subjects addressed in the publication. The recommendations described
herein are meant to supplement, and not to be a substitute for, professional medical care or treatment. It
is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering medical,
health, or any other kind of professional services in the book. The reader should consult his or her
medical, health, or other competent professional before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or
drawing inferences from it. The author and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any
liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly,
of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.
Cover by The Killion Group
Stock Photos via Deposit Photos and Big Stock Photos
Photography by Sally Ames Vaillancourt
Edited by Judy Roth
Copyright © 2016 PJ Sharon
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 10:1519110502
ISBN-13:978-1519110503
DEDICATION
For my clients and writer pals suffering the ravages of
Sedentary Lifestyle Syndrome.
Take heart, there is hope.
Lives are changed one choice at a time.
I also dedicate this book to my yoga students, who keep me grounded and give me another reason to
come down from my mountain.
I appreciate each and every one of you.
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1
Understanding Your Body
Chapter 2
Prevention
Chapter 3
Pain Management
Chapter 4
Choosing your Health Care Team
Chapter 5
Fighting the Battle of the Bulge
Chapter 6
Metabolic Syndrome
Chapter 7
Importance of Sleep
Chapter 8
Ergonomics 101
Chapter 9
Exercise Basics
Chapter 10
Stretching Exercises
Chapter 11
Strengthening Exercises
Chapter 12
Treatment and Self Care
Chapter 13
Stress Management 101
Chapter 14
Making or Breaking a Habit
Chapter 15
Tips for Special Groups
Chapter 16
PJ’s Snack Healthy Tips & Smoothie Recipes
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Other books by PJ Sharon
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, thank you to my clients, friends, and
professional contacts who encouraged me to write this book.
They’ve told me it’s long overdue. I hope this is what you had in
mind. Otherwise, I might have to write another. For now, this
should tide you over.
The final product would not be what it is without my fabulous
photographer friend, Sally Vaillincourt , whose generosity and
enthusiasm for this project brings tears to my eyes. Thanks for your
patience, perseverance, and vision. I want to also thank Linda
Pollock, owner of Back in Touch Wellness in Granby, CT., for
being my model on this project and for supporting me in countless
ways. You’re as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside.
To my social media friends on Facebook, Twitter, and around the
cyber-sphere, thanks for spreading the love. Title credit goes to Bill
and Katy Lee, and thanks to Kim Gorman for help with the tag line,
“Stand up for your life!” Brilliant!
I’d like to add a huge shout out to my writer friends, who are the
most amazing group of generous, creative, dynamic, and hardest
working people I’ve ever met. You all rock and I couldn’t do this
without you.
A special thanks to my beta readers Christine Wunch, Corinna
Lawson, and Joy Smith, and my editor on this project, Judy Roth.
You make me work hard for it, but the final draft is always worth
the effort. Thanks for pushing me to do my best. You helped put
the shine on it.
Last, but most certainly not least, thank you to my wonderfully
patient and talented husband, aka, the “tech-spert .” I would be
hopelessly lost without your love, support, and encouragement.
You are the best man I’ve ever known.
INTRODUCTION
I often ask my friends in the writing community, “Is your writing
killing you?” They know me well enough to realize that I am only
half joking. But for those of you who suffer from “Sedentary
Lifestyle Syndrome,” hereby known as SLS , you understand
completely. If you spend hours a day at your desk or in your car, or
find yourself imprisoned by your computers and perpetually
attached to your cell phones, iPads and e-readers, you know the
pitfalls of the sedentary and chair-bound lifestyle all too well. Do
you suffer neck and back pain, poor posture, symptoms of carpal
tunnel syndrome, or even significant weight gain from all the
sitting you do? With today’s fast paced, digitized world, we’re all
finding ourselves in this predicament and there seems to be no end
in sight to the perils of techno-overload and the inevitable decline
of our health as a result.
Leading researchers in the medical community are claiming that
“sitting is the new smoking.” Research shows that prolonged sitting
increases your risk for cancer, heart disease, obesity, Type 2
Diabetes, and even depression. James Levine, a Mayo Clinic
endocrinologist and researcher, says obese people sit on average
two-and-a-half hours more every day than thinner people. If that’s
not enough reason to get up off the couch or move away from your
desk every half hour, I challenge you to find your own “WHY.”
What will it take for you to make a change right now? Do you want
to see your children and grandchildren grow up? Do you want to fit
into that closet full of clothes that have somehow “shrunk” while
on the hanger? One of the many great lessons I’ve learned from
fitness guru, Jillian Michaels, is to find your “WHY.” Reminding
yourself of why you’re fighting to get fit when the going gets tough
will give you the strength to overcome any challenge you might
face with the “HOW.”
This book was written for all of you writers, readers, desk
dwellers, and self-proclaimed couch potatoes out there. In this
practical guide, I’ll help you understand your body and your pain,
and its relationship to posture, bio-mechanics, and ergonomics (the
study of human capabilities in relation to work demands—or, to
simplify for our purposes—workstation setup). I’ll offer simple,
easy to implement suggestions for improving your workstation,
dietary tips to combat what I call, “the sitter’s spread,” and
exercises to prevent and alleviate common orthopedic conditions
that result from prolonged sitting, poor posture, and faulty
ergonomics.
With over twenty-five years in the health and fitness profession,
first as a Physical Therapist Assistant, and then as a Licensed
Massage Therapist, personal trainer, and yoga instructor, I have
learned the skills it takes to maintain my own health and well-being
while working as a full time writer and business owner. I won’t lie
and say it’s easy, or that I don’t have my struggles. We all do! But
the information I’ll share with you in this book will give you a
solid foundation and the tools you need to effectively care for
yourself and take control of your body, your health, and your life.
If you think I don’t understand your suffering, think again. I live
with, and manage, chronic pain every day. After years of abusing
my body with sports, car accidents, and repetitive traumas, my
spine is unstable. Ligaments that hold my spine and pelvis together
have become over stretched, causing daily occurrences of
misalignment. Thank goodness I know how to fix it when my neck
or low back “go out.”
Short of fusing my spine (not an option since I’m functional and
healthy), or treating me with pain meds (also not an option—by my
choice), there isn’t much that Western Medicine can do for me. X-
rays show that I have arthritis (Degenerative Joint Disease) and
bone spurs in my neck and back, and with the amount of
sitting/writing I do, it’s an uphill battle to live pain-free and med-
free, keep my weight under control, and wear a happy smile every
day. But at 51 years-old and a grandmother, I can still drop and do
twenty-five push-ups, stand on my head, and heft 40 pound bags of
pellets into my pellet stove when old man winter comes calling. I
exercise regularly, eat relatively healthy, and take daily
supplements and natural remedies, but nothing narcotic for pain
management.
The tips I’ve included in this book can get you to that level of
functional fitness in spite of your struggle to sit up straight at the
computer or the chronic pain in the neck that isn’t your aunt
Josephine. (I have no cure for pesky relatives.)
I’ve treated hundreds of clients over the years who have
benefited from the helpful advice and simple, life-changing tips I’ll
share with you in the following chapters. I’ll guide you through
choosing your health-care team and give you simple exercises you
can do—even at your desk.
Testimonial:
As a writer and a publicist, I spend a lot of time sitting at my
computer. After learning and following the simple stretching and
ergonomics lessons taught by Ms. Sharon, I have less tension and
can work for longer periods of time without painful interruption.
Jennifer F. (Author and publicist)
Included in the book are my best, stay slim secrets, quick-fix
stretches, and ways to adjust your workstation set up, “MacGyver”
style. I’ve even included a few of my favorite smoothie and snack
recipes to help keep you healthy and energized while you’re
