Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and the New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being

Sedentary, screen-dominated lifestyles have left Americans increasingly vulnerable to health problems ranging from obesity and cardiovascular disease to mental illness, according to this competent if familiar treatise. Zomorodi (Bored and Brilliant), host of NPR’s TED Radio Hour, unpacks the sedentary epidemic, noting that today’s schoolchildren spend 70% of the day seated and more than 80% of American jobs consist of mostly at-desk activities, a trend exacerbated by the advent of remote work during the Covid-19 pandemic. While strenuous bouts of exercise several times a week are healthy, they don’t compensate for prolonged periods of sitting; readers would be better served taking frequent, shorter breaks (five minutes of movement per every half hour spent at rest), which restart key biological processes that keep blood pressure and glucose levels in check, and oxygen supply optimal. Zomorodi’s message won’t be new to most readers, but they’ll be edified by her lucid explanations of how the modern American lifestyle harms eyesight, hearing, posture, and attention span, as well as her actionable instructions for incorporating exercise into daily routines, from tracking signs of physical overwhelm to coordinating walks with rhythmic breathing. The result is a valuable complement to such books as Michel Desmurget’s Screen Damage. (May)