Wednesday, November 21, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Fit For
Sisters
Andrew Loscutoff
Columnist
No, sitting
is not the same
as smoking
Recently, there has been
a lot of attention grabbing
headlines and news reports
depicting sitting as a dis-
ease of our society, arguing
that sitting poses the same
life expectancy detriment as
smoking. While such hype
serves its purpose as an
attention-grabber, it ought
to be considered fake news.
There is no argument that
being sedentary is detrimen-
tal to our bodies. Increased
body fat, insulin sensitiv-
ity, high blood pressure, all
can be conditions associated
with a sedentary lifestyle.
Obesity, diabetes, and heart
disease may follow. While
inactivity is the main culprit
here, it cannot be diagnosed
as a direct cause: diet, life-
style, and other fitness are
what determines this, not
simply sitting. If the logic
of associating all of these
to a specific cause were
true then one could also say
that eating meat is as bad as
smoking. As The Guardian
published on March 5, 2014,
it is not meat or sitting that
causes disease but rather our
overconsumption of the two
also with a lack of proper
exercise.
This is very different
than lighting up a ciga-
rette and inhaling chemical
vapors in order to achieve a
relaxed and level state.
Smoking poses a very
different set of risks.
Smoking can be attributed
to 6 million worldwide
deaths from related dis-
eases per year worldwide.
It undoubtedly causes
many cancers such as, lung,
throat, stomach, and more.
It is a terrible burden on the
smoker and others, as many
of the ill effects can also be
had secondhand. Smoking
degrades lung function,
poses risks such as elevated
blood pressure, and plays
its role in a variety of other
health conditions. As one
can infer, this is very dif-
ferent than simply sitting
on the couch and enjoying
some downtime.
Looking at the problem
in a different way, a smoker
develops a dependency
on their cigarettes through
brain chemistry recognizing
the nicotine as a feel-good
chemical, this increases
dopamine and gives the per-
son a reward. Keep smoking
and eventually they become
addicted to the rewarding
inhalations of nicotine. This
addiction is hard to control;
70 percent of smokers say
they are planning to or try-
ing to quit. Only 5 to 6 per-
cent actually do.
Sitting, on the other
hand, creates no psycholog-
ical dependency; there’s no
system in the body creating
an uncontrollable craving to
sit all day. There is no chem-
ical damage to our lungs,
and periphery from sitting.
Yes, muscle degradation is a
thing, but this consequence
is not from a chemical
invader into the body.
On the other hand, you
cannot just simply get up
and walk around and believe
you’re no longer at risk of
the most common diseases
associated with lack of
proper diet and exercise.
Look at the clickbait
headlines with a skepti-
cal eye — and get out and
enjoy some good exercise in
smoke-free air.
May Your
Holiday Table
be Bountiful...
The Weather Machine to rock Belfry
In what has become a
Thanksgiving holiday week-
end tradition, the Portland-
based band The Weather
Machine will rock The Belfry
on Saturday night, November
24, at 8 p.m.
Slater Smith, co-founder
of the band, grew up in
Sisters and got his musical
start through the Sisters Folk
Festival’s Americana Project.
The Portland-based rock
group started cutting their
musical teeth in 2013, at a
time when the city was com-
ing off a folk-revival wave
and craving more indie rock.
The Weather Machine flour-
ished in that environment,
building their folk story
songs into plugged-in rock
anthems. It’s brought the
band a long way, and by 2016
they had already toured the
U.S. and Europe and opened
up for acts like The Alabama
Shakes and Cold War Kids.
The band is hard to cat-
egorize — which is a big part
of the appeal. After releasing
a stripped-down, reflective
debut record, their sophomore
full-length album “Peach”
took the group into the realm
of power-ballads and anthem-
rock. Their latest record, “The
Pelican,” was written as part
of lead singer Slater Smith’s
side project with Oregon
State Parks to celebrate the
PHOTO PROVIDED
The Weather Machine has made a Thanksgiving tradition out of playing a
show at The Belfry in Sisters.
50th anniversary of Oregon’s
Beach Bill. The songs feature
The Weather Machine’s cur-
rent roster, as well as some
of Smith’s favorite musicians
from around the region.
The Weather Machine’s
members are Slater Smith
(vocals), Luke Hoffman
(drums), André Zapata (bass),
Noah Bernstein (saxophone),
Tim Karplus (guitar).
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15
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