Eat Move Sleep

Eat Move Sleep

I couldn't help but enjoy the irony of the situation when I
cracked open Tom Rath's Eat Drink Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to
Big Changes shortly upon arrival at the in laws' house on
Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, more than any other day of the year, is
the occasion gluttony is excused and even celebrated and planned. So
in true jules fashion I had selected a volume that encourages and
celebrates mindfulness. Serendipitously as I read through the day I
found it influencing that I consumed. I did put outside exercise off
til Friday though, since walking in rural Maine minus two items of
blaze orange at the height of deer hunting season carries a fairly
substantial hazard of its own.
Eat Move Sleep is only the second book of all that I've read and
reviewed this year that I plan on getting a personal copy of (Rapt
being the other). It is encouraging and empowering. Instead of the
huge life style changes many books tout that can leave one failing,
giving up, or paralyzed into inaction, it shows how small, manageable
adaptations can build up incrementally. Instead of a one size all
logic, it acknoowledges the individuality of life and personality
styles.
When we think of life style changes for optimal health, we all
think of exercise and diet. Rath boosts sleep to equal importance.
He shows how the elements of this well being trinity interact in daily
life for better or worse. Have you ever stinted on sleep and craved
processed foods the next day? Have you ever stuffed at a meal (say
Thanksgiving) and found the thought of exercise very unapoealing?
That's what he's talking about.
Rath tells us that life is a series of seemingly small but
significant decisions. When we eat or skip breakfast, walk or drive
to a nearby store, defend our right to a restfull sleep or burn the
midnight oil, we are doing things that stack the odds for or against
longevity and health. Even when genetics are not promising we are
more in control than we usually realize. (Rath himself got one of the
worst genetic hands possible.)
Rath encourages us to examine our lives and choose small,
manageable challenges we can incorporate into our lives mindfully
until they become automatic and it's time onto the next. They can
include:
*cutting out sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages in favor
of more wholesome beverages,
*breaking up big blocks of seat time by getting up and moving on a
regular basis,
*shutting off electronics for the hour before bedtime,
*putting the healthiest foods in easiest reach,
*picking a personal motivation for moving more,
*taking the stairs instead of the elevator,
*and so many more.
The bottom line; if you carry genetic risks, weigh a little
more or have less energy that you'd like, or just feel like you can do
better diet or exercise wise Eat Move Sleep is a very wise
investment. Pick your first challenge, find a way of keeping track,
and enlist a friend or two to encourage you. You will find this time
well spent.
I'd encourage you to go one step beyond. Many people face huge
obstacles to making small steps. Folks on fixed incomes or supporting
families on minimum wage, for example, often can't afford wholesome
food. What can the rest of us do? Plenty. Members of Orono
Community Garden, for example grow veggies for low income senior
citizens during the summer and early fall. We get in some exercise
while we help them with good food choices. I'd call that a win win of
the most powerful kind. Is there anything you and yours can do?
On a personal note, one day in October at the University of Maine I
saw a poster for a 30 day challenge. People were encouraged to commit
to doing one thing every day for the month of November and then
getting together to celebrate. YOWZA! I signed up to do something
every day to make someone's day better or happier. I bought a journal
to record my acts and then started a week early. The irony--although
I was focussing on others, the one who gained the most happiness was
me. In December I have two new ones. Taking a page from Rath's book
I'm cutting sugar from coffee and cutting on unhealthy beverages. The
other will be incorporating touch into more of my interactions. So
many people are deprived of the healing power of human touch,
especially our senior citizens.
A great big shout out goes out to all who accept the challenge to take
steps to improve their lives and the friends and family members who
encourage and empower them.
Julia Emily Hathaway



Sent from my iPod