Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes

by Tom Rath

Turn activity into the path of least resistance.

Eat to Beat Cancer Half of all men and one-third of all women in America will be diagnosed with cancer. Even if you are not formally diagnosed, you probably have microscopic cancer cells in your body that are too small to see on an MRI or CT scan. When researchers conduct autopsies of people who die in car accidents, for example, they often find undiagnosed cancers. According to one leading researcher, microscopic cancers are likely forming in our bodies all the time. Most of these microscopic cancers never grow large enough to pose a threat. They sit dormant in the organ where they live, as small as the tip of a ballpoint pen, lacking an adequate blood supply. This is where your lifestyle and diet play a major role, for better or worse. What you eat can greatly reduce the risk of cancers growing and spreading. Diet and physical activity have been shown to reduce recurrences of cancer and to extend survival. In my own experience, many of my largest tumors have not changed in size over the last decade. While there is no way to know how much my dietary changes have slowed this growth over time, they certainly help my odds. Maintaining a lean body weight is a good place to start to curb cancerous growth. According to recent studies, obesity acts as a “bona fide tumor promoter.” Obesity creates a chronic inflammatory state that makes it easier for cancer to grow and spread throughout the body. Epidemiological studies suggest that obese people have about a 50 percent increase i...

DAY 1: The Three Building Blocks Identify the healthiest elements of diets you have tried. Build them in to your lifestyle for good. Each morning, plan ahead to add activity to your daily routine. Sleep longer tonight to do more tomorrow. DAY 2: Big Changes Through Small Adjustments Ask yourself if the next food you put in your mouth is a net gain or a net loss. Repeat throughout the day. Eliminate an hour of chair time from your daily routine. Gradually add sleep to your nightly schedule in 15-minute increments. Continue until you feel fully rested each morning. DAY 3: One Good Choice at a Time Select one food to eat today with a balanced (1 to 1) ratio of carbs to protein. Avoid foods above a ratio of 5 to 1. Put the healthiest foods in your home on a shelf at eye level or in a bowl on the counter. Identify one way you can work without sitting, right now. Test it out tomorrow. DAY 4: Forming Better Habits Identify the sugar content in your favorite meal or snack. If it’s more than 10g, find a replacement. Pick one food or drink you sweeten regularly — artificially or with sugar — and consume it without the added sweetener for a week. When you have to sit for long periods of time, stand up, walk, or stretch every 20 minutes. DAY 5: Giving Your Immune System a Boost Every time you go to the store, start by loading up on fruits and vegetables with vibrant colors. When disruptions threaten your regular schedule, plan ah...