Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes

by Tom Rath

“Backed by science and filled with heart, Eat Move Sleep is the best self-improvement book I’ve ever read.”

When your good daily decisions outweigh your poor ones, you boost your chances of growing old in better health. Life itself is a big game of beating the odds. Take,

Exercise alone is not enough. Working out three times a week is not enough. Being active throughout the day is what keeps you healthy.

Every Bite Is a Net Gain or Loss

Sitting more than six hours a day greatly increases your risk of an early death. No matter how much you exercise, eat well, avoid smoking, or add other healthy habits, excessive sitting will cause problems. Every hour you spend on your rear end — in a car, watching television, attending a meeting, or at your computer — saps your energy and ruins your health.

One large-scale study found that people with severe sleep apnea had a 65 percent higher risk of developing cancer.

One easy way to keep your clock on track is to wake up at the same time each day. If you can maintain a consistent waking range every day of the week, you are less likely to shift your circadian clock and get out of sync. Maintaining a constant wake-up time will also lead to a stable bedtime. At a minimum, do your best to keep wide time shifts from occurring, even when you travel. While sleeping in on a Sunday always sounds good, the reality is, you pay for it later.

Steam healthy foods like fish and vegetables instead of grilling them with dry heat. Find one way to trim your total weekly transit time, like telecommuting once a week or driving at low-traffic times. Wake up at the same general time every day of the week to keep your internal clock on track.

Never go a full day without eating something green. Have at least one cup of broccoli or another green vegetable. Replace all juice, soda, and sugary beverages with water, tea, coffee, or other unsweetened drinks. Identify one item you wear regularly that creates discomfort. Find a comfortable alternative.

Remember, it starts with your next meal: one day of eating the right foods and a good night’s sleep sets a positive cycle in motion.

When you think about your health, sleep often gets pushed to the back burner. With all the things you need to do in a day, one less hour of sleep seems to be a good way to find extra time. But it is a trap. Sleep is not a luxury. It is a basic necessity.

With each bite, consider how it can benefit your body. Use what you know to make better choices in the moment. Be active every day of the year. Take a few more steps tomorrow than you did today. Every day, invest more time and energy in good food, activity with friends, and quality sleep.

Eat right. Move more. Sleep better. When you do these three things in combination, you will see how the overall benefit is greater than the sum of the parts.

Then help the people you love to live like life depends on it. Because it does.