Eat, Move, Sleep Book Summary - Eat, Move, Sleep Book explained in key points

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Eat, Move, Sleep summary

Name: Eat, Move, Sleep
Rating: 4.1 (260 reviews)
Author: Tom Rath

Tom Rath

How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes

4.1 (260 ratings)

13 mins

Topics

Goals Healthy Living Routines & Habits

Table of Contents

Eat, Move, Sleep
Summary of 6 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 6

What’s in it for me? Kick your unhealthy habits out the door.

How many diets have you tried in your life? Most of us have probably attempted to follow at least one strict eating plan at some point. And how many of us have benefitted from this in the long term? Likely very few. Chances are, many will have given up halfway through, while others would simply return to their unhealthy habits right after completing the chosen program.

So what should we be doing instead? These blinks, based on the views of Tom Rath, who has battled a long-term serious illness to lead a tremendously healthy and prosperous life, show that anyone can become healthy in the long run. All you need to do is focus on eating right, moving right and, crucially, sleeping right.

In these blinks, you’ll discover

why, when it comes to eating right, quality is better than quantity;
why going to the gym is pointless if you spend all day in a chair; and
why sugar is probably killing you right now.

Small lifestyle changes can have a big impact and increase your chance of living a longer life.

A lot of people don’t start taking care of themselves until their doctor utters some fateful words, likely along the lines of “You’re out of shape,” or “You’d better start shaping up if you want to make it to your retirement.”

If you want to avoid this awkward conversation, heed this simple advice before a doctor gives it to you.

Living a healthy lifestyle isn’t easy. It can be hard to say no to a can of soda or a larger portion of fries, but resisting these temptations will bring you great benefits. The sooner you start treating your body right, the better your chances of living a long and healthy life.

In fact, researchers from the University of Gothenburg found that 90 percent of the population could live to be 90 years of age or older simply by making some important lifestyle choices. You can increase your energy levels, maximize your potential at work and sleep better just by eating the right foods, starting with a healthy breakfast.

It’s true that health is partly determined by your genes, but it’s important to develop healthy habits regardless of your genetic makeup.

You can’t change your DNA but you can change your lifestyle. And your lifestyle itself has an impact on your genes!

Tom Rath, the author, is an extreme case of this. When he was only 16, he was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL), which shuts off the gene in charge of suppressing tumors, leading to the growth of cancers throughout the body.

Instead of giving up, the author focused on what he could control: his diet, exercise and sleep. He learned how to decrease the odds of the cancers spreading and has managed to live a long and healthy life.

Even if you have a genetic tendency to be obese, for example, exercise can reduce that predisposition by up to 40 percent.

Pay attention to every bite you take: eat more proteins and less empty carbs.

Maintaining the right diet is trickier than it seems. You can always check food labels for nutritional information, but that isn’t enough on its own. You have to think a lot more deeply about your food if you really want to be healthy.

There’s one question you should ask yourself before you take a bite of anything: Is this a net gain or a net loss in terms of nutritional value?

Limiting the time when you’re inactive is even more important than exercise.

When it comes to staying active, going to the gym every two days isn’t enough; you have to limit your inactivity, too.

Chronic inactivity is a big risk in the modern world, as a great deal of people have jobs that require them to sit at a desk all day. This only adds to our other inactive hours that we have while sleeping, driving somewhere or watching TV.

Getting enough sleep is a crucial part of staying healthy and productive.

Few people get a proper amount of sleep these days. Sure, we’re all busy – but sleep is one thing you should never neglect.

There’s a common misconception that people who sleep less are harder workers; they stay up all night because they’re endlessly productive.

Sugar is a serious health hazard and should be treated like a controlled substance.

Would you give your child a cigarette? What about a sugary snack? You might’ve answered “no” to the first question and “yes” to the second, but cigarettes and sugar are more similar than you think in terms of the harm they can cause the human body.

Sugar is a toxin and it’s very unhealthy. Together with its derivatives, it fuels diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer.

Quality is just as important as quantity when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep.

Have you ever felt tired, even after sleeping for nine or ten hours? Sleep is an instinctive act and we all do it, but it’s still something you can improve.

Since it’s such a fundamental part of your health, it’s important to sleep efficiently. Efficient sleep is the time when you’re really sleeping, and not just tossing and turning in bed. Some people might lie in bed for nine hours but only get five hours of real sleep.

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What is Eat, Move, Sleep about?

Eat, Move, Sleep (2013) offers simple tips for improving your health and well-being in some very important ways. You don’t have to revolutionize your lifestyle to get in shape and increase your energy levels – little changes can make a big difference, and these blinks will show you how.

Who should read Eat, Move, Sleep?

Anyone hoping to lead a healthier lifestyle
Workaholics struggling to improve their work-life balance
People with stressful jobs and packed daily routines

About the Author

Tom Rath learned the value of living a healthy lifestyle when he was diagnosed with a serious illness as a teenager. Though his illness could have killed him, he learned to take control of his body and live a healthy and fulfilling life by making positive changes in the ways he eats, moves and sleeps.

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