Physical Wellbeing

Another installment from the book Wellbeing by Tom Rath

With every bite and drink we take, we make a choice. We can select something that is a net positive and benefits our health or we can choose something that is a net negative.

• What we eat and drink, coupled with adequate sleep and vigorous exercise, make our bodies run much more effectively.
• Lifestyle changes are difficult to make. Therefore, we need to understand how negative choices affect us today. When we see the connection between short-term incentives enabling us to make net positive decisions in the moment, it helps us reach our longer term goals.
• Positive and negative daily decisions accumulate over the years and shape our lives and generations after us.

What we eat

• • Eat more omega-3s from fish, nuts and seeds
  • Eat less omega-6s from meat and vegetable oils
  • Meals high in carbohydrates and sugar send a message to our brain to consume more
  • Food with unsaturated fats such as avocados, nuts and olive oil signal our brain that we are full and we should stop eating.
  • Eat vegetables with darker tones of red, green and blue
    • Reds in apples, tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, red peppers, radishes, chili peppers and pomegranates.
    • Greens in broccoli, asparagus, artichokes, spinach, sprouts, lettuce, arugula, collard greens, kale or Swiss chard.
    • Blues in blueberries, blackberries, cabbage and grapes.
  • Positive Defaults for your Health
    • Make a shopping list and buy healthy foods at the store, so that your kitchen and refrigerator are full of healthy foods. Spur-of-the-moment choices are usually not the best.
    • When eating out, choose a restaurant that serves mostly healthy food.
    • Better yet, taking a nutritious meal to work is healthier and saves money.
• Exercise
  • Only 30% of Americans get the recommended 30 minutes of exercise five days a week.
  • People who exercise at least two days a week are happier and have significantly less stress.
  • Each additional day of exercise—up to six days a week—boosts energy levels.
  • On days when you don’t have 20-30 minutes to exercise, a mere 11 minutes of lifting weights increases metabolic rate, which helps burn fat throughout the day.
  • One of the primary benefits to exercise is that you feel better about yourself and your appearance, and it boosts confidence.
• Sleep
  • Getting a good night’s sleep clears stressors for the day before and gives us a fresh start on the day.
  • Adequate sleep increases our chances of having energy and high wellbeing throughout the day.
  • Adequate sleep allows our brain to process what we learned the day before and solve problems.
  • People who get too little sleep (5-6 hours) are 34% more likely to experience a substantial weight gain.
  • People who get too much sleep (9-10 hours) are 25% more likely to experience a substantial weight gain.
• Economics of poor health in our country
  • Healthcare costs consume 16% of the US GDP and is on the rise
  • Healthy Americans are paying a tax of $1,500 per year to subsidize unhealthy Americans
  • Half of all healthcare cost are consumed by 5% of the population
  • 75% of all healthcare costs are due to largely preventable conditions such as stress, tobacco use, physical inactivity and poor food choices.
• Creating sustainable change best happens in the context of community. For example, if you enroll in an intensive weight-loss program, after 10 months, the chances of your maintaining your weight loss is:
  • 24% if you enroll alone
  • 50% if you enroll with a social support group of three strangers
  • 66% if you enroll with three friends or colleagues

Summary

People with thriving Physical Wellbeing effectively manage their health. They exercise regularly and feel better throughout the day as a result. They make good dietary choices, which keeps their energy high throughout the day and sharpens their thinking. They get enough sleep to wake up feeling well-rested and to process what they learned the day before—and to get a good start on the next day. People with thriving Physical Wellbeing look better, feel better, and will live longer.

Three Recommendations for Boosting Physical Wellbeing:

1.  Get at least 20 minutes of physical activity each day—ideally in the morning to improve your mood throughout the day.
2. Sleep enough to feel well-rested (generally seven to eight hours) but not too long (more than nine hours).
3. Set positive defaults when you shop for groceries. Load up on natural foods that are red, green and blue.