Eat Move Sleep

Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes by Tom Rath

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I read this book because now that I'm in my 40's I want to take better care of myself. I have been remarkably healthy throughout my life, and I don't want that to change as I enter middle age. I have never been a healthy eater (no orange or green foods for me, thanks!) so I am making baby steps into adulthood. Enter "Eat, Move, Sleep". Tom Rath has suffered from rare health problems his whole life so he has gone to extremes in being healthy to prolong his life. There are great suggestions for anyone in this book to make small changes to be healthier, especially in the lists at the end of the book. However, the book is preachy and extremist. No one who is on a quest to be healthier and take better care of themselves is going to read this book and implement all of the extreme changes he recommends, often without citing a source. How much of this is based on real science, vs. articles he has read in Men's Health? It's unrealistic and discouraging for me, someone who has never touched peas or carrots since being forced in her youth, to make the extreme changes he says you need to make for a long, healthy life.

What would have worked much better is for him to be more encouraging in the small changes people can make to lead a healthier life. Step off the soap box, Tom, remove your white wig, and start cheering people on! You just come across as a huge jerk right now, and I don't want to hang out with you. Buzzkill.

For those of you who want to be healthier but don't want to read this book, here is your TL:DR:
EAT - be mindful of what you eat, and how much. Try to eat real foods in moderation, not chemically processed, artificial crap.
MOVE - get exercise every day. This helps your body last longer. Don't be lazy. Take the stairs, park at the back of the lot, and get those lungs filled with good, clean air.
SLEEP - rest and let your body regenerate. Sleep enough and get your circadian rhythms in line with nature.

There you go. You're welcome.



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