The Amazing Human Body

The Body: A Guide for Occupants helped me to look at the human body in a new light. Bryson brings a dry sense of humor to some fascinating and eye-opening research on the human body.

• Did you know that you get cancer every day?

• Did you know that your eyes produce tears constantly and there are three kinds of them?

• For more fun facts, read this article,  I found it to be a delightful read.  

This book is not about trying to get you to exercise or eat differently; it is about showing you how amazing your body is, what it does every second of every day for your entire life, why it does it, and why we need it.

Back to basics—the science of weight loss

Ruben Meerman, a physicist and Physics teacher asks, “When you lose weight, where does it go? How does it leave your body?” I must confess, I did not know the answer to this question. Most people wouldn't be able to answer that question and Ruben explains why in his short, funny and eye opening TED talk, The Mathematics of Weight Loss.

When we understand where the fat goes and how it leaves our bodies (hint: it’s carbon dioxide and water from breathing), we won't get sidetracked by exercise fads and trendy diets.

Eat less. Move more. Increase your heart rate to increase your breathing rate. Period. No gadgets, no gimmicks: move.

Find the want in the “have to”

Eat less, move more—nothing new, right? When it comes to goal setting or changing a habit, Susan David suggests making one simple shift in our language to help us reach our goals. In this article, David writes: “when we are compelled by a wagging finger instead of a willing heart, we end up in an internal tug of war between good intentions and less-than-stellar execution.”

Replacing should/must/need/have to with WANT TO makes a big difference according to David. For the many of you who I know are thinking they “should” workout more because they “should” lose some weight, I would encourage you to dig a little deeper though and ask yourself, "Why do I want to lose weight?" 

Do you want to lose weight because of societal pressures and feeling shame and not good enough, or do you want to lose weight because you want to be able to lift your aging pet who cannot climb the stairs anymore?

Words matter. Your internal dialogue affects you, how you feel, and what you do.

For instance, instead of “I have to workout”, I switched to “I want to strengthen my legs so I can hike without my knees hurting.” Instead of “I should stretch more”, I now say “I want to be able to do the splits again.” Find the want hidden in the “have to”.