Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Drop Dead Healthy


Drop Dead Healthy is a fantastic plethora of fun facts. The author, A.j. Jacobs, is on a mission to be the healthiest man in the world. For 2 years he focuses every month on a different body part.

It covers everything from flossing (which could possibly add 6.4 years to your life) to how squatting while going number 2 instead of sitting can help prevent hemorrhoids (we were not meant to sit on toilets, we were meant to squat in fields, which completely eliminates reading on the toilet).


PHOTO: A.J. Jacobs spent two years trying out every diet plan, every work-out routine, every self-improvement trick and technique out there. He documented his journey in his new book, "Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Quest for Bodily Perfection."The great thing about this book was that a lot of the things I learned I can actually apply to my life and they were understandable. Yes, I will start walking more because we are not made to sit as long as we do. Maybe I will start thinking about what I'm eating (big maybe), but I will definitely start eating smaller portions (we eat too dang much). Jacobs does a superb job of explaining in a non-textbook way how to be healthy and gives you so many options that allows you to determine what would be best for you.


In an interview with Forbes Magazine, Jacobs was asked what they top 3 things he did to improve his health were. His response was, "never sit at your desk for more than an hour. Sitting is surprisingly bad for your heart, like eating a deep-fried Twinkie while smoking. Any movement helps, even getting up from your desk every hour to walk around for a couple of minutes." Jacobs wrote the book while walking on the treadmill and went an astounding 1,200 miles. His second tip is to chew your food, "Seems minor, but chewing slows you down, which means you eat less, which means you get thinner." Extreme chewers say to chew 50 times. His last tip is to avoid white foods, "white bread, white rice, white flour, even potatoes - these things will send your blood sugar rocketing. They are the devil".


The most important thing I learned from this book is that there is a fine line between being healthy and being healthy. I learned that it is very healthy to have human interaction and friendships, but I also learned that if you eat with people who don't eat healthy you are more likely not to eat healthy. So are you willing to give up eating with your friends so you can eat healthy, or are you willing to give up eating healthy to eat with you friends (I hope my friends pick the latter option seeing as my diet consists of pizza, coke and hot dogs).



Enjoy,
Mo Bridge

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Summer Reading List

Summer Reading
School is almost over! Finals will begin in one week and the most excitement I have for summer is that I will be able to get through so many books without having to restrict myself to 2 hours a day of personal reading due to school responsibilities. I'm also excited for all the hiking, fourwheeling, boating and working. In high school some teachers would require those students who were taking the "smart people" classes to read during the summer. I am making my own list and calling it the "I don't have to focus on college, so I will catch up on all the books I've missed out on, summer reading list". In short I will call it Summer Reading List.


1. How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization by Frank Foer.
It's my last year of playing soccer. I feel like I've taken advantage of the beautiful game and have not learned enough about it.

2. Born To Run by Christopher McDougall.
In October my 4 year eligibility will be up and I will not be forced to stay in shape. Last year I had a realization that I was close to being done. I made a pact with myself that I would stay in shape. I love the feeling of being sore after a hard workout and knowing that I am improving my body. I then decided that I was going to force myself to like running. My entire life I've seen running as a punishment, and I want to change that. I'm hoping this book will help me with this change.

3. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.
I love Apple and would like to know more about the man behind the iPod.

4. The Book of Mormon.
The capstone of my religion. I've been reading this for a while and would like to finish it by the end of the summer.

5. Eragon by Christopher Paolini.
I'm not big into dragon books, but I got a copy at the D.I. and I'm interested to see what all the hype is about.

6. He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrnedt and Liz Tuccillo.
Loved the movie. I also love the fact that there is both a male and a female author.


7. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.
Bought this book at the D.I. the other day but then made it into a jewelry box. I need to go get another copy.

8. Guilty Wives by James Patterson.
My sister and mom are obsessed with this man. I need to get on this train before it leaves me at the station.

9. The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss.
After reading Drop Dead Healthy by A.J. Jacobs I am on this whole thing of, I need to be better to my body, and I've heard from my friend Parker Boice that this is the book to make you do that. He is a strong supporter of it and he looks great so I'm going to read it.

10. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.
I loved his book, The Kite Runner. My sister Sam said that she liked this one more!

What will you be reading this summer?

Enjoy,
Mo Bridge