Welcome to Litsy!

A. J. Jacobs tries out different ways of getting healthy over a period of two years.

It was amusing and thought provoking in the way his books generally are, though I'm not sure how many of the methods explored I could actually put into practice.

“I thought of Grandma the other day,” I tell my grandfather. “She always told me that orchestra conductors lived a long time because they moved their arms so much. This book I‘m reading says there may be truth to that.”

Excerpt From: "Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection" by A.J. Jacobs. Scribd.
This material may be protected by copyright.

Read this book on Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/224269294

The National Athletic Trainers‘ Association addresses this topic in a delightfully nauseating paper. It says skin infections from gyms and sports are common, and account for half of the infectious diseases suffered by athletes. They list such unpleasantries as MRSA, athlete‘s foot, jock itch, boils, impetigo, herpes simplex, and ringworm.

Chocolate, alcohol, and coffee are outliers. In general, food that tastes good is bad for the body. As Jack LaLanne liked to say: “If it tastes good, spit it out.”

Excerpt From: "Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection" by A.J. Jacobs. Scribd.
This material may be protected by copyright.

Read this book on Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/224269294

What does it mean to be maximally healthy? Courtesy of the World Health Organization‘s definition of health, I‘ve broken it down into 3 parts:
1. Longevity
2. Freedom from disease and pain
3. A sense of emotional, mental, and physical well-being
If I can have those three, I‘ll be ecstatic. It‘d be nice to get a six-pack, but it‘s not my top priority unless I decide I need shredded abs for emotional well-being, as many magazines seem to imply

Probably my least favorite of his but still okay.

I don‘t regret spending as much time as I did on my coursework this week. It was what I had to do. 🤷‍♀️

However, I do regret not meeting my goals for the #bookfitnesschallenge. I only completed 2/4 walks this week. I didn‘t finish any books. I hardly hydrated at all. My breaks, which I‘d previously spent walking, were dedicated to (fairly boring) textbook-reading. I also regret to report that I am dropping out for the final week. 😱

It‘s a good thing I finished my #bookfitnesschallenge (4/4 walks) at the beginning of this week because I got SO BUSY! I planned to add an additional component this week but didn‘t, which is kinda good, too, because I would have failed. But I‘m adding it for Week 3! I‘m notoriously bad at hydrating (iced coffee doesn‘t count? 🤷‍♀️), so next week I want to at least finish my Contigo full of water each day. Pathetic, I know...but it‘d be progress!

#BFC Check-In (Week One):
4/4 walks complete (half of which were in the rain!)
1/4 books read (middle-grade...but it still counts!)

Also, I‘m piggybacking my Litsy events here but:
5 books ordered for the #SummerSantaGoesPostal swap. One Etsy gift delivered & another shipped today. And one delicious, summery snack acquired. The quest for the perfect wrapping paper continues. I visited 4 stores today but my dream-paper still eludes me. 🤔

Went on my first walk today for the #bookfitnesschallenge. My goal is to go for a walk 4x/week. I‘ve been putting it off since the sky‘s opened up in my part of the world; it‘s been raining & showing no signs of stopping since the challenge started. Still, I threw on my raincoat & traipsed around my favorite local park on my break. The rain *is* creating some gorgeous blooms. 🌸 I finished my first book, too, while sitting on a lovely stone bench.

I love this graphic that @wanderinglynn made to represent the 11 countries & 34 states participating in her #bookfitnesschallenge. Can you see me waving in teeny, tiny Rhode Island? 👋🏻🌊

More details & registration here: https://forms.gle/n3ErATLqPYjdYCwUA
***To participate in #BFC, you must sign-up by day‘s end (5/9)!

It's THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!

The #bookfitnesschallenge by @wanderinglynn starts TOMORROW (5/10), which means that TODAY is your last chance to sign-up!

The idea is to set a book goal (at least 4 books) & a fitness goal, & keep track of points earned over the course of 6 weeks.

The coolest part is the freedom. The “fitness“ goal can be physical or psychological (ie: mindfulness); the sky's the limit, as long as your goal is measurable. Link below!

I joined the #audiobookfitnesschallenge hosted by @wanderinglynn. My goals are very modest. I committed to reading 4 books in the next 6 weeks (which I'll likely surpass but I didn't want to overreach, as that causes stress which seems counterproductive) & go for a walk 4x/week. Mostly, this is a mental health goal. I want to get outdoors & reconnect with nature after a long, reclusive New England Winter. Moving my body a bit is an added bonus.

Feeling inspired by my newest read. A.J Jacobs commits to life experiments in his books and is trying to be the healthiest man alive. Going system by system he tries to follow all the conflicting advice about health. He‘s a humor writer and that‘s what I enjoy about it. I loved his book “The Year of Living Biblically” and have read it multiple times. #breakfast #funnybooks #health

Jacobs, a writer for Esquire magazine, is known for his special brand of "immersion journalism." In this outing, he decides to tackle the job of getting healthy -- by trying out as many different diets, exercise workouts, gadgets and health tips as possible to see which ones actually work. Humorous and fun.

Definitely in the “edu-tainment” genre. The author puts himself through 2 yrs of working toward the best health. He tried everything from diet to hand exercises to literally running 🏃 errands. He provides extremes and perspective. He‘s not a doctor though, so don‘t read this if you‘re looking for a plan to follow.

Is it wrong that I‘ve spent the day propped up in bed reading a book telling me how unhealthy it is to be sedentary?

My very first finished audio book. Overall I liked it. There were a lot of interesting facts and he presents them well. Would I recommend it to others? Only if they have an interest in the subject matter. It did teach me that I can do audio books while driving.

In this entertaining and informational book, A.J. Jacobs endeavors to become as healthy as humanly possible. #Healthful #YESvember17

I don't do many audio books, my attention usually wanders, but am finding listening while driving to work seems to be going well. I thought this might be a good boost to get me back on track eating well and working out again. Time will tell if it works. His other book The Year of living Biblically is excellent.

My workout buddy said I should borrow her book. The prologue was funny. So far so good.

Fun and funny. Was thrown off by the narrator's voice; didn't seem to suit picture of the author. A couple of days later I see that it's the author doing the reading! I got used to it eventually. I think the author could have gone more in depth on some topics and the book wouldn't have suffered in the humor department. Fun end papers and photos throughout.