Improve Your Marriage and Life by Eating Slower

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One of the problems in our daily lives is that many of us rush through the day, with no time for anything … and when we have time to get a bite to eat, we gobble it down.

That leads to stressful, unhealthy living.

And with the simple but powerful act of eating slower, we can begin to reverse that lifestyle immediately. How hard is it? You take smaller bites, you chew each bite slower and longer, and you enjoy your meal longer.

It takes a few minutes extra each meal, and yet it can have profound effects.

As we head into the Holiday season, where food is often prevalent, if you slow down when you eat, you could find the Holidays more enjoyable.

You may have already heard of the Slow Food Movement, started in Italy almost two decades ago to counter the fast food movement. Everything that fast food is, Slow Food isn’t.

If you read the Slow Food Manifesto, you’ll see that it’s not just about health — it’s about a lifestyle. And whether you want to adopt that lifestyle or not, there are some reasons you should consider the simple act of eating slower:

  1. Lose weight. A growing number of studies confirm that just by eating slower, you’ll consume fewer calories — in fact, enough to lose 20 pounds a year without doing anything different or eating anything different. The reason is that it takes about 20 minutes for our brains to register that we’re full. If we eat fast, we can continue eating past the point where we’re full. If we eat slowly, we have time to realize we’re full, and stop on time. Now, I would still recommend that you eat healthier foods, but if you’re looking to lose weight, eating slowly should be a part of your new lifestyle.
  2. Enjoy your food. This reason is just as powerful, in my opinion. It’s hard to enjoy your food if it goes by too quickly. In fact, I think it’s fine to eat sinful foods, if you eat a small amount slowly. Think about it: you want to eat sinful foods (desserts, fried foods, pizza, etc.) because they taste good. But if you eat them fast, what’s the point? If you eat them slowly, you can get the same amount of great taste, but with less going into your stomach. That’s math that works for me. And that argument aside, I think you are just happier by tasting great food and enjoying it fully, by eating slowly. Make your meals a gastronomic pleasure, not a thing you do rushed, between stressful events.
  3. Better digestion. If you eat slower, you’ll chew your food better, which leads to better digestion. Digestion actually starts in the mouth, so the more work you do up there, the less you’ll have to do in your stomach. This can help lead to fewer digestive problems.
  4. Less stress. Eating slowly, and paying attention to your eating, can be a great way to be in the moment, rather than rushing through a meal thinking about what you need to do next. When you eat – just eat. Give it a try.
  5. Rebel against fast food and fast life. Our hectic, fast-paced, stressful, chaotic lives — the Fast Life — leads to eating Fast Food, and eating it quickly. This is a lifestyle that is dehumanizing us, making us unhealthy, stressed out, and unhappy. We rush through our day, doing one mindless task after another, without taking the time to live life, to enjoy life, to relate to each other, to be human. That’s not a good thing in my book. Instead, rebel against that entire lifestyle and philosophy … with the small act of eating slower. Don’t eat Fast Food. Eat at a good restaurant, or better yet, cook your own food and enjoy it fully. Taste life itself.
  6. Improve your relationships. It’s amazing how a simple thing like eating slower can improve your relationships. When you eat with your spouse, or family, or friends – slow down, enjoy your food and the company. Talk. Laugh. Tell stories. In other words, share your life with others. A good meal with people you love can work wonders for your life … and theirs.
Photo courtesy ginnerobot

Adapted from Leo of Zen Habits

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11 Books That Have Shaped My Life Recently

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I am a book lover, but this hasn’t always been true. For most of my life, I absolutely hated the idea of reading. Any time I picked up something to read, I’d fall asleep within 10 minutes of opening the first page. Needless to say, I didn’t complete many books. And those that I did, it took months to do so.

Nine years ago when I entered grad school, I had to basically learn to read. Not that I was illiterate, but reading became a necessity for survival over the next six years.

Through this journey however, I developed a love for reading. Now, I’m not one who likes to spend an entire day just reading, but I do enjoy the times when I can get lost in the pages of a good novel, or the times when I am stretched by a different thought or idea.

What follows is a list of books that have shaped my life over the past several years. I can’t say that I have one absolute favorite, and choosing just a few books that have influenced my life is difficult, but here are some that come to mind. I’ve decided to share some of the books that have helped shape the way I think, and that I would highly recommend. These are in no particular order.

  1. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. I picked this book up by chance while walking through a bookstore, and I’m so very glad I did. I grew up in a traditional church and family – in this book, Donald Miller presents a few nontraditional thoughts on Christian spirituality. This is a great read for everyone. He has a new book due out anytime now (A Million Miles in a Thousand Years), I’ve read the first three chapters and it looks to be as good as Blue Like Jazz.
  2. The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm. A classic work looking at an aspect of our life that shapes every area of our life – love. Worth the read.
  3. The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. A refreshing look at the idea of God’s grace and how we all are basically ragamuffins in need of the freely given and unmerited favor and love of God. Excellent.
  4. The Boy Who Cried Abba by Brennan Manning. A short little parable about an orphaned, physically disabled, and friendless boy meeting Jesus. You can read this in one sitting, and it’s worth the read.
  5. Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski. A story about two friends and their journey as homeless men in six American cities. This will change the way you look at others.
  6. Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. I came across this book and Under the Overpass in the past two months, read them both in a couple of days. Great reads.
  7. Wild at Heart and Waking the Dead by John Eldredge. Reading about living from your heart and desire makes these books worth the read alone. In fact, John and his wife, Staci, have a book on marriage coming out toward the end of the year. I’m interested to read their take.
  8. Sex God by Rob Bell. A great look at how spirituality and sexuality are intertwined, in fact you can’t have one without the other.
  9. The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama. Taught me more about compassion and love, for that reason alone it’s worth the read.
  10. The Answer to How Is Yes by Peter Block. Asking how is the wrong question if you want to live according to what matters in life.
  11. The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. A popular book in the productivity world. Worth the read if you’re interested in a new look at how life, work, career, and basically everything else can be approached.

Other books I love: The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, anything by C.S. Lewis, The Power of Less by Leo, Career Renegade by Jonathan Fields, Passionate Marriage by David Schnarch, Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott, there are more but I’ll end the list here.

As a side note: I struggled a great deal with leaving the Bible off this list. While many of my favorites are considered religious, sadly, I don’t spend enough time in the Scriptures – which is a sad statement, at least to me. My relationship with Christ shapes my life but too often I’ve found I read other people’s take on Scriptures more than the source. A fact I aim to change this fall.

What are your favorites, or those that have helped shape your life? Please share them in the comments.

Photo courtesy Terwilliger911

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To Bring 5% More Happiness To My Relationships…

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There have been many times when I’ve posed a question for you the loyal reader to respond to, this time I’m changing it up a bit. This is still an ask the reader because I’m looking for your thoughts, but this is also a tool to help you design your life and relationships as you go forward.

The format is easy, simply complete this sentence in the comments. While the format may be easy, completing the sentence may not be.

If you’d like to get even more from this exercise, journal on this as well, or discuss this with your spouse, family, and friends.

To bring 5% more happiness to my relationships…

Photo courtesy AshleySTELLAR

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