Live Younger Longer

Brakes = Alcohol
Put the brakes on alcohol intake. Know when to stop.

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Shocks/Tires = Stress
No road in life is without potholes. You need shock absorbers
to deal with stress. You also need social support — like tires
on a car — to provide balance and help you run smoothly.
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TO MAKE A BIG CHANGE, START WITH VERY
SMALL STEPS.
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CHAPTER 4
Slow change is permanent change
It would be really great if we all could make major lifestyle changes with a
little willpower and a flip of the switch. But we might as well be honest —
that expectation isn’t logical or reasonable. Worse, it sets us up for
disappointment and reinforces the negative mindset many of us have about
our ability to change.
When we set big goals for ourselves that require sudden, drastic changes to
our daily lives, those changes might last for a day or two but not much
longer. We might be able to maintain an austere diet, intense fitness plan or
dramatic sleep program for a while. But these extreme behaviors usually
don’t become enduring habits that stand the test of time. In moments of
stress or exhaustion, we quickly regress to our old habits because they’re
easier and they’re what we’re used to. The next morning, we wake up with
a feeling of failure that discourages us from returning to our earlier goals.
Clearly, this problem affects many people. Think of the perennial New
Year’s resolution. How many of us have made dramatic promises to
ourselves — to get fit, lose weight, sleep better, conquer stress — only to
give up by the middle of January? In fact, Jan. 17 is the average day that
Americans give up on their New Year’s resolutions. When we fail, most of
us think, “I need more willpower,” which is exactly wrong.

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Think of all the people each year who join fitness centers or buy shiny new
exercise equipment with the best of intentions. After years of not working
out, they go full force, telling themselves that this is it — this is the year
they’re finally going to get into shape. What happens? After one or two
workouts, they pull a muscle, strain their back or injure a joint. Hurting and
discouraged, they can’t bring themselves to return to the gym or step back
on that fitness machine. They tell themselves, “I’m not cut out for this. Why
bother?” This is one of the reasons that almost 7 out of 10 people who join a
gym rarely set foot in it after the first month.
The same thing happens to many of us when we try to change our eating
patterns. At any one time, nearly half of all adults in the U.S. are attempting
to lose weight. By making drastic changes to their diets, many of them may
succeed. But those big, sudden changes typically don’t stick. Over time,
most people regain the weight or gain back even more than they lost in the
first place.
One thing is certain, we do need a change — a change in the way we think
about the goals we set for ourselves. We need to slow down and start small
— very small.