Turns out I don’t need this book to know how to slow down and live longer. When I buy books I usually keep the cashier’s receipt out of habit. Tonight when I picked out this unread book from my bookshelf, I shockingly discovered that I bought it in March 2005 – almost 6 years ago! I am too lazy to read a book I purchased that talks about the joy and benefits of laziness!
The book is an easy read. The authors Dr. Peter Axt and Dr. Michaela Axt-Gadermann finds a solution to combat our daily demands on our energy, which is hurry, frustration, sleep deprivation, poor nutrition, work stress etc.. To feel good we engage in intensive fitness regimes, competitive sports, and radical diets. These activities actually take a toll on our health, accelerating the ageing process, making us more susceptible to illness, and shortening our lives. What’s the solution? Laziness.
According to scientific research, the authors list out actions that have a positive effect on our health indicators. Namely:
- Moderation in eating (weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, blood cholesterol, uric acid)
- Relaxation and calmness (blood pressure, blood sugar, antibodies, stress-hormone levels)
- Moderate exercise (weight, stress-hormone levels, blood pressure, antibodies)
- Warmth and sunlight (blood sugar level, blood pressure, weight)
- Sufficient sleep (cortisol level, antibodies, blood sugar level)
The authors talk about conserving energy by doing nothing. Eating less will make us live longer because food costs us energy. In fact, fasting delays the ageing process and lengthens life. Relaxing makes us more intelligent. Laughter is the number one stress fighter. And we all know that lack of sleep makes us old, stupid, cranky, ill, and fat, so the authors believe that we can all become younger in our sleep, since it affects body temperature, stress level, and metabolism.
It surely doesn’t sound like anything you haven’t heard of before, but think about it, if we can all learn how to manage our stress level by being more relaxed and composed, that is already a big step towards a younger looking and longer life!
I recommend this book to my ex-colleagues and bosses, for reasons known only to themselves.
Confessions of a Corporate Shopaholic 
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