To find out more about workplace wellbeing and how to live a healthy lifestyle, I spoke to Tom Rath, who is the author of the new book “Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes“Tom has written several international bestsellers, including the #1 New York Times bestseller, How Full Is Your Bucket? In 2012, his book StrengthsFinder 2.0 was the best-selling non-fiction book in the world. Tom’s most recent New York Times bestsellers are Strengths-Based Leadership and Well-Being: The Five Essentials. In total, his books have sold more than 5 million copies, have been translated in 16 languages and have made more than 250 appearances on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list.
Tom is a senior scientist and advisor at Gallup, where he previously spent 13 years leading the organization’s work on employee engagement, strengths, and well-being. You can follow Tom on Twitter or via his blog writing at tomrath.org.
In this interview, he talks about the importance of wellness at work, how his book changed his daily routine, the most interesting research in the book, and his best tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle .
Wellbeing is a hot topic in the workplace right now. Why do you think this is such an important topic and what types of programs should companies implement?
We all need to work towards improving health and well-being. If an organization doesn’t improve the well-being of customers, employees or communities, what’s the point of making a profit? If managers spent as much time trying to increase welfare as they do “creating shareholder value,” they would end up building more sustainable companies.
The best programs I’ve seen focus on building a culture of health within an organization, not just minimizing risk to save on immediate costs. If our largest employers can achieve this, I truly believe they will lead us in the fight against this global epidemic of ill health. After all, our workplaces are the largest and most influential networks in most of our lives.
Why did you title your book “Eat Move Sleep” and what inspired you to write it now after your previous successes?
I started writing this book because I was tired of seeing the people I care about suffer poor health or die needlessly because of poor choices. As I explain in Eat Move Sleep, I’ve studied these topics extensively over the past decade in order to stay ahead of my own health risks. What I’ve learned from all this research is that there are countless things we can do to feel better today and at the same time extend our chances of living a long life. The key is to tie good decisions to short-term incentives instead of imagining that you’ll skip the cheeseburger at lunch to avoid a heart attack in 30 years.
How has your book changed your daily routine?
Writing Eat Move Sleep changed my own routine and behavior more than anything I’ve done in my life. To begin with, I wrote the entire book while walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike. Instead of sitting in an office chair all day, I was almost constantly on the move, even when I was on a call. This significantly increased my energy throughout the day, allowing me to stay alert and be able to write more. I also learned several little tricks to anticipate my food temptations, like keeping healthy foods in places where they were visible. In the evening, I made minor changes for better sleep, like avoiding electronic devices an hour before bed.
The finding that surprised me the most from all this research is that exercise alone is not enough from a movement standpoint. Even if you exercise for 30 to 60 minutes five days a week, that won’t counteract sitting for several hours a day. Being active throughout the day is what matters most.
What I consider one of the most compelling findings is that high performers sleep longer to get more done. I would have assumed that the hardest working, most successful people are the first to sacrifice sleep. But it turns out that sleep is more of an investment than an expense.
What three pieces of advice would you give to the average worker today based on your book?
1. Stop jumping from diet to diet and focus on eating right for life.
2. Incorporate movement and activity into every hour of your day. Aim for 10,000 steps per day.
3. Get at least 7-8 hours of quality sleep every night to stay alert and get more done.
Dan Schawbel is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, Promote yourself: the new rules for successful career (Press Saint-Martin).
