Today I was ready to follow up on my last newsletter and blog post regarding how the timing of late-night eating can be one of the most powerful forms of poison. I want to talk about how the food we eat at those late-night dinners can also be the worst form of poison.
But before I do, if you recall, I previously mentioned that late-night eating holds an important social aspect in our lives. One of my readers reminded me of just how important being social is for a long, healthy, happy life.
I recently listened to a TED talk by Robert Waldinger. It took 13 minutes out of my day. I know how busy we are and how difficult it is to part with 13 minutes in our day. But please, listen to Waldinger's TED talk. It is 13 minutes that will pay you incredible dividends.
Robert Waldinger is the Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the world's most extended and comprehensive adult life studies. This study has been ongoing for over 75 years.
The findings are remarkable. You will need to listen to Waldinger's 13-minute TED talk to get the full extent of the study. But do you realize how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health? That "loneliness kills and is as powerful as smoking or alcoholism". And it is a fact people who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest at age 80.
Think about it. How important is our long-term happiness? And how important are 13 minutes in our lives? Especially if those 13 minutes could help our journey to a long, healthy, happy life. And FYI, today's Bluerisa Daily Dose of happiness will take 2 minutes out of your day.
A dear friend told me he reads my newsletters and has not once clicked on a referenced link. His excuse: no time to read them, I am too busy (sound familiar?). Yet he told me he recently binge-watched his favorite show for three weeks straight. He said it was 25 hours, that's one thousand five hundred minutes (talk about addiction!). So what IS 13 minutes? To all my binge-watching friends, I explore how these 1500 minutes can affect our longevity in my blog post, The Addiction of Binge Watching.
I was talking to another friend this past weekend and asked her how her day went. She said, and I quote: "I wasted my evening watching Citizen Kane". It is a classic, an excellent movie, and by no means a waste of an evening. But it does consume 119 minutes of our precious time.
With all that time we are wasting, we can certainly find happiness in less than 13 minutes.
Robert Waldingers' TED talk gave me something to look forward to, along with 13 minutes of happiness. I think it will do the same for you.
And don't forget what John Lennon said: Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.
We will discuss more plusses and minuses of late-night dinners in the coming weeks.
Your friend and fellow Bluerisa Traveler
Mark Block