About the Book
How to Eat, Move and be Healthy, by Paul Chek, has a holistic approach to health and fitness that addresses everything from digestive health, to nutrition, to mental health, to physical fitness. Overall, the book is great resource for anyone seeking to improve their health. It has loads of beautiful illustrations and diagrams that help the reader understand the concepts put forward. Some of the concepts and suggestions in the book could be considered controversial and “not validated by the scientific community”, but we have actually done everything suggested by the author and found them to be effective. We highly recommend this book.
One of the key concepts in this book is the idea “working in,” which is essentially the opposite of working out. Exercise and other stresses are catabolic (break you down) and rest (working in) is anabolic (building). We chose to only focus on this aspect of the book for the challenge because resting and recovering from stress is outside our comfort zone. Chek introduced this concept of working in as a way to get people to value rest as much exercise. If you can’t rest well, you will be in a predominantly catabolic state, have a difficult time staying healthy, and have poor outcomes from activities (like exercise) that are typically thought of as healthy.
Of the several “work in” techniques Chek describes in How to Eat, Move and be Healthy, an entire chapter is devoted to the “energizing exercises”, which include yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong and the system Check himself developed called “Zone Exercise”. The energizing exercises are based on the six energy centers in the human body and correspond to the different systems within the body. Additionally, these energy centers relate to a variety of life issues such as financial stress, communication, and relationships. We found this concept, and the Zone exercises in particular, very intriguing.
Questionnaires in the beginning of the book provide information as to which zones need to be addressed (areas where health/well-being were lacking). For example, if you determine (through the initial assessment) that your biggest health issue at the moment is stress, then that corresponds with Zone 4. This zone (Zone 4), is located in the upper back/chest area, and is responsible for blood pressure, immune response, and electromagnetic field generation. Like I said, intriguing, right? Check states that the Zone exercises can provide stress relief, and improve overall emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
The Challenge: Do the Zone Exercises from How to Eat Move and be Healthy - Each Day for 30 Days
We chose this as a challenge primarily because we were interested in acquiring the benefits listed above. We both could use more energy, better recovery and immune response, and improved resilience around stress. We took the assessment, and scored the highest (which is not a good thing) on stress and digestion. So it was zones 3 and 4 for us. Initially we wanted to do six different exercises a day, but we soon realized that at around 5-7 minutes per exercise, it was more time then we could cut out of our schedules. So three movements were just right.
View Challenge Video Here
How did the challenge go?
Please check back in to our podcast at the end of the month (August 31, 2018) at the following link to hear how we did:
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Thinking about doing the challenge?
You will definitely need the book for this challenge as it provides the assessment, instructions, and illustrations for the exercises. Don’t feel obligated to do the same amount we did. Find what works best for you and your schedule. The key, as with any new healthy behavior, is to be consistent and connect it to your core values. Is health a core value? If it is, then this challenge is for you. If you take the challenge leave us a comment and let us know how it goes. Good luck and have fun!