When I was first considering going on this diet I was aghast to learn that it required homework. My initial reaction was akin to the reaction Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76’ers basketball team gave when he was benched for missing practice. We’re not talking about weight loss, we’re not talking about losing weight, we’re talking about homework! Not the way I’m eating, not the food, we’re talking about homework! Yeah I know it’s not just about what kinds of food you eat. I know it’s about making a change to my health habits but we’re still talking about homework!
After a bit of soul searching and reflection I understand why there’s homework. I know that I need to learn how to make better choices and the only way to do that is to become more educated about what goes into living a healthy life. So reluctantly I picked up the Habits of Health book and began reading. To be honest, it was a lot more interesting than I had expected.
I had anticipated the text to be riddled with reminders of how my poor health choices had resulted in where I am today. I expected to be chastised much like the dentist does when he learns that your whole life does not revolve around flossing 24-hours a day. Instead I found the text to be fascinating describing the aspects of human nature and the changes in society have all empowered us to lose control of our health.
The book itself is 377 pages long and while I would not classify it as a page turner like those from Tom Clancy and John Grisham it has held my interest. My intention was to read the book from cover to cover but during my weekly discussion with my health coach Amy she was asking if I had read Chapter 14 or Chapter 1 or Chapter 2. I began to wonder if there might be some secret reading schedule with specific chapters spelled out for certain weeks.
Sure enough, Amy explained that there was an order that would help me in my journey to becoming healthier. Ok, obviously my logical side would have to relinquish the fact that this book was not a progressive story but more of a reference where I would bounce from subject to subject instead of a linear progression.
So I picked up the book and begin reading the chapters in the order Amy suggested. I have to admit, I was very confused. It seemed like the message was disjointed. Chapter 14 began discussing using movement in your life to becoming more active. Just when you started to buy into the concept the chapter ended. According to my reading schedule I was not to go to the next chapter but to instead jump back to Chapter 1. I was just not getting it.
During our last weekly call I expressed my confusion around the reading. On the other end of the conversation there was a distinct pause. I was reading the wrong book! No, are you serious? Yeah sure enough, instead of the Habits of Health I was supposed to be in the “workbook” Living a Longer Healthier Life.
So basically I am back at square one. I now have the right book to work from and in reading the first assignment it is sending me to the Habits of Health in different chapters. So like Allen Iverson I understand the importance of listening to the coach and maybe, just maybe I should practice a little more if I want to be successful in the game.
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