 A verse in the bible tells us, "There are 12 hours of daylight everyday. As long as it is light, people can walk safely" (John 11:9-10, NLT). Many authors try to use the bible for health guidance even though there are some contradicting principles. One example is using the "Daniel diet" as justification for going vegan but then reading that all animals are clean (for eating) in the New Testament. Hidden In the above verse, however, just may be the guidance for simpler stress-reduced healthier living. The key to it all may be in forcing yourself to live a 12 hour day.
Consider the reduced workload of a 12 hour day in the long run; if you wake up at 6AM on a regular basis you would have to close up shop at 6PM. All the work, errands, chores, eating, exercising, playing with the kids, etc. would have to be done by 6PM. A 12 hour day just may be the 'end all' for stress reduction. Your stress hormones (cortisol, etc) are elevated throughout the day; this is a normal fact of life. Your growth hormones, needed for re-growth and recovery, only become active when you calm down at the end of the day (sunset) and then sleep. Your growth hormones are the key to improving overall health, strengthening your immune system, tolerating stress, and even losing weight. Now I know what you are sarcastically saying, probably something like, "What century are you living in?"
This circadian yin-yang cycle needs to be respected. The balance we need is offset by the 16-18 hour "work" days we maintain. With these long days, it is inevitable that your body will break down at an accelerated rate. Something has to give; it is not a question of 'if,' but 'when.' Take a moment to inventory your day beyond 12 hours. If you wake at 7, what keeps you active past 7PM? Is it work? Driving mom's taxicab? The kids' activities? Still commuting home? Working out at the gym? In front of the TV being bombarded by electromagnetic waves? Eating dinner? Eating late...Debra Waterhouse, author of Fighting the Female Fat Cell, cites "nocturnal eating" as one of her six main factors in weight gain.
Consequently, you then may have to evaluate your daily productivity. Brian Tracy, business and self-development guru, leads people to think about how productive you get in the day(s) before vacation. If you had this same intensity everyday, you could get your day done in less than 12 hours. Weston Price, author of Nutrition and Physical Degeneration (published in 1939), documented that many tribal societies only work for about 4 hours a day (hunting, repairing, preparing, etc) and spend the rest enjoying each others company and playing with the children. I think our society could use that family time. Timothy Ferriss, author of the 4 Hour Work Week, seemingly combines the day-before-vacation productivity principle with the short 4-hour day principle.
American tendency is to keep putting stuff into your life without taking stuff out. It's extreme thinking, I know, but extreme measures may have to be taken to stay healthy. Consider that the cancer rate is now close to 1-out-of-2 people. The question is not 'why try to make your day 12-hours long' but 'why not.' 12 hours may be the measuring stick you need in order to decide what may be too much in your life.
Jon Clancy is a certified strength coach who personal-trains at Anytime Fitness (Cortland)
and The Gym (Lansing).
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