LEGALLY HEALTHY Health & Lifestyle Strategies For Attorneys In The Case Of Their Lives

You think that you know how to chew, right?

Ok, it’s true.  You have been eating for as long as you’ve been alive and chewing ever since you got your first set of teeth.  We could even consider gumming soft foods as a toddler to be early stages of chewing.  You probably chew several times over the course of each day, some days more than others, and it’s been working out pretty well.  So, why are we talking about chewing? 

You’ve surely been out with clients or coworkers to meals that got squeezed into an already busy schedule, so as you discussed your matters, you also scarfed down your food.  How many times have you been on a phone call, listening to someone talk while you sneak bites of a snack or even your lunch, and right after you take a bite, suddenly they stop talking and ask you a question?  At that moment, what can you do but swallow and start talking?  To do otherwise would signal to the caller that you were only half listening to their prattle.

When you eat while distracted, you often swallow your food practically whole.  Did you know that people chew their food only 8 times on average? 

Feeling great isn’t just about what you eat and how much you eat, it’s also about how you eat.   Digestion begins in the mouth where contact with your teeth and the digestive enzymes in your saliva start to break down the food. Swallowing your food after only a few chews can lead you down the road to weight gain and low energy.

Here are six great reasons to slow down and chew your food:

• Saliva breaks down your food into simple sugars. The more you chew, the sweeter your food becomes, thereby reducing cravings for post-meal sweets.
• Chewing allows your body to absorb more nutrition from each bite of food. The more you chew, the more nutrients your body can extract from the food as it travels along your digestive path.
• When you chew more, you produce more endorphins, the brain chemicals responsible for creating good feelings.
• Chewing your food better is helpful for weight loss because when you chew well and eat more slowly, you are more likely to notice when you feel full.
• Chewing promotes increased circulation, better immunity, it increases your energy and endurance, and it can help to stabilize your weight.
• When you take time with a meal, you enjoy the whole experience of eating more.  You notice the way the foods smells, tastes and feels. It also helps you to develop patience and self-control. 

We don’t want you to start counting your chews on your fingers at the table while others stare at you like you’ve lost your marbles.   However, by increasing to 20 chews per bite, you can experience the benefits of chewing. Try it and see how you feel.

Why not try eating without the usual distractions and just pay attention to your meal and to how you are breathing and chewing. How will you feel when you focus on what you are eating? This kind of quiet can be uncomfortable at first since you may be used to a steady stream of background noise, phones, email, family members and other demands. As you create a new habit, you will begin to appreciate eating without rushing.

You’re going to eat every day – why not learn to savor and enjoy it?

We all stand for something.  What do you stand for? 

Lawyers spend too much time sitting. We work sitting at our desks for most of the day, we sit during meetings, we sit around in court, we sit while we commute to and from the office, and then we sit in front of the TV at night.  Recent research studies show that sitting for extended periods of time correlates to a greater risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity, even among people who exercise regularly.  Lawyers are already a stressed-out bunch, so the last thing we want to hear is that our chairs are conspiring against us.

To stand, you have to tense your muscles and engage your core.  Sitting is passive and expends very little energy. Unlike standing or walking, sitting does not engage the shoulder, back and leg muscles nor does it require much balance or coordination.  In fact, sitting takes barely no energy at all.  You burn more calories fidgeting in the jury box waiting for the calendar call than you do just sitting still at your desk. Your secretary is burning more calories standing in your doorway waiting for you to review that document that you’re using up just staring at it.

Sitting also turns off or slows certain of the body’s metabolic processes so we become less efficient at burning fat and metabolizing sugars.  It’s time to set your body in motion.  We’re not suggesting that you replace your chair with an exercise ball or toss out your desk to make room for a treadmill.

The quick fix is easy, just decrease your sitting time, and spend more time standing up or moving around.  Here are some small shifts that will add up quickly:

• Take the stairs when you’re going up or down three flights or less.  Use the restroom on another floor, and use the stairs to get there.
• Stand when talking on the phone, especially during lengthy conference calls.
• Stand while waiting for a meeting or Court appearance to begin.  You won’t be the only one pacing the courthouse halls.
• Take a walk midday or after work.  It’s a great way to bond with colleagues or your family.
• Rely less on the inter-office mail and email systems.  Walk down the hall to deliver your documents or your messages to your colleagues.
• Park in the rear of the lot or get off the train a few blocks away from your destination.  Walk the rest of the way.

Whatever you do, don’t just sit there!  

Let us know how you fit more movement into your day.  Post in the comments below.  

Are you sitting up straight right now?

The negative health consequences of poor posture are significant. Yet, the subject doesn’t often make headlines or onto the list of topics for office chatter.  Hunched shoulders, forward-leaning heads and rounded spines run rampant. Look around and notice the posture of your colleagues as they work or talk on the phone. It’s not a pretty sight.  Poor posture can impact brain and organ function, metabolism and balance, among other critical things.  It doesn’t scream “powerful attorney,” either.

The main culprit is poor ergonomics at our desks and workstations.  The good news is that this is easy to fix!

Here are 6 ways to improve your posture through proper ergonomics: 

1. When using your smartphone to text or read email, hold it close to your eye level.  Keeping the phone near your lap ensures forward shoulder posture and a drooping head.  Notice the difference in your posture as you raise your phone closer to eye level.

2. Bend your elbows to 90-degrees when typing at your desk.  If your keyboard height is fixed, adjust your seat height and your body position in relation to the keyboard.  Position your hands in the typing position and adjust your chair until your arms are at the desired angle. Put a post-it note on your screen to remind you to sit upright and with relaxed shoulders.  Your knees should be bent at a 90-degree angle and your feet should rest on the floor.  If you cannot achieve this, a footstool (or a stack of Law Digests) will do the trick.

3. Lumbar support is an important consideration for proper posture.  Many desk chairs are made with adjustable lumbar support that should be set for the convex surface of the chair to match the concave curve of your lower spine.  If positioned too high, the support will push you forward and will fatigue your neck and back muscles.  If it’s too low, it will cause you to slouch.  Either way, improper lumbar support will interfere with your ability to concentrate – – and you don’t want that!

4. Once you have your chair and desk in their proper positions, set your computer monitor at eye level.  Raise your monitor with a stand or rest it on top of books, if necessary, to reach the desired height.  If you work with a laptop, consider getting a detachable keyboard so you can raise the monitor while still keeping your arms bent at 90-degrees.

5. When using reference material as you type, position them at eye level.  You can get a small clip with an arm that attaches to the monitor to hold documents or a book stand to prop texts next to your computer.

6. Hold your phones. Most lawyers spend countless hours on the phone each day, both in the office and on the go.  Holding the phone on your shoulder is a posture disaster.  Having your head and neck tilted and your shoulder hunched for long periods of time will inevitably lead to poor posture and eventually to pain.  Using a headset is an easy fix.  There are many styles readily available for both your office phone and for your cell phone, too.  Get one for each – – and remember to use them!

We hope that this post raised your awareness of how your ergonomics at work may be having a negative impact on your health.  Try to implement as many of these changes as you can in your office and in your life.  Even making one small change can make a huge difference!  

Let us know how it goes for you in the comments below.  We’d love to hear about it!

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Legally Healthy provides solutions and strategies to double your downtime, restore your energy and manage your stress without overwhelm, struggle or leaving the law.  

Is whining contagious?

Dinners with clients are a big part of the legal business. The endgame is to connect, build rapport, get retained or develop strategies. Since stress, struggle and exhaustion are practically status symbols in our culture, a common way for people to connect is through the art of complaining. But, is that really the best means toward the desired end?

Or, you’ve been hard at work in your office and want a break, so you head to the kitchen to refill your water glass and grab an apple.  As you near the kitchen, you hear the sounds of staff members dishing on the latest office dirt and comparing stress levels as if it was a contest with the prize going to the one who sounds least happy. Who has a bigger workload with the shortest deadlines?  Whose life is the busiest, most stressful or easiest to gripe about? You start to deflate just listening to the negative talk.

Complaining is draining.

After even a short complaint-fest, your spirits take a dive, your shoulders slump, and your energy wanes.  That’s not the result you were seeking.

How can you turn that around? Same scenario but instead of complaining over meals with colleagues or clients, you listen intently.  Then, instead of commiserating, you use your time together in a proactive way. By exploring possible solutions, you’ll be able to share your brilliance while you build trust and create a more positive, meaningful connection. You’ll leave energized and eager to follow up and continue the dialog.

If you happen upon others in the office who are out-whining each other, try to interrupt the discussion with a cheerful greeting.  Your positive attitude might distract the negative talk out of them and turn their mood for the better, too. Everybody wins.

Why are we so eager to connect by exploiting the negative rather than applauding each other for the positives?  It’s time to look for the bright side in every situation rather than dwelling on the stuff that brings us down.  The next time someone around you starts to whine, ask them to tell you about the highlight of their day or something that they are looking forward to in their free time.

Smiles are contagious, too, if only we took the time to draw them out more often.  

Amicus Curious? Have a question about your health or lifestyle? Send it our way: partner@legallyhealthy.com

Summer is quickly approaching, are your arms ready?

It’s easy to hide full legs under pants and skirts, even during the summer.  No one will bat an eye if you show up to a party in a maxi dress.  But arms are expected to be bare and swinging free.  Summertime is practically made for tanks and straps and teeny sleeves.  So, what if your arms aren’t in show-off shape?  Are you destined to cover up?

Does the thought of going sleeveless make you shudder?  

Let’s be honest, wearing long sleeves in summer isn’t comfortable either.  Your pale, imprisoned arms haven’t seen the sunshine or felt the breeze in a while.  Instead of needlessly sweating and covering up as the temperatures rise, why not try a new approach this summer?

There are countless bicep-boosting moves that you can add into your regular routine without tacking time onto your full schedule: 

• Watching tv?  Do some arm circles while you view.  Forward, backward, small and large, circle away.
• Got a baby? Lift that cutie up and down above your head 10 times. This is fun for your sweetie and great for your arms.
• Feeling tense?  Throw some punches into the air in front of you.
• Shrug your shoulders until it burns.
• Hang out for a few minutes in downward dog, then switch to plank.
• Push ups are no one’s friend.  Except your arms’.

Arms are quick to tone and easy to show off! 

Exercising Your Right To Bare Arms is a very liberating way of embracing your status quo.  Don’t wait to expose them until summer is half gone. Go ahead and dust off your sleeveless tops and dresses and wear them proudly.

Your beautiful arms will enjoy their freedom and so will you.

What’s your favorite arm toner?  We’d love to hear about it in the Comments below!  

No matter the area of law you practice, you probably remember the string of cases you studied in your 1L Torts class.  According to the Eggshell Doctrine, when we do harm to another, we must take the plaintiff as we find her, even if she has a skull as thin as an eggshell and even if we had no prior notice of her condition.  While we may argue that it’s unfair, we know that it’s the law.

While there’s no law protecting the Average Jill from committing tortious thoughts against herself, we think there should be. 

We  suspect that you may have a colorful agenda for what you wish to look like or how you want to feel, but you are also duty-bound to accept yourself as you are right now, thin skull (or fleshy thighs) and all.  Wishing things were different can be a springboard for change or it can be a downward spiral of self-criticism and discontent.  Applying the mandate of the Eggshell Doctrine to your life may be just the mandate you need to accept your present situation – without judgment – and to take measures to get where you want to go.

While this may seem daunting, we’ve made it really easy for you.  Our mission is to create the healthiest lawyers in the world.  We’re bringing you with us!  Our counter-intuitive approach to time management and self-care transforms even the most hectic, overwhelmed attorneys into vibrant and productive counselors. Our simple strategies, secrets and shortcuts are fun, easy and effective.

We’ll show you the way to make time, restore energy and manage stress without overwhelm, struggle or giving up chocolate.  

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Ready to get started?  Then it’s time for you to get our FREE Report, Time Is Of The Essence: 6 Simple Shifts That Will Boost Your Health In No Time!  Get it by entering your name and email address in the boxes on the right side of your screen.  

Read it now, and then try one or two of the Simple Shifts and see what a difference a small change makes.  That’s all it takes for you to move toward what you want for your health and your life, thin skull and all!

Amicus Curious? Have a question about your health or lifestyle? Send it our way: partner@legallyhealthy.com

We all know that drinking water is essential for good health.

In fact, we want you to start your day with a tall glassful.  Water hydrates your body, makes your skin clear and glowing, it helps curb cravings and even improves digestion.  Keeping a filled water bottle in plain view on your desk (preferably glass, stainless steel or BPA-free plastic) is one way to make it easier to remember to drink.

When you don’t get enough water, you often confuse thirst for hunger, and that leads to eating when you’re not really hungry.  So, when your stomach starts talking to you, and you haven’t had a drink in a while, reach first for that glass on your desk. Your body will thank you for it in so many ways.

We hear lots of gripes about water being boring. It doesn’t have to be that way!

Here are 6 easy ways to jazz up your water. Bring these readily available add-ins with you or grab some on your way to the office.  Drink up!

1. Citrus: lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit or a combination (give a squeeze & drop it in)
2. Cucumber slices
3. Berries or Melon (crushing them with a spoon makes the flavor stronger)
4. Herbs (try a few leaves of mint, basil, parsley or rosemary)
5. Apple Cider Vinegar (adding just a slash has many health benefits)
6. Greens powder packets (natural energy booster too!)

Some of our favorite additions come straight from the closest salad bar: mandarin orange, cucumber-mint and honeydew-lime. The possibilities are endless, so be creative!

We love hearing from you.  Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!

Have you met my friend Miranda?

Working in a stressful, hectic environment is probably second nature for you by now. On any given day, you rush to work, slide into court just as they’re starting the calendar call, you show up exactly on time to meetings, your lunches feel more like work than breaks, and you do it all at lightning speed.

When you walk out of the office at the end of the day, you might rush to the gym or hurry home to fit the rest of your life and your loved ones into what was already a jam-packed day. During your commute, you’re reading email or maybe you’re still on the phone with clients, sometimes until the moment you walk through the door.  Later, when your head hits the pillow, your mind is racing with today’s mishaps or tomorrow’s agenda.  Most of us can relate to these scenarios, at least in part.

We know that it’s our Constitutional right to remain silent.  Heck, even suspected criminals are read their Miranda Rights. Yet most of us don’t do it often enough.

Why is it so hard to be quiet? 

Taking even a few minutes to unplug, sit quietly, get some fresh air, notice your surroundings and just breathe can make a huge difference.  Stopping to be still is the quickest way to restore, recharge and even de-stress.  It gives your body and your mind a much-needed break from the action and the chaos.  A quiet mind is a clear mind.  Isn’t clarity one of the things that lawyers desire most?

Slowing down, especially before meals, will help you digest your food better so you won’t feel sluggish.  Your renewed focus will help you become more present and patient with clients during the day and with your family after your busy day. You’ll be more calm and have more focus for the challenges you’ll face tomorrow.

So, sit still and start with five deep breaths. You do have the time.

It really is that simple.  Give it a try and notice what shifts for you.  We’re waiting to hear about it.  Let us know in the comments below.

In our Lifestyle Audit posts, we aim to raise awareness of places that may be unknowingly draining your time, your money, your energy or any combination of the three. In today’s post, let’s focus on lunch. Lunch excuses are rampant – – do any of these sound familiar to you?

• “I don’t have time for lunch.”
• “I’m much too busy to take a break.”
• “I’d rather eat at my desk while I work.”
• “My clients need me to be here at all times.”
• “There are no healthy choices near my office.”
• “Why would I bring lunch when I can just buy something…it’s faster.”

The prevailing thought says that going out to “grab” lunch and bring it back is quick. Maybe.  Maybe not. It might be quicker to bring lunch from home and eat outside or to eat in the office and take a nice walk in the afternoon. Fresh air and sunshine will restore your energy for the rest of the day. Whether you pack a lunch or you go out to eat, taking a formal lunch break will clear your mind and set you up for a productive afternoon.

Do you know how much money you spend on lunch daily? It adds up pretty quickly.  That’s where this Lunch audit comes in. Awareness leads to positive change. We can all use a bit of that.

Here’s how to do this Lifestyle Audit:

1. For one week, pay attention to the time that it takes from door to door to get your lunch. Note the amount of time that it takes to walk or drive to your chosen venue, browse the menu, wander the salad bar, chit-chat with someone you bump into all the way through until you are finished eating.

2. Calculate the cost of your lunches.

3. On a scale of 1-10, note how much you enjoy your food.

The results may surprise you. Maybe you’ll see that there are tastier and healthier options that take the same amount of time to get and that you’ll enjoy more. Maybe you’ll find that if you were to bring a healthy lunch from home a few days each week, you can use the money that you saved to go out to a nice lunch with a friend every so often instead of buying the usual quick lunch that you tend to reach for each day.  You can use the time that you saved by not standing in the daily deli line and treat yourself to a longer lunch with a friend once in a while.  With your saved time, you could take a walk, work out in the Firm’s gym or spend some time enjoying your lunch instead of rushing or multitasking at your desk. You may find that you feel more energized after taking a formal lunch break rather than plugging away at your desk while you eat.

Try the Lunch Audit for a week.  You’ll likely enjoy your food more, have more energy and save money for that special night out or tickets to the game. Maybe you’ll discover something else entirely.

Please share the results of your lunch audit in the comments below, we’d love to know.

What are you doing to change your habits?  Make one small tweak to your usual routine, and soon you’ll reap big rewards.Park in the far corner of the parking lot. Use the restroom on a different floor, and take the stairs to get there. Walk a lap around the office interior a few times each day to stretch your legs and refresh your mental muscle. Bring (and eat) one piece of fresh fruit each day.

Have you ever thought about the habits or behavior patterns you engage in regularly that create an environment for this condition of Not-Enough-Time-ness to thrive?Are you guilty of contributory health negligence?