Calm Energy: How People Regulate Mood with Food and Exercise [Paperback]

The author addresses the perplexing question of why people who know better still eat unhealthfully and do not exercise. I have often wondered myself, if I know exercise or meditation or whatever makes me feel so much better, why don't I just do it everyday? The concept of Calm-Energy vs. Tense-Tiredness is very convincing and useful. Also, the book puts the idea of "emotional eating" in it's larger context. Compared to the treatment emotional eating gets in the popular media, this is much more interesting and makes it seem very possible to intervene and change habits.

This is not a standard self-help book and doesn't give the clearest instructions on how to apply all this information to your everyday life. Rather, it gives you knowledge, understanding, awareness and--with the extensive footnotes and references to research--confidence that this guy really knows what he's talking about. I'm planning to read his "The Origin of Everyday Moods" next.

Many of us are stress overeaters. And there are a number of books on the market that mention how we have emotional roadblocks that keep us from becoming slim. But few of these books discuss this issue in the depth that "Calm Energy" does.
And few give helpful solutions.

The author Robert Thayer Ph.D describes in detail how when we are feeling tense, tired, or depressed we often turn to high fat sugary foods. Citing a number of studies Thayer explains why we do this.

Then Thayer explains simple solutions. According to Thayer, "exercise is the single best way of coping with the tension and fatigue that inevitably result from stress." He describes simple techniques you can do when your urge to eat, what you don't need seems to overwhelm your body. A brisk 5 minute walk is one idea.

One paragraph in the book made a huge impact. Thayer recounts how a taxicab driver was very calm despite bad traffic, radio calls etc. The driver used worrybeads to release tension. According to Thayer small systemic movements like moving beads or squeezing soft rubbery objects can help relax your body.
I quickly hijacked my 14 year olds stringed bead bracelet and by manipulating the beads slowly released some stress and managed to avoid a trip to the kitchen to gobble up some goodies I didn't need! Simple, effective technique that I will use more often.

Overall an excellent look at the mood food connection with super tips on what you can do to destress and become healthier.

"Not only are negative moods in general improved with exercise, but exercise helps us overcome specific moods, such as mild depression" the author tells us on page 47. Dr. Thayer continues on page 69 with a similar note: "Our thoughts and behaviors are inexorably driven by eating habits when we are in the grip of these negative moods. He doesn't stop there and leave the reader hanging, like some authors do with unfounded assertions. Ka-chink! Those beautiful superscripts come down, engraving themselves on the pages, and sending us unemotionally to Dr. Thayer's sources. Even the cover is gorgeous, nearly a work of art itself. "Calm Energy" is easy to understand, yet does not at all lack the details needed to effect dietary changes (along with the help of a dietician or physician). It will take more than one reading session to fully comprehend the implications, but they are in no way beyond a reasonable understanding. Later, other people will think YOU'RE the doctor when they ask you why you're looking and feeling so good lately. Then they'll ask you where you found the answers, and why they're still struggling with their weight management instead of the spike-and-drop cycle of useless fad diets. Here are those answers.