We kind of understand that, but we somehow think that a five minute workout, or five minutes of breath work, or five minutes of meditation, or five minutes of nature won’t have the same impact, and it absolutely will. Good habits build up in exactly the same way as bad habits. I really think that’s an important point to grasp. The thing I really liked about this book (other than it seeming quite simple and even, at times, obvious) was the fact that none of it costs anything. He really isn’t asking you to go to the gym or buy a red sports car or take up sky-diving. None of what he suggests will cost you a cent. But just about any of the advice he provides will empower you, helping you to see that change comes gently, one step at a time. Rangan Chatterjee: Yeah, so they know. They know. They know. I’m not blaming them, right? They understand human behavior.

Rangan Chatterjee: Again, I’m not saying you shouldn’t do that. What I’m saying is you feel low, you buy a chocolate bar, you eat it. In the short term, you feel better, right? So that wires in a reward pathway in your body. You’re suddenly thinking, ah, next time I’m low, if I eat chocolate I will feel better. Right? So this is how we wire in a lot of these habits that sometimes we’re trying to get rid of. We’ve actually wired them in with emotion.

The goal is on each out breath, up to five, you go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, then you return to one again. It’s remarkable Mark. I’ve done this exercise and once I got up to the number 30 before I’d realized that my mind had wandered and I was just automatically counseling. It’s a really good exercise to help us train of focus and our concentration. And again, I went through a period of time what I was doing that every morning when I woke up, and I found that my focus, and my craving for sugar I found actually was a lot reduced in the day when I did those, which I found really, really interesting. So, that’s one option people may like. From Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, a pioneer in the emerging field of progressive medicine and star of BBC's Doctor in the House, Feel Better in 5 draws on his 20 years of experience, including real-life case studies from his medical practice, to identify simple, effective strategies that will help you become healthier, happier, and less stressed. His latest book Feel Better In 5, which everybody should get a copy of. It’s incredible, Feel Better In 5. Five minutes is all you need to fix your health and well being. It’s a smash hit in the UK. It’s sold 100,000 copies in just seven months. It’s been published in the United States recently. Professor BJ Fogg, who’s one of the world’s leading experts in human behavior calls his book one of the best habit-change programs he’s ever seen. Deceptively simple, but remarkably effective. And I know you and I have both been inspired by BJ Fogg. Rangan Chatterjee: Thanks for that. It’s funny that this was the last thing that went into the book. I actually thought I’d finished the book, and I was like looking at my manuscript. I thought, yeah, okay, I’ve finally done it. Then it came to me, then I thought… You know, as a doctor, Marie, I’m really passionate about giving people advice that’s going to work for everyone. You know, I don’t just want to give advice that works for the affluent in society. I want advice that works for everyone, and I really think this approach does.

One example is the “Tea Ritual”- “Stop what you are doing and sit attentively with a friend or partner”.I gave this book 4 stars. I like the routines and the practicality of it all, but I think that this book is missing a new step on what to do after you have established the new habits. Is there a next step or is this it? In the end though I think this book is extremely helpful and a great place to start focusing your mental health, especially as Covid continues to plague many of our minds and bodies. I don’t know if you want to speak into that for a moment, but I thought it was a really great contrast to help us understand. For any of us listening right now, or watching, you could imagine like, oh, I’m going to shove… By the way, I love ice cream. Ice cream is awesome. Everything in moderation. But if you just like shoved your face with sugar or ice cream or something that you know wouldn’t be good for you three times a day for five days a week over years, you could imagine not feeling very well, right? You’re working on your mental health, which is the mind piece, body is actually a series of five-minute workouts, whether it’s strength, HIIT, or yoga – none of it requires any equipment. The third section is heart. What do you mean by ‘heart’? I say to people, don’t do more than three, right? Don’t do more than three, at least when you’re starting. Because again, you run into the same problem. You’ll do five or six a day for a week, and then you’ll be too busy and you’ll do none.

Who doesn't want their bodies to feel better? And what if I told you that all it took was 5 minutes, three times a day? "Feel Better in 5" by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee lays out a roadmap of a variety of 5 minute activities that will arguably improve both your mind and your body. Implementing these habits is easy and functional, often creating a more sustainable routine than other health practices. If this sounds like you, there’s no need to despair, because in your hands you have a plan that is finally going to help you. This plan will not only have you feeling better within days, but it will also lead to meaningful and long-lasting change. My plan is easy to follow, easy to maintain and requires only the smallest amount of willpower. Rangan Chatterjee: Marie, I have been so looking forward to this. I’ve watched your show many times over the years and it’s a real honor to come on it, actually. So thank you. Now, at about the same time I was trying to convince my mother to get onto the internet, I was reading lots of books that could be broadly described as belonging to the category of ‘behavioural economics’. These books had titles like ‘Predictably Irrational’ or ‘Mistakes Were Made, But Not by Me’. I really enjoyed these books – but it also seemed pretty clear that bad people (let’s call them marketers to save time) would also read these books and then use this knowledge against us. That is, after all, the point of marketing – to use the flaws in our character against us so as to make the world a much worse place. Behavioural economics is essentially the bringing together of psychology, economics and marketing – well, what possible good could ever come out of cross-species paring? A rough beast slouches towards the Chicago School to be born. It’s funny, Marie, I was thinking in the hour before this call with you, I went for a walk. I thought I was going to clear my mind because I’m under a lot of work pressure at the moment that’s unrelated to this. I just thought about it. I thought, wow, you know what my book is really about that I didn’t realize when I wrote it? It’s about helping people change their identity through action.I remember there was a time when I was having to blow dry my hair, this was years ago, and I used to do squats. Do you know what I mean? Like I’d blow out my hair and I would do squats. I’m like, okay, well, I’m going to be here for at least 20 minutes anyway. Sometimes I would do my calf raises. But it actually can be so much fun, and that’s why I love this Feel Better in 5. From reducing anxiety and pain to upping your energy and focus, Dr. Chatterjee shares simple, effective ways you can transform your health in 5 minutes a day.