Book Review – Change Your Schedule, Change Your Life
Image: Change Schedule Change Life by Len Lantz (CC BY-NC-ND)
Synopsis: Len's Star Rating: 9 out of 10. An excellent, approachable book on Ayurvedic medicine and natural remedies for insomnia, obesity and other bodily ailments.
BY LEN LANTZ, MD / 5.4.2020; No. 16
Disclaimer: Yes, I am a physician, but I’m not your doctor and this article does not create a doctor-patient relationship. This article is for educational purposes and should not be seen as medical advice. You should consult with your physician before you rely on this information. This post also contains affiliate links. Please click this LINK for the full disclaimer.
Star Rating – 9 out of 10
Rating guide: 1 = horrible, 5 = average and 10 = wow
Author
Suhas Kshirsagar
About the author
Suhas Kshirsagar is a classically trained Ayurvedic physician who is world-renowned in his roles as a clinician and educator of Ayurvedic wellness.
General description
Change Your Schedule, Change Your Life is a book written for people who struggle with insomnia, weight gain and other physical conditions. Dr. Kshirsagar explains how you could be eating the right foods and doing the right exercises each day, but not meeting your goals for health, weight loss and sleep because your schedule is off. Exercising, sleeping and eating at the right times and in the right amounts consistently can lead to dramatic health improvements, lower stress and substantially improved sleep. Topics covered in this book include:
Biological explanations about your sleep and wake cycle’s response to light
Descriptions of the circadian rhythm of different body processes
Matching your body type to the most effective strategies for
Sleep
Exercise
Meals
Explaining how insomnia can interfere with weight loss
Unique and most important aspects
I didn’t know what I would find when I started reading this book. I was worried the author would recommend imposing rigid schedules and impossible expectations for sleep, exercise and eating. Instead, I was very pleased to find that the author explained how to achieve health goals through moderation, consistency and timing of activities. The author combines Ayurvedic wisdom and the application of medical science to explain why so many people’s solutions fail to address their obesity, insomnia and other bodily ailments. No one can force their body to behave against basic biological rhythms without there being negative outcomes at some point. There is some repetition of the main concepts, but the book is well written and organized, and the patient stories seem realistic. Important concepts from this book include:
Citing medical research that supports Ayurvedic medicine approaches
Describing clock genes and their changing impact on your body functions throughout the day and night
Providing a rational explanation of why large meals at night are detrimental to your digestion, health and sleep
Explaining how even modest exercise at the right time of day can have a greater impact than excessive exercise at the wrong time of day
Incorporating mindfulness and yoga into your day
Dealing with jet lag
Using melatonin appropriately
Explaining how hormones such as ghrelins and leptins influence appetite and metabolism
Providing recommendations for herbs and teas which promote wellness
Best quotes
“Although these findings in chronobiology-based research are still new, they actually reinforce what I’ve been practicing in Ayurvedic medicine for decades. Ayurveda is a natural healing tradition that has been practiced in India for about five thousand years.”
“But few other natural healing traditions explore the effect of natural light on the body. Here Ayurveda stands alone in explaining that the body’s systems operate on a daily cycle. It describes a daily routine, a nightly routine, and a seasonal routine to sync your body with the circadian clock.”
“Most of my patients are used to putting work at the heart of their daily schedule. They keep trying to perfect the workday so that they can get more done. Few people think about how to arrange their day so that their bodies’ needs come first.”
Who would enjoy this book?
Readers who are looking for natural solutions for insomnia, obesity, mental fog, fatigue, indigestion and congestion would likely enjoy Change Your Schedule, Change Your Life.
Who would not enjoy this book?
Readers who are not open to changing their routine to match their bodies' needs or would be put off by the author’s discussions on intensively monitoring their bowel movements might not enjoy Change Your Schedule, Change Your Life.
Conclusion
Change Your Schedule, Change Your Life is an excellent, approachable book on Ayurvedic medicine and natural remedies for insomnia, obesity and other bodily ailments.