Law Career Development Graduate Fellow
The holidays are a great time for networking, as many bar associations host lunches, cocktail hours, mixers, and dinners for their members. These events are excellent opportunities for anyone in the legal profession to meet and mingle with a variety of lawyers and build their networks. And with so many discounts and specials offered to law students to join these bar associations, it’s hard not to find a reason to go out and enjoy the celebrations. Yet for all the fun over the holidays, there is always one aspect that the legal profession notoriously forgets about until the time comes for their New Year’s Resolution: personal health and well being. Wellness is an important subject of many law blogs, normally taking the form of mindfulness; and it’s no secret that every other magazine today contains at least one article about how to improve your health and longevity. With so much information out there telling you how to stay healthy, it can become overwhelming.
And the sad part is a lot of the information out there can be very misleading, or even flat out wrong. In their book Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha, John Romaniello and Adam Bornstein talk about many misconceptions and misinformation circulated by the fitness industry, and how one of the biggest issues that can cause havoc on your body is not necessarily the food you eat, but hormonal imbalance that makes your body much less efficient at doing its job. While the book is geared towards getting men back in shape, a lot of the information is more generally applicable and is backed by current scientific research. And Romaniello and Bornstein are not the only ones talking about this important subject.
Alright, so hormones are a big deal, but how can someone fix that? I mean, we all live busy lives, and the holidays just make things more complicated with more things to do in the mix. But that in and of itself is the funny thing--everyone is busy! The modern world is full of people rushing around to do anything and everything they can, and few people seem to take time out of their days to actually take care of themselves. And yet it is important enough that you have to make time. Keeping yourself healthy during the holidays and beyond is perhaps one of the most important things you can do going forward.
Taking care of yourself does not mean you have to struggle and constantly fight a losing battle. In his book, The Power of Habit : Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business, Charles Duhigg explains that most of our most destructive habits can be taken care of simply by paying attention to our everyday lives. All habits have a trigger to them and taking the time to pay attention to those triggers can hold the solution to removing bad habits from your life and replacing them with better ones. This same process can also be used to create new habits for yourself that can, in the long run, greatly improve your life. Creating a behavior or routine can take time, but turning that into a habit can really ensure the benefits for years to come.
Where do you start? Anyone in the legal world knows the importance of educating yourself, so taking some time to read a couple of books on the subject of personal health will be a benefit. Seeing as the holidays means a lot of food, books on diet can be helpful when deciding how much of that turkey or potatoes to eat. Two great books on the subject are In Defense of Food : An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan and Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain--For Life by David Perlmutter. But there are thousands of books on the subject, so taking the time to find the one that speaks to you is worth the look.
Education will only go so far. At some point, action must be taken. Luckily for anyone still in the Bay Area, there are almost limitless possibilities to keep you healthy and happy. If you are like me, it might be time for you to check out your doctor or one of the local clinics for a checkup. While most of us were likely taken to the doctor at least once a year as a kid, adulthood has limited many of our visits to only when desperately needed. However, it would likely benefit many to go and take advantage of the yearly physical that most medical plans offer. Just taking the time to get checked can go a long way in making sure your health remains in peak condition. For more specific information on where to go in San Francisco for health and wellness aid, the San Francisco Department of Public Health is an invaluable resource to find medical providers.
Of course, remember that if stress is getting to you in the search for internships, externships or jobs, you can always swing by Law Career Development for an appointment. We have the resources you need to take away that holiday stress and get you set up for the New Year. So schedule an appointment soon, as we would love to see you.
