Health is About the Little Things: Rangan Chatterjee, M.D. on How to Feel Better in Five Minutes

About this episode

As 2020 continues to unfurl in a fashion beyond surreal, more and more are descending into the anguished abyss of distress. Awakening to acrid tangerine skies that have transformed sunny California into a Blade Runner dystopia, I myself vacillate between melancholia and a commitment to forge a better world. When the darkness descends, I find sanity in focusing only on those things I can control: my actions and reactions. Nonetheless, waves of anxiety -- and sometimes even despair -- continue to break on the shores of my consciousness. It is in these moments that I resort to a battery of simple but generally quite effective contrary actions. I spend time in nature. Double down on meditation and human connection. I eat better and move more. And I extend myself in service to others. To further explore the many practical and unexacting things we can all undertake during this stressful time to course-correct our emotional disposition, reframe our reality and sustainably serve our well-being, I'm joined by my friend Rangan Chatterjee, M.D. -- who today returns for a third spin on the RRP flywheel. One of the most influential doctors in the U.K., Rangan is a pioneer in the field of progressive, functional medicine. He is double board-certified in internal medicine and family medicine, holds an honors degree in immunology, and has appeared on seemingly every prominent media outlet from the BBC to The New York Times.  In addition, Rangan prevails over the wildly popular Feel Better, Live More podcast. His TEDx talk, How To Make Diseases Disappear, has been viewed almost 3 million times. And he is the author of three #1 Sunday Times bestselling books. The focus of today's conversation is his latest well-being tome, Feel Better In 5. A close cousin to my podcast with Atomic Habits author James Clear (RRP #401), today's exchange is all about habit change and habit formation. It's about the power of bite-sized actions. And how, when undertaken regularly, short and simple practices can rapidly and completely change your health and life. We discuss the difference between breaking bad habits versus crowding them out with new, better habits. We explore the realities of food addiction. Our epidemic of emotional eating. And Rangan's personal theory on cause and solution. We talk generally about holistic health and lifestyle medicine, and why progressive wellness should be accessible to all -- now more than ever. Interspersed throughout, Rangan shares how he has helped patients relieve stress, find fulfillment, and engender peace in these chaotic times. But most importantly, we explore his very simple, almost effortless, methods for building a new and sustainable lifestyle to serve our long-term health. The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube (courtesy of Zoom). And as always, the conversation streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. I always enjoy time spent with Rangan, even when it's remote. My hope is that you do as well -- and put his advice into action. Peace + Plants, Rich