Many scientists disregard the functions of the ego and the soul, considering the brain to be the only point of reference to explain our feelings and actions. The brain itself is a complex web of innumerable connections among its cortexes. For instance, while the prefrontal cortex is the trajectory of functions that relate to behavior and personality, Wernicke’s area, in the dominant temporal lobe, is concerned with the comprehension of language. The infralimbic cortex has been found to be critical in regulating habitual behavior, and it may be argued that this cortex might be the place we can observe the possible connections between our soul and why we behave in certain ways.

An overwhelming majority of our thoughts and behaviors manifest without us being aware them; we are only conscious of a small percentage of our actions. The minimum energy principle in the universe is evident in this process: we act as if on auto-pilot as we conduct habituated behaviors, and this is when our brain consumes a minimum amount of energy, as opposed to the much higher consumption needed during consciously-conducted actions. These require strenuous brain activity.

The human brain registers often-repeated behaviors and assigns each one a code defining its importance. This code becomes a reflex and in time a habit, done automatically. Even though we usually do day-to-day habits as if completely subconsciously, the habitual mechanisms in our brain actually have a set of algorithms that point to a certain level of consciousness. The infralimbic cortex, for instance, is active even we are on auto-pilot. The more frequent the action, the more settled it remains in our brain and soul. When the frequency increases, the communicator lobe, located in the center of the brain between sensorimotor cortex and striatum, becomes stronger.

Pleasure factor

Research on developing new habits has shown that the prefrontal cortex is in communication with the striatum, and the striatum with the midbrain. An increase in dopamine secretion also facilitates habit development. Serving as a chemical messenger, dopamine is a pleasure-related molecule. If dopamine is secreted as a result of an action, then the person wishes to do it again. This is usually how habits are formed.

“This is how I am; that’s how I got used to it; I can’t help it.­”

We tend to resist new things and changes. Overcoming our deeply settled habits is a multidimensional process, relying heavily on intentions and willful inclination.

One method that is useful for getting rid of our bad habits is to replace them with different behaviors. Directing ourselves to a new behavior instead of the old ones eventually makes the latter lose influence over time. Watching TV or smoking are not necessities, but a habit. It is always possible to replace a bad behavior with a good one, but again, the process is not easy; it requires willpower and patience. Moving to a new place and adopting new friends can usually be helpful when one has difficulty resisting inner urges. A strong willpower supported by patience will wither the communicator lobe between the sensorimotor cortex and striatum, which will squeeze the habit from the brain.

Saying, “I just cannot” is the easy path. It’s giving the carnal soul control over your whole existence. Perhaps it suggests the bad behavior has become something the person even enjoys.

Second nature

Clinical research focuses on curing habits through medicine applied in the cortex. However, human life has too many colors and manifest actions depending on the time and context, which makes medication insufficient for breaking bad habits. This is where nourishment of our soul comes in. Adopting role models, especially those who pioneered spiritual and ethical traditions and their teachings, are useful in regulating our habits. One of these teachings is to practice and develop a second nature. In mystical traditions, it is usually recommended to practice a certain behavior, for instance waking up early at night for prayer, at least for forty days before being able to permanently adopt it. While gaining new habits it is important to be aware of ourselves and not to go to extremes, which may cause an imbalance in our lives.

Many spiritual practices have also been confirmed by medical science to be supportive of a healthy life. Bodily cleanliness through washing is an essential part of prayer in almost all religious traditions around the world. Water does not only clean our bodies, but its cooling effect soothes us and helps rid us of our anger.

Another spiritual teaching is to engage in good work and spend time with those who do good work. Once a person “repents” and tries to stay away from his or her bad habits, it is important to fill up the vacuum with righteous actions; otherwise, there is always a risk of turning back to those habits.

Becoming too habituated with one action, be it a righteous work or even a prayer, is another slippery ground for every individual. Habituation may cause us to lose our enthusiasm and feel nothing for that action. When one feels too familiar with good habits and takes no pleasure from them, one then needs to diversify their behavior to bring full awareness to their practices. Mystical traditions call this awareness under the watchful eye of the divine, and they encourage always contemplating each and every step one takes along the way.

Medical studies have been incredible at curing certain bad habits. However, many of our addictions, which harm both individuals and general society, are still present; medication hasn’t worked. For enduring results, it is important to support medical solutions with prescriptions from religious traditions, which idealize well-being both physically and spiritually. Many ethical values that are highly regarded in such traditions present very useful guidelines for a healthy life in which bad habits can be efficiently contained, if not completely eradicated.

“The things that I fear most for my people are being overweight, sleeping too much, laziness and a lack of deep faith.” 1
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)

Effective time management occurs only when we force ourselves to perform important activities within a plan so that we can reach our goals. Goal setting and planning our activities are important steps in this. But if we fail to engage in these activities and to finish them, then we end up with an unfulfilled plan on our hands. Our mind-body is the only vehicle through which we can accomplish our goals in life. Our eating habits, including the type and amount of food we eat, affect our mind-body in many ways, such as our energy and stress level and our sleep patterns. Hence, it is crucial to examine the impact of eating habits on our mind-body. It is notable that time-management literature’s vast majority pays little or no attention to this aspect of mind-body control. In this article we will consider three factors in this respect: The impact of the amount of food we eat, the timing of meals, and the nature of our food.

“Limit eating, limit sleeping, limit talking. This is the path to the spiritual life.” – Sufi proverb

The Impact of How Much We Eat and Drink

There is little mention of eating habits in time-management literature. However, our eating habits affect our management of time in many different ways. Let us first consider the times of our day that are immediately affected by our eating and drinking habits:

1. Food preparation or waiting time,

2. Eating/drinking time,

3. Digestion and mental recovery time after the meal,

4. The time spent in the lavatory, and finally

5. The extra sleep we may need after a heavy meal.

It is easy to see that the impact of each of these factors is proportional to the size of the meal. The more food we prepare or ask for, the longer the preparation/waiting time will be. More food also takes longer to eat. The next stage, which is very important, is the time needed for digestion and mental recovery after the meal. Depending on the type and amount of food we intake, the digestion time can range from one hour up to three or four hours. When the amount of food is great, our digestive system competes with our brain for the limited amount of sugar in our body. This may prevent our brain from functioning at its peak. Consequently, we may experience a lack of focus, a lack of energy, or we may feel sleepy. Most people try to compensate for such feelings by drinking caffeinated beverages, which have their own disadvantages.

The time we spend in the lavatory is also proportional to the amount of food we eat. When we eat more, our visits are more frequent and more time is spent there. Eating foods that are rich in fiber is also another cause of frequent visits to the lavatory. But a diet deficient in fiber is not healthy, so the way to cut back on time spent there is not to cut back on fiber-rich foods, but rather to cut back on the amount of food we eat.

Finally, the type and the amount of food we eat affect our sleep patterns. First, when we eat more, we need to sleep longer. It is no coincidence that people who overeat also tend to oversleep. But the impact is not limited to sleeping time alone. Stimulating foods or drinks near bedtime disturb our sleep patterns and cause us to benefit less from our sleep. This, in turn, results in our efficiency being affected the following morning.

When we consider all these factors, we begin to realize how overeating makes self-management difficult and we can understand the wisdom behind the prophetic saying “No human being has ever filled a container that is worse than his stomach. . .”2

The Impact of What We Eat and Drink

In addition to the amount of food, the type of food we eat is also important. Certain types of food may energize our brain, while certain others make it sluggish.3 In order to increase one’s energy levels, nutritionists recommend a balanced diet that is devoid of harmful substances. An important property of the food we eat is what is known as the “glycemic index.”4

The Glycemic Index of Foods

Since sugar is the substance that gives us energy, many people are under the false assumption that the more sugar we consume, the more energetic we feel. This view, however, fails to account for the compensatory balance in our body. When we consume large amounts of sugar, either in the form of pure sugar, or via foods that are rich in sugar, the amount of sugar in our blood stream increases. Our body responds to this situation by secreting insulin into the blood stream, reducing the amount of sugar. If the increase in the sugar level is very steep, than the body reacts strongly to reduce it and causes the sugar level to fall to a very low level. This is why we feel sluggish for some time after consuming sugar-rich foods.

In order to avoid the down-time of insulin compensation, nutritionists recommend that we avoid foods that are high in simple sugars and which have a high glycemic index in carbohydrates. The “glycemic index” measures how much the levels of circulating blood sugar increase within a few hours after eating a particular food. Examples of foods and drinks with lots of simple sugars include cookies, cakes and other baked goods, candy bars, sodas, and fruit juices. These foods and drinks include large amounts of simple sugars, such as glucose or fructose. Initially, they give us a quick energy boost. In the longer term, however, the body’s monitoring system increases the levels of insulin in the blood and hence we experience a quick decline shortly after this boost. The brain can only use glucose for energy. When the glucose level drops in the blood, the brain cannot perform at its peak. We may end up feeling even more drained than before we ate or drank. In order to maximize brainpower and mental focus, we need to minimize fluctuations of blood sugar by selecting foods with lower glycemic index numbers. These will break down more slowly and release glucose gradually into your bloodstream. The insulin response will also be more gradual and we will not suffer a mental down time. The following table shows the glycemic indices of certain foods:

The Interaction of Food with Hormones

Our food intake also influences the release of important hormones, such as serotonin, melatonin, and dopamine. Serotonin gives us feelings of well-being, personal security, and relaxation. A shortage of serotonin may leave us feeling very tired, needing excessive sleep, with feelings of low self-esteem, causing negative thinking, and maybe even difficulty in concentrating. However, excessive levels of serotonin are also harmful.

Melatonin is a hormone that is believed to be involved in the regulation of sleep. Melatonin secretion is significantly higher at night, although some is produced during the day. The pineal gland, where melatonin is produced, functions as a biological clock by increasing its output of melatonin at night by more than ten times. This increase in secretion begins around sunset and reaches a peak at around 2 a.m. After this peak, it falls to a low level by the time of sunrise. High levels of melatonin can induce drowsiness.

Dopamine stimulates alertness and awareness. However, excess levels can cause an increased heart rate, muscular tension, and disrupt sleep patterns, as well as resulting in shortened attention span and excessive self-confidence. Excess levels of dopamine have been associated with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and risk-taking behavior.

Serotonin, melatonin, and dopamine are constantly being produced in our bodies. But we can increase or decrease their levels by changing our habits. Our eating habits, spiritual well-being, and activity all affect the hormone chemistry in our bloodstream and in our brain. These in turn affect our moods and tendencies.5 This is one reason why we can feel differently about the same task at different times of the day. Carbohydrates, for instance, can alter the level of serotonin in our brains and bring on feelings of calm and relaxation. While these effects can be desirable at night, they are certainly not what we want when we need to increase our energy level. Certain proteins can help increase levels of dopamine. Thus, we may prefer a menu rich in proteins rather than carbohydrates before a mentally demanding task. In the evening, some hours before we go to bed, we may want to avoid stimulating foods as they may interfere with our sleep. If our sleep is affected, we may wake up drowsy and drained.

The Impact of Caffeinated Drinks

Although caffeine can induce a short-term stimulation to our body and mind, it will also cause a negative rebound effect. Furthermore, in the long run the brain adapts to caffeine intake and may not be able to function at its peak when we do not supply it with the accustomed levels of caffeine. This is an unhealthy dependency. If you are already used to taking caffeine regularly to boost your energy, work on slowly eliminating it from your diet. Decaffeinated coffee and tea may help get rid of the addiction while maintaining a placebo effect. One advice for a quick lunch that will not deplete your energy, but rather increase it, is to eat pure protein. Tyrosine, one of the amino acids in protein, is well known for its ability to increase levels of alertness and energy levels. Foods such as broiled fish, sliced poultry, boiled eggs, or tuna are good sources of tyrosine.

Additional advice from nutritionists to prevent fatigue includes getting enough iron, taking advantage of herbs, and preferring natural foods over artificial ones.

Conclusion

In this article we have addressed a commonly overlooked aspect of time management: The impact of our eating habits on self-control and productivity. In addition to its negative consequences on our health, eating too much also affects how we make use of our time. Overeating is one of the primary causes for excessive sleep, fatigue, and loss of mental energy. Foods rich in simple sugars in particular are responsible for dips in performance shortly after consumption. The type of food we eat and the timing of our meals also impact our mind-body. Various hormones that affect our performance are affected by our nutrition pattern. In the prophetic saying we quoted above, Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, links excessive sleep, laziness, and a lack of reflection with overeating. It is remarkable that such sound medical advice came from a person who lived in the 7th century. The recommendation in this prophetic tradition is fully applicable today: Moderate eating is the key to self-control and effective time management. 

Footnotes

1. Suyuti, Jam’ul Jamawi, 832.
2. Tirmidhi, Zuhd 47; Ibn Maja, At’ima, 50.
3. Chafetz, M., Smart for Life, Penguin Books, New York: 1992.
4. Jennie Brand-Miller et al., The New Glucose Revolution –
5. Complete Guide to Glycemic Index Values, Marlowe & Company, New York: 2003.
6. Kotulak, R., Inside The Brain: Revolutionary Discoveries of How the Mind Works, Andrews McMeel Publishing, Kansas City: 1997.

No religion commends self-indulgence;all religions, and all traditional ways of life inspired by religious principles, commend self-discipline, that is containing and limiting, rather than expanding, one’s needs. Islam, with its conspicuous patterns of regular prayers, fasting and taxation of one’s wealth and property is particularly emphatic about the importance of self-discipline. Within the norms of Islam, self-discipline means a controlled, moderate, balanced way of living – not orgies of self-denial, followed (inevitably enough) by orgies of self-indulgence. Modern Western ways of life are not traditionally based, not inspired by religion, but motivated instead by what the economic market requires, which is for individuals to spend more and more, regardless of need. One area of such spending is food and drink: certainly among the better-off classes in Western societies, food is purchased, partly eaten and partly wasted, on an unimaginable scale. Muslims who are responsive to the Qur’an’s command to avoid squandering and waste, and to avoid activities or habits which cause harm to oneself (as over-indulgence always does), can never feel at ease living according to the modem Western values and norms.

But the reality is that non-Muslims cannot do so either, at any rate not for long, certainly not for ever. Just as over- exploitation and abuse of the environment demands, sooner or later, a return to saner and ethically more sound relationships with the earth’s finite resources, so too overindulgence at the level of individual lives demands, sooner or later, a return to a healthier life-style, a simpler, more sustainable diet. For the present, this reassertion in Western societies of the saner traditional norms (which, as we have noted, are common to all religious traditions) appears in many individual lives as an unpredictable swing between extreme over-indulgence (visible as obesity) and extreme self-denial (seen in crash courses to lose weight). It is true that vast, even obscene, amounts of wealth are engaged in the slimming industry which (as it were) feeds on the inability of many people to achieve a change in life-style and eating habits which they can sustain. Nevertheless, there is a growing understanding that, in the end, fat-free fats are a real waste of energy: the only point in slimming foods and dieting generally is to train oneself to live in a different, healthier way, and do it for good.

What is obesity?

Generally, obesity is regarded as being synonymous with being overweight. This is not strictly accurate. What actually matters is the excess of fat present in the body. One man may be overweight because he sits all day and eats but does no exercise; another, say an athlete, may be overweight because intensive training has increased his muscle bulk. The first man might be called obese, the second could not. However, as it is difficult to measure the amount of fat present in the body but easy to measure weight by simply using scales, the terms overweight and obesity are for everyday purposes interchangeable.

Does obesity matter?

Statistical studies (done by life assurance companies who have to be good at assessing health risk) provide undeniable evidence that obesity increases morbidity (illness) and the likelihood of early death. Fat people are more likely to suffer, among other things, from increased blood pressure (which may be the cause of stroke, kidney disease or coronary thrombosis), diabetes, arthritis, gallstones, varicose veins, complications of pregnancy or labour, and post-operative problems. Other illnesses not necessarily directly caused by obesity may be aggravated by a person being overweight. For example, a man suffering from angina (pain caused by impaired circulation of blood to the heart muscles) is more likely to die suddenly if he is overweight than if he is of normal weight. Obesity matters therefore because it can lead directly to illness (often serious) and reduces lifespan.

Causes of obesity

The one obvious and direct cause of obesity is that food intake is in excess of the body’s energy requirements or, in plain English, overeating. Why do some people eat more than they need?

By far the commonest reason is that their energy use slows down while their food intake remains the same. This happens in many people as they grow older because little by little they slow down physically, whereas their eating habits remain unaltered. This leads to the well-known condition of middle-age spread. Just one potato or one slice of bread more than the body needs each day can add to its weight each week until, perhaps, by the end of the year the excess amounts to a whole stone.

The genetic make-up of some individuals can make it difficult for them to avoid putting on excess weight because their bodies function at a low metabolic rate. Many fat children, though by no means all, probably fall into this category. It is well recognized that fat parents often produce fat children, and it is unlikely that this phenomenon can he explained entirely on environmental grounds as the children adopted by fat parents are no more likely to become fat than other children.

There are people who overeat because they have a psychological or psychiatric disorder of a lasting kind. Others may overeat when they are temporarily depressed or under emotional stress: they look for consolation for their trouble in eating. For example, some cigarette smokers when trying to give up their bad habit try to compensate by eating. It has also been suggested that, after giving up smoking, the bowel tends to absorb food more efficiently which may aggravate the problem of increased weight.

According to a theory that has been popular for some years now children who are allowed to become fat during the first two years of their lives form a large number of fat cells. They then spend the rest of their lives filling up these cells with fat that is, they have an increased predisposition towards depositing fat within their bodies. However, though popular, this theory has not yet been proved.

Cultural norms and expectations influence people in all sorts of ways, among them, in the way they look. In most Western societies of the present, the cultural preference is for slimness. But this is not true of all societies, not even all Western ones – for example, in southern Italy and elsewhere in Europe, a mother is expected to be ‘well-rounded’.

Treatment of obesity

Treatment of obesity requires a reduction of calorie intake to below the level of the body’s daily energy requirements. Weight will he lost only if there is a negative calorie balance. Eating less food than the body requires means that the body uses up its own fat to meet its energy requirements. In extreme cases, where losing weight is of paramount importance and where, for one reason or another (usually psychological), dieting has failed, surgical procedures may be necessary. These can include wiring up the jaws to prevent entry of solid food while allowing liquid matter to enter the mouth, or even more rarely, short-circuiting large sections of the bowel, a high risk procedure that carries with it a very significant mortality rate.

Nutrition and diet

Nutrition is concerned with the correct provision of essential factors for body growth, maintenance and repair, together with the necessary number of calories to meet the body’s energy requirements. A correct slimming diet is one that reduces the daily intake of calories without depriving the body of its nutritional needs. Some understanding of nutrition and correct dieting is important not only for those who are already obese, but for many young, normal individuals who, without this knowledge would be likely in the course of time to become obese. A well-balanced diet must have adequate amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, mineral salts and water. Proteins, fats and, particularly, carbohydrates, are important sources of calories and hence of energy. Proteins also supply the amino acids essential to body growth and repair. Fat in addition to being a subsidiary source of energy is the principal source of some vitamins.Vitamins are important in the utilization of energy and in the body metabolism but are not themselves a source of energy and do not contribute to body weight. Lack of vitamins causes disease but so too can an excessive intake of some vitamins. 

A number of mineral salts are essential for the human body. Iron, for example, is essential for the formation of hemoglobin. Calcium is necessary for ossification of bone (the change of cartilage into bones). Phosphorus is required for many purposes including the manufacture of ATP. Iodine is necessary for the correct functioning of the thyroid gland. Other important minerals include potassium and sodium.

Water is one of the most important elements in our diet. It makes up about 70% of body weight and shortfall in its intake results in dehydration. Caloric foods are essential for body energy requirements. To appreciate their importance it is necessary to understand both how calories are expended by the body and how these calories are provided by the food eaten. The total calories expended by the body each day is the sum of the calories required for basal metabolism and those required for physical activities. Basal metabolism is the chemical change occurring within the body in the state of complete physical rest when the only bodily functions that are occurring are respiration, growth and repair of body tissues. Physical activity includes obvious exercise such as walking or running and other activities such as digestion and absorption of food. The requirements of basal metabolism depend on the size of the person, but on average about 1,700 calories per day. For comparison it is interesting to note that walking utilizes about 200 calories per hour, household work about 100 calories per hour, and mental work no calories.

Calories are provided by certain constituents of the diet. The most prolific source on a calorie-per- weight basis are fats, which yield 9 calories per gram, followed by carbohydrates and proteins which each yield 4 calories per gram. It would appear that, in order to lose weight with maximum efficiency, the part of the diet which should be reduced is the fat content. However, the average diet contains nearly twice as much carbohydrate as it does protein and fat put together. Therefore, in practical terms, most slimming diets concentrate on the reduction of the carbohydrate content of the food eaten.

Dieting

By ‘dieting’ people usually mean a ‘reducing diet’, that is, a programme of eating less in order to achieve weight reduction. But there are other types of diets used for different purposes such as lowering the level of cholesterol or increasing the bulk content of food in the bowel.

Reducing diets are designed to provide less calories in the food intake than are used by the body in the expenditure of energy. There are infinite variations, both in the content of such diets and in their efficacy.At its simplest, good diets are diets that work. The important criteria of such diets are:

1. Palatability: it is pointless following a diet which forbids all foods that one likes and allows only foods that one dislikes.
2. Practicability: that is a diet that can be followed with a minimum of fuss and preparation and can be used when one is out at work or at a restaurant.
3. Moderation: a diet should be one that ensures a weight loss of not more than 2 lb a week. Diets which produce weight loss in excess of 2 lb are usually crash diets and come into the second category namely, bad diets.

Bad diets fail to satisfy the criteria described above. They fail because they are monotonous or cause tremendous hunger and are soon abandoned, with a consequent return to previous eating habits and the regaining of weight lost. Even if maintained with perseverance and weight is successfully lost, when the diet is eventually stopped, when the desired weight has been achieved, former eating habits are almost always resumed and weight rapidly regained. Weight rapidly lost is weight rapidly regained in almost every instance. It hardly needs saying that the most important aspect of dieting is the re-training of one’s eating habits so that after a time dieting is no longer a conscious activity but a totally natural and permanent way of eating for health. In practical terms the most effective way of achieving this is by gentle reduction of the amount of food eaten. For example, one potato less, one slice of bread less, substitution of artificial sweeteners instead of sugar, are all ways of reducing calorie intake in a gentle and painless manner. There are numerous other tactics (usually classed as behaviour therapy) such as eating from a smaller plate, which can all help different individuals to adapt gradually and permanently to a different regime of eating.

Slimming tablets are controversial. Opinion as to their usefulness is divided. They appear to be very popular with patients but not so popular with doctors. It is possible that tablets have a use particularly when hunger is a problem during sensible dieting or when the reduction of weight has reached a plateau which appears to be permanent or long-lasting. A short-term plateau is a common occurrence while on a reducing diet and perseverance is required as weight loss is usually resumed after a short period. The problem with slimming tablets is that they can cause unpleasant side effects such as insomnia or, conversely, drowsiness, and they may cause dependency. 

Exercise

The importance of exercise in the context of weight reduction is frequently overstated. For example, a walk of one mile will probably use up less than 60 calories. If this activity is undertaken every day it will probably achieve a weight loss of less than 1 lb a month. However studies have shown that sedentary individuals appear to lose weight with more difficulty than active individuals on identical diets.

Bran

Recently doctors have become aware of the importance of something that has been missing in the refined diets of Western societies for a long time: this is vegetable fibre. Observation of peoples in the African continent have shown that the local inhabitants rarely suffer from constipation, bile and other bowel disorders so common in Western countries. This has been convincingly explained as being due to the presence in their diet of vegetable fibre. The theory has been advanced that if vegetable fibre is added to our Western diet the incidence of such bowel disorders will be reduced and this appears to be borne out. The addition of vegetable fibre, generally in the form of bran, may well prove to be a useful constituent of our everyday diet. A further advantage of bran, particularly while on a reducing diet is that it has a tendency to fill up one’s stomach and thus alleviate hunger.

Diet and corona heart dease

Cholesterol is a fatty substance present in everyone’s blood. It causes problems as it is deposited in the lining of arteries making them narrower. Cholesterol also forms an important constituent of arteromatous plaques (lumpy deposits on the inner lining surface of arteries) which may cause narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries (those supplying the heart), leading to pain on exertion (angina pectoris). Blockage of the coronary arteries causes coronary thrombosis which results in destruction of the heart muscles. The relationship between high blood cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease is undisputed. Numerous studies have shown that the risk of dying from coronary heart disease is more than doubled if one has an abnormally high level of cholesterol in the blood. The relationship between blood cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease is probably a direct causal one. The classic observation is that Japanese men who came to live in San Francisco acquire high blood cholesterol levels and suffer an increased incidence of coronary heart disease in similar proportions to those of the indigenous population and in marked contrast to the low cholesterol levels and low incidence of heart disease of the indigenous population of Japan. However, the possibility remains that some other factor or factors are responsible for both the high cholesterol level and coronary heart disease has been postulated.

Cholesterol is derived partly from the diet and partly from the breakdown of other food substances within the body. The main sources of cholesterol are animal fats and dairy products. These include fatty meats, liver, milk, cheese, cream and butter. All these foods contain a good deal of saturated fatty acid which in the body breaks down to form cholesterol. In addition, eggs contain pure cholesterol. When the amount of cholesterol and saturated fatty acids in the diet is reduced the level of blood cholesterol is also reduced.

What does seem likely is that even a moderately raised level of cholesterol over a long period of time may predispose towards coronary heart disease. Doctors and nutritionists are therefore becoming increasingly aware of the importance of correct diet starting in childhood. It is likely (and certainly it is to be hoped) that, with increased general awareness of the importance of cholesterol levels, there will be some alteration of the present eating habits in schools – informed teachers could provide an important impetus. This is particularly desirable as the eating habits of adults and their likes and dislikes are acquired largely during childhood. There should be a trend towards a reduction of the animal fat and dairy product content of the diet (though by no means their total exclusion because they still form an important source of certain essential nutrients) together with an increase in food containing more polyunsaturated fats (which do not lead to the rise in cholesterol levels) such as lean meat and the substitution of soft margarine high in polyunsaturated fats in place of butter, and the use of corn oil, sunflower oil and safflower oil in cooking instead of cooking fat.

As Muslims, of course, we must be abstemious and refrain from overindulgence. Good health is a valuable gift from God Almighty and we shall he held accountable for how we treated our bodies. In the inimitable words of the Wise Qur’an: Let not your own hands contribute to your own destruction’.

In describing how an effective person should concentrate his or her efforts in the right jungle, Covey uses the concept of mission, a term from the study of management of long-term business strategy meaning a statement of a company’s vision of what it intends to do and become. In the context of this book, Covey urges people to come up with personal mission statements. The objective-setting criteria used in making such statements should be based on long-term, changeless, and established rules. By way of example, the author points out the United States Constitution which has remained unchanged in its fundamentals for over two hundred years. Human nature requires a changeless inner core for people to be effective – it is much easier to hit a stable target than a moving one. (This might be one among many reasons why the Divine revelations (of which the Qur’an is the last) were sent down to guide mankind for centuries.)

The book is divided into four parts. The first part deals with personal mission or in the author’s words principle-centred paradigm. He uses the term paradigm to mean a model, perception, assumption, or frame of reference. Paradigms are powerful because they constitute the lens through which we see the world. The principle-centred paradigm is based on the idea that there are principles or natural laws that govern human effectiveness which he calls GANLs or Generally Accepted Natural Laws. These laws are just as real and stable as the law of gravity in the physical world. They are guidelines for human conduct that are proven to have enduring, even permanent and fundamental value, such as fairness, integrity, honesty, human dignity, service, quality, etc. He says that the more closely the principle-centred paradigms are aligned with the GANLs, the more accurate and functional they will become. What he does not explicitly conclude in this part is the origin of the GANLs. Although the manifestation or definition of the GANLs is said to be left to the reader, one who ponders on the author’s approach and style will easily understand that he implies Divine revelation as the origin. In several instances throughout his book, Covey implicitly justifies the teachings of the Divine revelations which are fundamentally from the same Source in the different monotheistic religions. One who has a sound background in Islam, for example, would easily recognize the similarities. Covey explains himself somewhat at the end of the book under the rubric of A Personal Note. It is interesting to learn that the GANLs or fundamental, universal and intangible rules of social interactions can be justified by reasoning (as realized by Covey in his book) and these are welcomed by people who are hungry for ethics and a restoration of character in their lives.

The other parts of the book explain the 7 habits referred to in the title. They are, in the order the author prefers:

1. Be proactive,
2. Begin with end [i.e. your objective] in mind,
3. Put first things first,
4. Think win/win,
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood,
6. Synergize,
7. Sharpen the saw, or self-renewal.

Covey concentrates on the first three habits in Part 11. Successful accomplishment of Habits I, II and III is called by the author ‘a Private Victory’. Habit I (being proactive) is recommended as the basic principle of the nature of effective man. Proactive people are driven by values – carefully thought about, selected and internalized principles – rather than by external circumstances and conditions, which characterizes reactive people. Proactive people take the initiative to act in accordance with their paradigms in their circle of concerns through the means that they can be influential with. He states that the very essence of developing proactivity is to make and keep commitments to ourselves and to set a goal and work to achieve it. Another interesting observation in this section is that proactive people focus their time and energy on things that they can do something about (Circle of Influence) whereas reactive people concentrate their efforts on things over which they have no control. The degree of proactivity is then determined by how much effort we expend on our Circle of Influence.

Covey has in fact – not surprisingly, seeing that he is an adjunct-professor at the School of Management – applied organizational success theories found in management literature to the ‘management’ of individual lives. In conformity with an academic text-book style, he lists application suggestions at the end of each chapter inviting the reader to put the preceding material into real life by doing the ‘exercises’.

The introduction to Habit II (begin with end in mind) is dramatic: it invites the reader to visualize his/her death. Explaining that it is possible to be very busy without being very effective (active in the wrong jungle), the author goes on:

‘The most fundamental application of “begin with end in mind” is to begin today with the image, picture, or paradigm at the end of your life as your frame of reference or the criterion by which everything else is examined…

To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know-where you are going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.’

Covey then lists some motivational factors or ‘centres of life’ that a person might have, such as spouse, family, money, work, possession, pleasure, friend/enemy, etc. For instance, one extremely common centre to most people’s lives is making money. This kind of people are always vulnerable to anything that threatens their economic security. After logically showing inner dimensions of each possible centre, he encourages centring our lives on timeless, unchanging principles so as to reach a fundamental paradigm of effective living. The method he suggests to make this shift is the visualization of one’s own funeral which expands one’s perspective. The analogy with the practice in most major religious traditions, not least in Islam, of meditating on the end of one’s life hardly needs to be pointed out.

Habit III of Private Victory (put first things first), concerned with organizing and executing priorities, is developed from the most recent time management techniques.

People with proactive attitudes can easily focus on important but not urgent activities which is the heart of effective personal management. Reactive people, on the other hand, exhaust their energies on crises, pressing problems and deadline-driven projects, which are the main obstacles to managing one’s time and energy properly.

Part III introduces the habits of Public Victory. People armed with Private Victory habits move from a state of dependence to a state of independence. It is the Habits IV, V and VI which convert one’s state from independence to interdependence and which leads to optimum co-operative-ness, teamwork and communication among members of groups or organizations. The author’s diligent explanation of Emotional Bank Account, described as the amount of trust that has been built up in a relationship, brings up a new perspective to intra-community GANLs for a healthy organization or group. Understanding the individual, attending to the little things, keeping commitments, clarifying expectations, avoiding gossip, defending those who are absent, etc., are just some of the ‘deposits’ to this account needed to achieve sincere and profound relations within an organization.

Habit IV lays the foundation of human interactions that should be carried out through mutually beneficial and satisfying agreements or solutions. Win/Win in this sense recognizes life as a co-operative not a competitive arena. Win/Lose manner of thinking, the most common among people, is fundamentally flawed. Covey argues that people with abundance mentality (the approach that there is plenty out there for everybody) think Win/Win, whereas those with scarcity mentality (the approach that there is only one pie out there) think Win/Lose. The author touches upon a very fundamental law for success in this life, both materially and spiritually: good faith or intention. Good faith is praised by religions over actions and all present man-made laws recognize the concept of bona fide (in good faith) arrangements. People with good faith always think and act Win/Win and they will always be the winners in the end.

Habit V (seek first to understand, then to be understood) is, according to the author, the single most important principle in the field of interpersonal communication and relations. As he does throughout his book, he cites real world examples from his own experiences to show that when one presents one’s own ideas clearly, specifically, visually, and most important, contextually – in the context of a deep understanding of the other party’s paradigms and concerns – one significantly increases the credibility of those ideas and the effectiveness of the interaction.

Habit VI (synergize) is simply defined by the author to mean that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. He makes an analogy between ecology in physical nature and synergism in the nature of human interaction – everything is related to everything else. The essence of synergy in a group or organization is to value the differences, to respect them,to build on strengths, and to compensate for weaknesses. Covey points out that the more genuine the involvement, the more sincere and sustained the participation of individuals in analyzing and solving their shared problems. He also claims that it is this synergy that has led to the Japanese success in business.

Habit VII (sharpen the saw or self renewal) is the renewing of the following four dimensions of human nature: physical (exercise, nutrition, stress management), spiritual (value clarification and commitment, study and meditation), mental (reading, visualizing, planning, writing) and social/emotional (service, empathy, synergy).

This book reveals the recent global trend to inspire and motivate people for ethics and restoration of character in personal and professional lives. Rather than trying to provide a short-term, quick solution for the problem, Covey tries to concentrate on the fundamental questions of who we are, where we are coming from and where we are headed to. From a different perspective, the author proves, justifies and elaborates the necessity of complying with the natural laws, of which the source, as he implies at the end of his book is the Creator.

This review has touched only lightly on the similarities between the author’s conclusions and the paradigm prescribed by the last Divine religion revealed fourteen centuries ago. Alert readers of the book with moderate and informed Islamic background will easily identify many more similarities and indeed specific correspondences in the texts of Qur’an and Hadith. The general point worth making is that a contemporary explanation of the universal and fundamental principles revealed centuries ago can still make a big impact on people’s lives even in the countries where religion has long been neglected:

Covey’s book has been a bestseller. This indicates that proper presentation of Divine principles in the modern world by word and example is welcomed and can encourage and motivate people, through a different path and approach, to revive their lifestyles in the light of true, sound, changeless and inspiring Divine principles.

Emphasis on bodily perfection while neglecting moral and spiritual development is not a part of Islamic tradition. Equally, emphasis on spiritual training based upon contempt or denial of the bodily life is not a part of Islamic tradition. Islam is, in almost every respect, characterized by the quest for balance, harmony and unity of means and ends. Therefore, Islam is not a way of either denial or indulgence, but a way of discipline.

Discipline and orderliness with sufficient flexibility to allow for spontaneity of actions and feelings are the defining general characteristics of an Islamic upbringing. Children who do not grow up in an atmosphere of orderliness and self-control are unlikely, as adults, to meet their responsibilities in a consistently calm and dignified manner. Rather, they are likely to lead strained and miserable lives, however successful they may become in their working lives.

By way of illustrating Islamic upbringing, we shall focus discussion here on the familiar areas of eating and sleeping habits and the importance of cleanliness.

In general, if a family’s daily routines are steady and consistent, the children’s lives and characters will follow a similarly ordered pattern, both within the home and outside. If not, they will most probably be disorganized, lacking in will and concentration, and tend to fits of antisocial behaviour. Children imbibe orderliness and discipline from the adults immediately around them and develop strong character. If, on the other hand, they grow up in a confused, unstable haphazard atmosphere, they too will become confused and unstable, liable to aimlessness and depressions and all the unhappy consequences of these.

In practice, orderliness means that children know when they are expected home, and how their time is normally spent when they are at home and outside the home. They should learn as early as possible how to allocate their time between work and play so that what they have to do gets done in time and they enjoy their lives. They should learn how to make moral choices, how to co-operate within the family and with others outside the family. They should learn the importance of regular prayer and be helped to mature a taste for contemplation and devotion to God. They should be brought up to be, as full human beings are, both active and reflective. They should understand the importance of their own lives while learning, through good manners and awareness of the needs and feelings of others, the value of humility. 

Eating habits

The eating habits of a family should be based on sound dietary principles. This means having regular eating times, avoiding excess, choosing as far as practicable to eat in company (rather than alone) and sharing with others (rather than preferring oneself); avoiding those things that are harmful to the mind, the will and the body (for example, rushing food in a disrespectful manner); and it means cleanliness, both of the food consumed and the way it is consumed.

In this respect, to start eating again without fully digesting what has already been eaten, that is, eating randomly and always keeping the mouth busy and the stomach full, is injurious to the body and poisonous, even lethal, to the will. The Creator has expressed strong dislike of such manners. Any food eaten in the wrong way is harmful, but worst of all is to eat harmful food in a harmful way.

Prodigality or wasteful excess is an act of disrespect and ingratitude for the Creator’s infinite blessings. Those who over-indulge themselves puzzle and confound their appetite, or they drown in food without ever tasting contentment or satisfaction. Wastefulness is such an offence and so ruinous to the heart and soul that the individual will, eventually, be prepared to eat anything and everything, regardless of whether it is permitted or prohibited, whether he needs it or not, even of whether he likes it or not,

Sensible diet is a matter of discipline and awareness of the nutritional and social values of good manners. A family who can teach their children self-control in what and how they eat must be considered most fortunate, for they have laid the foundations for their children’s spiritual progress as well as of the health of their bodies. Children should therefore be taught the aims and principles of sensible diet so that they begin to choose good habits for themselves and not simply copy the habits to which they are exposed. If parents are unable to articulate or explain the importance of diet and nutrition, they should ask a competent and knowledgeable person to do so for them. 

Sleeping hours

To discipline sleeping habits is of as much importance as disciplining eating habits. We need to rest at particular times in order to stay healthy and have command of all our resources, physical, mental, emotional and psychological. The balance and stability of our personalities depends upon non-disruptive patterns of working and resting. The greater part of the day should be set aside for working and the night for rest and sleep. It is not reasonable to change this order. Trying to change it means risking tensions and conflict in social relationships, contradicting the natural rhythm of the universe and ruining one’s health.

It will be useful to mention a few principles for resting and sleeping hours which might be suitable for everyone.

1. The routines of family members should he co-ordinated with each other. If resting and sleeping hours are orderly, most of the work needed to maintain a happy family has been done. Disorderly sleeping habits affect eating times, they affect mood and temperament, and give rise to many insoluble difficulties and disputes.

2. Similarly, the lives of neighbours should correspond with each other. Otherwise we disrupt each other’s working and resting periods.

3. Particular times should be allocated to resting and working. Randomly changing resting and working hours will disrupt sleeping patterns, which, in turn, negatively affects both one’s rest and work.

4. Whatever injures sleep should be avoided. Sometimes a few cups of tea, sometimes a little food, sometimes boredom, may ruin a night and therefore the working day that follows it.

Cleanliness

It is commonly accepted that habits of cleanliness are passed from parents to children. Imitation is a vital part of human development-it must be so as human beings have so much that they need to learn quickly in order to take their place in adult life. Children will believe in the importance of cleanliness if they see it in their immediate environment, if they see the adults around them keeping themselves clean, and if cleanliness is stressed as something necessary and desirable. Conversely, if they see no effort to maintain tidiness and cleanliness, they will grow up negligent of their responsibility to be personally clean and to keep their immediate surroundings in order

The importance of cleanliness could hardly be more emphasized in a culture than it is in Islam. Worship in Islam is a commitment of the body as well as the mind and spirit. A part of the dignity of being a Muslim worshipper is to do a partial ablution (washing the normally exposed parts of the body) before each of the five obligatory prayers and a full ablution (or bath) at least once a week. In addition, it is strongly commended, almost obligatory, to wash one’s hands before and after meals, not to touch the mouth as soon as one wakes from sleep but only after washing them, to keep one’s hair and nails properly trimmed and clean, etc.

In sum: orderliness and discipline are not social devices to burden the individual and enforce a rigidly patterned conformity. Rather, they are the means to ensure the health of body and mind and will, the stability of the whole character, so that the individual acquires the grace and dignity of person which can only come from strength based upon self-control. The role of the family in equipping children for such dignity with and in their lives is decisive.