Health Book Recommendations

I’ve always been interested in health and medicine since I was in my late teens. I’ve read a lot of books about diet, health and fitness and every day I’m learning more and more. I find it so fascinating. And even more fascinating that after all this time we STILL don’t know everything about the human body. It’s wild.

I think most people are not in tune with their bodies. We wait until it totally shuts down or is screaming at us until we finally go to the doctor. How many people have we heard that waited too long and then it was too late?

I never want to be that person.

And that is why I can spot something the second my body feels off. And I stop and take a listen. Sometimes it tells me to go to sleep, sometimes it tells me I need to move more, or eat less shit. Sometimes it tells me that I need to stress about the small things less (usually by knocking me out with some sort of daycare illness so I can finally lay down).

For some reason we are conditioned to just power through and that is NOT the right approach. I have no idea who started that rumor but we need to cut it out.

Here are some books I’ve read in the last few years that have really helped me. Hopefully they can help you too or at least make you a little more in tuned with your body and mind. These are definitely for people who are just starting out, I’ll leave the more intense books for a later post.

The world is so loud and there are so many things to do all the time, I get it. But no one will care about you if YOU don’t care about you.

Here are some books I’ve really loved:

• The Blue Zones Secrets For Living Longer by Dan Buettner
• Pain Free by Pete Egoscue
• Food: What the heck should I eat? By Mark Hyman
• Go Green Get Lean by Kate Geagan

My first intro in 2009 to carbon footprints and why/how what we eat affects our environment. We are talking about food and environment now more than ever which I’m very happy about, but it’s been a long time coming. And she made it very easy to understand. This book is why I removed sugar from my coffee and never went back. It’s great for someone just starting who needs to clean up their eating and I think it’s very helpful to know WHY you should and how it impacts the environment around you.

Blue Zones are all the rage now but Dan started this work about 15 years ago and now people are taking note. What he’s shared with us is amazing and you can definitely see commonalities between these communities that live so far away from each other. It’s about slowing down, finding community and purpose, and clean eating. And a little wine once in a while.

How many people are living with chronic pain and just think it’s a way of life? It shouldn’t be and I know this because I found this book as I was going to physical therapy and in a lot of pain. It was really fascinating to learn more about the body and how everything is connected. I tried to keep up with some of the protocols from this book but life eventually got in the way and I stopped. My pain did get better during that time so I do feel there is something to it. A great easy to understand intro into your body and how everything is connected.

He looks at every food group and tells us what we’ve gotten wrong, what is good for us, and what not so good. He gives a lot of incite into the food companies and the corruption behind things we’ve held true to for years before going, wait a minute…like that The American Heart Association (AHA) receives much of its funding from food and pharmaceutical industries. They said coconut oil had too much saturated fat but had never done a real study to show that–The study was partly funded by canola oil processors. Then years later we’re like, wait coconut oil is one of the best things for you! This book helps weed through all the overwhelming info out there.

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Book Recommendations From Last Year

Since I took a 2 year hiatus from this blog and wasn’t able to share my top books of the year, here are my top 12 from the last 2 years. I was going to do 10 but couldn’t narrow it down. So many good reads out there. 

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

He’s a pretty interesting guy with an interesting perspective and mindset. It’s interesting to learn about the real him vs the Hollywood him we know (or think we know). 

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work And What To Do About It by Michael E. Gerber

Such a good read if you are a business owner or leader. So many good leadership tips and how to organize your business properly for success. 

Giant of the Senate by Al Franken

I learned a lot about the government from this book. I never really understood the senate and politics but it was a little easier to digest with his explanation. Also, it was interesting to see it through someone’s eyes who was NOT a lifelong politician with a hidden self serving agenda.

The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Brunson

I love Siegel, he’s so good at explaining things easily. This focuses on a child’s emotional intelligence and looking at why children do things from the brain’s perspective. He’s written many books on children and also Mindsight which I recommend as well. 

Touchpoints Birth to 3 by T. Berry Brazelton

Such a comprehensive book of everything and layed out so easily to read. I didn’t read this until my son was about 1.5 years old and wished I read it sooner. I also wished he practiced in NYC because I haven’t found a pediatrician that operates like he does.

Pain Free by Pete Egoscue

Pete Egoscue, an internationally renowned physiologist and injury consultant, talks about his Method for being pain free. I read this book as I was going to physical therapy for my hip, calf, and old age in general. There were so many times I was like, aahhh that makes so much sense. I incorporated some of his exercises during that time as well which I think helped and even told my therapist to read it.

I wonder what it would feel like if I followed it 100%. Maybe one of you can use it and let me know!

Discover Your Dharma: A Vedic Guide To Finding Your Purpose by Sahara Rose Ketabi

Discover your Dharma (purpose) through the Doshas (the Ayurvedic mind-body types) and the chakras (energy centers of the body). This book really helped me figure out that I was a teacher and a researcher. The descriptions fit perfectly but I’ve never named them before. Sometimes we need someone else to tell us about ourselves so we can actually see it. Read and find out which one you are and let me know!

Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek

Such a good book if you are a leader or want to be. 

Amazon’s blurb says Sinek starts with a fundamental question: Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over?

The 4 Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss

I’m actually going to write a separate blog post about this book but he has an interesting take on how to not work a traditional 9-5 job and how to streamline your life. 

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

Another great book I highly recommend. I’m writing TWO blog posts covering this book because there were so many good nuggets in here. Brene is a shame and vulnerability researcher and touches on a lot of different subjects that we can all relate to. 

Librarian Tales By William Ottens

This was a nice easy read that took a look behind the world of librarians. It left me with a newfound respect for them and the work they do. Maybe pick this up from the library as a show of support!

Mindsight: The New Science Of Personal Transformation by Daniel J. Siegel

Siegel again because he is amazing.

• Is there a memory that torments you, or an irrational fear you can’t shake?

• Do you sometimes become unreasonably angry or upset and find it hard to calm down?

• Do you ever wonder why you can’t stop behaving the way you do, no matter how hard you try?

• Are you and your child (or parent, partner, or boss) locked in a seemingly inevitable pattern of conflict?

 If any of this interests you, read it! But also if you are a person just read it so you can become a better person. 

Have you read any of these? Let me know if you do and what you think!

** Thanks for listening! Don’t forget to like, subscribe, comment and share. It helps me know I’m not just talking to myself **