Among the many possessions you will have throughout your life, your body is the only one that will always remain with you. That’s why taking care of your body, improving your health, and achieving a general state of wellness should always be among your top priorities.
To further enhance your understanding of how body state and fitness contribute to overall wellbeing, here is a curated list of the best books on fitness and wellness, containing timeless advice from leading experts.
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The following health and wellness books are expertly crafted to provide invaluable advice across multiple fields to set you on the path toward your best self.
1. Hello New Me: A Daily Food and Exercise Journal to Help You Become the Best Version of Yourself
by Happy Books Hub
Rather than a traditional book, Hello New Me is more akin to a journal. With it, you can keep track of every crucial element needed to guide you toward self-improvement.
In its pages, you can write down your daily food intake, the amount of exercise you engage in, and other miscellaneous data tidbits to help you pinpoint your good and bad habits for the next 90 days.
2. Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams
by Matthew Walker, PhD
Sleep is as essential to well-being as breathing, yet it can be complicated to grasp what makes for a good night’s sleep.
In this New York Times bestseller, neuroscientist Matthew Walker explains the common causes behind multiple sleep disorders and the importance of sleep for most—if not all—body functions. Most intriguingly, he also teaches the basics of mastering the art of plentiful sleep and the keys to using it to improve your life.
3. The Energy Codes: The 7-Step System to Awaken Your Spirit, Heal Your Body, and Live Your Best Life
by Dr. Sue Morter
The Energy Codes stands out as one of the most renowned books for meditation enthusiasts seeking to reach a new level of understanding. It argues the importance of meditation and energy healing in understanding and overcoming countless afflictions.
Boasting its status as a blend of “energy medicine, neurobiology, and quantum physics,” The Energy Codes promises a seven-step system that blends the ancient with the scientific in the quest for approachable deep healing.
4. The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma
by Bessel Van Der Kolk
As unpleasant as it may be to talk about, trauma is an unfortunate recurring element in human existence. Be it a result of violence, abuse, or other painful experiences, trauma is a real thing with tangible consequences.
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk has dedicated his life to studying trauma, and in The Body Keeps the Score, he highlights the many ways trauma reshapes the body and brain—as well as the many treatments that can carve a path towards improvement and hope.
5. Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles
What is your ikigai?
As a quintessential aspect of Japanese society, ikigai is everywhere. Best defined as “reason for living,” it is the intersection between passion, drive, vocation, and effort—and potentially, the key to long-lived happiness.
García and Miralles interview countless elderly citizens in Japan’s Okinawa island—a Blue Zone—and unravel their secrets for a life that is as long as it is fulfilling.
6. Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity
by Peter Attia, MD
Outlive also approaches the topic of longevity and the factors that may play a role in the quest for a longer and more plentiful life but from an entirely different perspective.
Dr. Peter Attia’s in-depth research has allowed him to propose a new medical framework for approaching the longevity issue. Through his research, he proposes new, innovative methods to defeat common age-related illnesses and improve physical, cognitive, and emotional health.
7. Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome
by Will Bulsiewicz, MD, MSCI
As plenty of new trendy diets take over public consciousness, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz offers a bold alternative that focuses on what matters most: gut health.
To ensure gut health, hormonal balance, appropriate metabolism, and reduced inflammation, he proposes a plant-based diet that challenges the restrictions of traditional elimination diets to provide sufficient fiber. The book has a 28-day program and over 65 recipes to help you get started.
8. The Mind-Gut Connection: How The Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, And Our Overall Health
by Emeran Mayer, MD
Even though the human body is divided into several “systems” in medical conversations, the truth is that everything is interconnected—and the health implications are astonishing.
In The Mind-Gut Connection, the author highlights the mutual conditioning between the gut and the brain, including the quintessential role played by the microbiome—the colony of microorganisms that live inside the body—and the importance of diet to achieve, nurture, and retain that balance.
9. Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual
by Michael Pollan
Eating may be instinctual to humans, but there is still much to learn.
If you aim to redefine how you understand food, eating, and nutrition, then Food Rules is the book for you. Simple enough to understand yet complex in its central themes, Food Rules explores the setbacks of contemporary diet patterns, studies healthy patterns in other cuisines, and sets a series of rules that simplify the steps involved in “eating well.”
10. How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease
by Michael Greger, MD with Gene Stone
How Not to Die argues that medicine often focuses on treating acute illnesses rather than preventing chronic ones. Therefore, flipping the focus and preventing disease with some changes in diet and lifestyle is the secret to ensuring a healthy and happy life.
This helpful guide examines America’s top 15 causes of premature death and offers prevention through nutrition and lifestyle changes.
11. Taking Charge Of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement and Reproductive Health
by Toni Weschler, MPH
Despite its publication in 1995, Taking Charge Of Your Femininity remains one of the most valuable resources for those seeking a more natural approach to fertility.
Within its pages, you will find information regarding sexual and gynecological health, as well as the guidelines for the Fertility Awareness Method that promises to provide natural birth control methods and fertility treatments.
12. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
by James Clear
If you’re eager to change your habits and improve your everyday life with a steadfast routine, this book is for you.
Atomic Habits uses neuroscience, psychology, and biology to craft an easy-to-follow guide that can modify the framework you use to create habits. Little by little, it promises to introduce new habits, help you with motivation, and much more.
Your Healthier Self Is At The Turn Of A Page
The journey towards self-improvement takes place on a continuous road that you should take throughout your life. Through better nutrition, healthy sleep, mental wellbeing, and a clear understanding of your body, you can become your best self, step by step.
The aforementioned health and wellness books—each in their own way—contribute to this end goal. With these tools in your hands and your mind set on your aspirations, the only thing left to do is start.