There’s no denying the power of a good book. And as you take charge of your health this 2023, what better way to refresh your commitment and motivation than a good book? Whether you’re looking to sleep better, age gracefully, do social media detox, or try strategies to break bad habits, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the 10 best health and well-being books to transform your life.
The Power of Now
By Eckhart Tolle
Published in 1997 just as the world suffered a financial crisis, Tolle’s sterling debut The Power of Now was eye-opening for a lot of people. Its premise is simple yet powerful: when we are in the now, in the present moment, we are happy. Resisting and non-acceptance of the now leads to suffering. Sure, the phrase “live in the now” gets thrown around a lot these days, but Tolle’s Q&A format, and his direct yet unapologetic writing style, make his ideas easy to digest. Hopefully, this results to you finally putting it into practice. Here’s one of our favorite quotes from his book: “Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. Make it your friend and ally, not your enemy. This will miraculously transform your whole life.”
The Telomere Effect
By Elizabeth Blackburn and Elissa Epel
Looking for something akin to a medical journal that goes into the science of things? Look no further than The Telomere Effect, a collaboration between Blackburn, a microbiologist, and Epel, a health psychologist, where they bring wellness down to a cellular level.
Blackburn’s discovery of telomeres was game-changing (for which she won the Nobel Peace Prize.) Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes that guard the end of our chromosomes. Blackburn likens telomeres to shoelaces in her interview with The Guardian: “If you think of your chromosomes – which carry your genetic material – as shoelaces, telomeres are the little protective tips at the end.” So what does this mean? Our health and longevity depends on the length of our telomeres. Their length depends on our lifestyle choices, how we sleep, eat, move, and think. With this book, Blackburn and Epel succeed in proving that we can age gracefully with the right habits.
Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works
By Evelyn Tribole MS, RD and Elyse Resch MS, RD, FADA
This book is the perfect antidote to stress-eating and crash-dieting, two destructive behaviors. Instead, the book suggests, why don’t we start by being kind to our bodies? Listen to it, understand it, recognize when you’re hungry or full, and honor it. Written by two prominent nutritionists, Intuitive Eating focuses on nurturing your body rather than be harsh towards it, encourages natural weight loss, and helps you find your unique ideal weight. Rather than a strict health coach breathe down on your neck ala Extreme Weight Loss, reading this book is like listening to a loving aunt dish out lifelong good advice. Tribole writes, “if you don’t love it, don’t eat it, and if you love it, savor it.”
The Big Activity Book for Digital Detox
By Jordan Reid and Erin Williams
There’s no escaping the Internet; if it had hands, it had dug its claws into us a long, long time ago. We use it not only for work, we use to stay in touch, heck, we use it to function in our day-to-day lives. However, studies have shown that excessive Internet use and digital overstimulation are bad for us. Enter this witty and wonderful book by Reid and Williams. An interactive, hilarious, part-journal, part-coloring, and part-advice book that offers us creative activities and solutions to take a break. This is a great gift to kids addicted to gadgets, as well as adults who could never put their phones down.
The Lost Art of Doing Nothing
By Maartje Willems
How do we rest and reset, and avoid burnout? It’s easy, the Dutch have figured it out. Do nothing! Easier said than done right, especially for a modern world that emulates busybodies? But for the Dutch, Niksen, a concept from the Netherlands, is the absence of any activity, a state of active rest, such as staring out the window, lying on the grass, or listening to music (doom-scrolling doesn’t count, okay?) You just stand (or sit) there empty-handed and live your best life. How does that sound? Besides Niksen, the authors cite similar cultural practices from other countries – forest-bathing from Japan, or the Finnish Pantsdrunk (drinking at home, alone, and in one’s underwear). But ultimately the art of doing nothing holds the most appeal, and prescribes it as a cure for burnout, stress, and overstimulation.
The Way of the Peaceful Warrior
By Dan Millman
The typical self-help health and well-being book will be prescriptive and written in an essay format (such as some of the books listed above). Sometimes, it’s hard to be relatable, and we feel like being bombarded with info, with an exhaustive list. Which is why this book so refreshing! It’s a part-fictional and part-autobiographical book that takes us back to when Dan was in his first year in college, and life was good; however, something is missing. Unable to sleep one night, he stumbles upon an older man with a twinkle in his eye. He calls him Socrates. The book interweaves lessons on how to live a balanced and better life, through Dan’s journey and Socrates’ guidance, making it a very compelling read. It is a perfect book for someone who is at a crossroads in life, or just finding a way to live better, and more truthfully and mindfully.
Why We Sleep
By Matthew Walker
We all know that an average adult needs seven to nine hours of sleep each night, but how come we continue to sacrifice sleep for something else? If your attitude to sleep needs some shaping up, then this book is a must-read. It will change the way you look at sleep, as well as the way you sleep. Bill Gates loved this book, saying “I fell asleep to this book.” What better compliment for a book like this! Why We Sleep was divided into four parts. Parts one and two tackle what sleep is and why we need it. Part three dives into how and why we dream. The last part talks about the various obstructions to good sleep and how we as a society can be transformed when we all get the proper rest we need.
Move the Body, Heal the Mind
By Jennifer Heisz
If you need a leg up to start an exercise regimen, this is it. Noted neuroscientist Heisz walks the talk – she herself dealt with severe anxiety in graduate school. She took up biking, and found that it “soothed her mind.” This experience inspired her to redirect the focus of her research to the mind-body connection. Essentially the central idea is that “regular exercises tones the stress response, making us less reactive to psychological stressors, and this promotes optimism, even amidst the most seemingly uncontrollable situations.” Exercise is extremely beneficial to reduce anxious thoughts, and when we find that sweet spot between doing too little and doing too much, we’re all set. This is a great resource for anyone who has a hard time getting started.
“This is the power of anxiety,” Heisz writes. “It distorts the mind and disables the body. We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are. And when the mind is fixed with fear and the brain is infused with adrenaline, the world becomes endowed with danger. The outcome is absolutely destructive and has the potential to derail everything we attempt to do.”
Paving the Road to a New World
By Li Junfeng and Li Jing
Founders of Sheng Zhen, a meditative practice of unconditional love, recently released a book that will transform the way you live. Written by father and daughter Li Junfeng and Li Jing, the book Paving the Road to a New World takes us back to the history of the universe. In a step-by-step process, it teaches us the Union of Three Hearts mediation to purify our hearts, and the impact of practicing meditation. It gets inspiration from philosophy, challenging the reader to dive deep into the layers of knowledge, and from it emerge with the life force or qi in their hearts, and learn how to harness the power of love.
Atomic Habits
By James Clear
Let’s be honest: starting a healthy habit is one thing, sustaining it is another. We all know we need to start better lifestyle routines, but how do we really set about doing it? For that, Atomic Habits addresses this pain point head on. James Clear provides a proven framework on how you can form good habits, break bad ones, and master tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. The problem isn’t you, it’s the system, Clear posits. By changing the system, you can drastically change your life, one small habit at a time.
References:
Book Riot: https://bookriot.com/best-wellness-books/
Esquire: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/g40433259/best-wellness-books/
Amazon
The Manila Standard
The Good Reads
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Pexels: Ylanite Koppens and Parth Shah
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