Discover my curated selection of the top fitness, wellness and self-improvement books I read in 2023, so you can transform and thrive in 2024
Happy New Year!
If you're like most people, you're planning on embarking on a journey of self-improvement, like sculpting a masterpiece. And what better chisel than the wisdom found within the pages of a good book?
As we confidently stride into 2024, let's not just step but dance into the New Year with the wisdom gleaned from transformative reads. Having delved into an array of books throughout 2023, I'm thrilled to share my top picks that will pave the way as you sculpt and nourish your body, fortify your mindset, work to attain holistic self-improvement.
Join me on this literary journey through fitness transformations, understanding and resolving chronic pain, weight loss success, building healthy habits, and more as we explore the pages that promise to hlep shape a resilient and thriving you in the year ahead!
1. Hormone Repair Manual: Every woman’s guide to healthy hormones after 40 - Lara Briden, ND
How to navigate the changes of your 40s, 50s (primarily perimenopause and menopause) and how to relieve symptoms with natural treatments. Read it front to back or use it as a reference.
Note: for those under 40 she has a widely acclaimed book called Period Repair Manual - I haven't read it but she really knows her stuff.
2. Talking to Strangers: what we should know about the people we don’t know - Malcolm Gladwell
Why our interactions with strangers often go wrong - taken from actual scandals and news stories. This book completely floored me and will definitely help you in your relationships and social interactions going forward!
3. Blink: the power of thinking without thinking - Malcolm Gladwell and Barry Fox
Why the choices we make in the blink of an eye are not as simple as they seem. Why some people are often correct while others….. Aren’t.
4. Lies My Doctor Told Me: Medical myths that can harm your health - Ken Berry, MD
Written by a family medicine doctor (before COVID) to dispel myths and misinformation that have been told by the medical and food industries for decades. You will probably be shocked (I was!) at some of them. It is amazing what can get so entrenched in our culture.
You will also learn how to research topics for yourself (no spoon-feeding here!), and how to begin an educated conversation with your doctor about finding the right path for you.
5. The Art of Impossible: a peak performance primer - Steven Kotler
I thought this was so good, I took notes! Maybe it is because this is what I 'preach' day in and day out, that we are capable of so much more than we realize AND you can attain your goals in a way that works with your brain and body.
This book teaches how you can stretch far beyond what you THINK you can do, making the dreams you thought impossible much more attainable.
6. Explain Pain Supercharged* - Davis S. Butler, G. Lorimer Moseley
*Important Note: this version is geared toward movement, rehab, and other health and wellness professionals, and therefore has a great deal of scientific jargon. Plus its really long and expensive!
So I'm recommending the book below by the same authors, which is geared toward the general population, much more accessible and significantly less expensive
Understand how pain works, and how you can feel better - by harnessing your own bioplasticity - without pills, gadgets, or negative side effects.
7. Let’s Get Physical: How women discovered exercise and reshaped the world - Danielle Friedman
Really cute and fun trip down memory lane covering the history of women’s exercise culture - - from when sweating was considered ‘unladylike’ to jogging and Jazzercise to Jane Fonda and more – and how women have parlayed physical strength into other forms of power.
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As we close the chapter on this literary exploration, remember: the power to sculpt your journey lies within the pages you turn. May these reads be your guiding lights, illuminating the path to a resilient, empowered, and thriving you in the vibrant canvas of 2024. Happy reading and onward to a year of transformation!
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Categories: : Thrive