3 Health and Fitness books to read this year
P.J. O'Rourke said, "Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it." Not only will these books do that, you will also be taking charge of your health and body while doing it.
When I talk to people about health, dieting or fitness, I generally hear the same things:
Eat a low fat diet.
If you eat bad, just make sure you get a good workout in later.
Your body is all about calories in, calories out.
Many of these comments are a result of old science or lack of research. They got these ideas from either some high school health class or an old study or article. That's why it's vital to constantly be reading books to increase your knowledge on your health. Health and fitness science is not fixed. New studies and new hypothesis' are being released all of the time and it;which is why it's important to be constantly reading to improve yourself. Otherwise you might start to sound like a 20 year old textbook when talking to people and your body could suffer for it!
Here are 3 great books to get you started:
1. Brain Maker by Dr. David Perlmutter
Brain disorders are on the rise. Things like Autism, Alzheimers, Dementia and even ADD are statistically more common today than they were in the past. While many might write this off as poorly recorded science in the past, Dr. Perlmutter, would say that the gut biome and nutrition are the root causes.
It sounds weird to say the the bacteria in your stomach is directly related to your brain health, but that's exactly the case he makes in the book. He lays out all of the science behind this phenomenon, gives the reader some examples of how this plays out in daily life, and he also breaks down how to restore your gut so it can work properly.
This book is a fantastic read for anyone, particularly those with gut or brain issues in their life or their family line.
2. Beyond Training by Ben Greenfield
This book (or encyclopedia?) reads as a reference book. And that's not a knock on this book. It is jam packed with every sort of information that will you to train smart and improve performance and longevity at the same time.
The premise is simple: Learn how to eat, perform and train in a way that won't harm your body either in the short term or the long term. Most of the common problems we see today are things like chronic stress, adrenal fatigue, lack of sleep and burn out. Well, many people don't realize that they're super tough workouts could actually be contributing to all of these things along with poor diet or life management.
Greenfield is also an endurance athlete and he addressed how to train smart for things like iron man's, Spartan Races and Triathlons.
I highly recommend this book for athletes from professionals to weekend warriors.
3. The Big Fat Suprise: Why butter, meat and cheese belong in a healthy diet by Nina Teicholz
It's no secret saturated fat has gotten a bad rap in the nutrition community. But why? The author takes an investigative look at how fat entered the dog house by combing through the original studies that led to it. It turns out that those studies were poor conducted and misinformed. This NY times bestseller is a an eye opener that reads like a thriller more than an investigative report.
If you want to jump into the modern age of nutrition this book should be read first.
