The 30-Day Heart Tune-Up

January 20, 2014
Who wouldn’t jump at the chance to feel healthier, sexier, trimmer, and mentally sharper in just 30 days? In his latest book, Masley (Ten Years Younger) looks at cardiovascular disease and advises readers on how to turn back the clock by reducing formed arterial plaque and how to prevent plaque buildup. Keys to success are improving diet, exercise, and stress management. With nuts, berries, avocados, and chocolate included in this plan, and over 50 recipes, readers need not worry about being deprived. Adding a phased exercise plan, most of which can be implemented from home and does not require much gear or machinery, is essential. While both diet and exercise will help reduce stress, reducing stress will also increase the benefit of diet and exercise; sleep quality, relaxation routines, and biofeedback resources are explored. Masley promises that by following this plan, readers can “enjoy a heart ten years younger than when started”—a worthy goal for anyone with cardiovascular health concerns.

March 15, 2014

Masley (Ten Years Younger), a nutritionist and physician who runs a wellness clinic in Florida, is back with a new plan to help reverse heart disease. His goal is to get people who are taking cholesterol-lowering drugs and still not feeling healthier to make the lifestyle changes that we all know are necessary. His advice is a generally straightforward and positive approach to eating better, reducing stress, and exercising more. Masley recommends evaluating the health of your heart and blood vessels with a carotid intimal medial thickness (IMT) test; if that's not possible, he has suggestions for using a simple fitness step test at home. After the assessment is a four-pronged plan of aerobic exercise and strength training, recommended foods, stress management, and supplements. The book also includes 60 healthy recipes for foods such as quinoa salad and gumbo. VERDICT There's nothing really new here, but an easy-to-read and motivational style makes this a preventative prescription that may go down well with the general public. Recommended for readers interested in improving their health.--Elizabeth A. Williams, St. Matthew's Univ. Sch. of Medicine, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.