Simple Steps to Better Your Body and Improve Your Mind
November 21, 2016
Douglas, a contributing editor for Runner’s World, goes back to basics with this compendium of simple steps to improve one’s health and fitness. The book’s 100 key tips are sorted into five chapters, each dedicated to a different aspect of personal health. Chapter 1 offers 27—rather obvious—suggestions for achieving good general health and fitness, starting with making a commitment to opt for wiser choices overall. Chapter 2 lists 16 ways to boost the cardiovascular system, including engaging in aerobic activity; consuming coffee, tea, dark chocolate, nuts, and berries; and understanding one’s heart rate. Chapter 3 has 24 tasks designed to improve muscular/skeletal status, including standing while working, employing proper body alignment while driving, doing yoga, and getting adequate sleep. The 16 prescriptions in Chapter 4 cover internal and nutritional health, advising proper hydration, smart shopping and cooking, keeping a food journal, opting for food over supplements, and doing regular Kegel exercises. Chapter 5 provides 17 things to do to improve mental health, such as eschewing multitasking, engaging in mindfulness meditation, and getting light therapy in winter. More a “listicle” than a book, with almost nothing that isn’t already familiar to its intended market, this fast browse through 100 essential actions is appropriate for an aging adult audience.