c.2022, various publishers
$15.00 – $30.00
various page counts
The new calendar is already in your face.
Lose 10 pounds, stop smoking, quit sugar, end that bad habit once and for all, you have great intentions but zero motivation. It’s a New Year – is it time for a New You? Then you need to check out these great books…
You might think you need a prescription of some sort, so here are two of them: “The Sleep Prescription” by Aric A. Prather, PhD (Penguin Life, $15.00) will help you get a better nights’ rest in just one week without any pharmaceuticals. And “The Stress Prescription” by Elissa Ephel, PhD (Penguin Life, $15.00) helps you to feel less stress in one week, naturally, by training your mind and your body. These paperbacks are slim and easy to read, but they’re packed with information that you can use the day you find them.
The holiday cookies were too, too tempting and, well, you had your fair share of them and you regret it now. This is the year you’ve promised yourself that you’ll shed some weight but how are you going to find the time for it? “The Oldest Cure in the World: Adventures in the Art and Science of Fasting” by Steve Hendricks (Abrams Press, $30.00) is a great place to start, because this old way of eating is new again. Here, Hendricks looks into the history of fasting, when it began and why, how religion comes into play, how fasting affects your health, and how it works for the individual body. If you’re serious about fasting for your health, you’ll also want “The Intermittent Fasting Revolution: The Science of Optimizing Health and Enhancing Performance” by Mark P. Mattson (The MIT Press, $27.95). Together, these books will help you make the lifestyle changes necessary for long-term fasting – and pass those cookies, will you, please?
And finally, if you’d like to turn back the clock this New Year, look for “The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow” by Michael F. Roizen, M.D. with Peter Linneman, PhD & Albert Ratner (National Geographic, $28.00). What would you think if you knew you could have another seventy or even eighty more New Year’s Eve celebrations, and be healthy enough to enjoy them? The authors of this book say that “life extension” is available now; they offer ideas for you to look and feel younger today, and start adding years to your life this week. It isn’t going to be cheap and it won’t always be easy but this, too, is laid out in a way that readers will understand. Good information helps make better choices, so maybe we should say Happy New Year 2102, in advance?
Of course, check with your doctor before starting any kind of health-related program. And if these books aren’t quite enough or if you want to go in another direction for this New Year, ask your favorite librarian or bookseller for help with the book that’s right.
And then plan on a better year. Mark it on your calendar.