There are plenty of health and fitness books out there, some great, some not-so-much. So far, I have pretty much lucked out on reading the good ones and steering clear of the crazies. In the past few months this has mainly occurred through only reading fictional books about love during the Regency era and a few in our post-apocalyptic future. To get back on track and feel less like a time-waster reading books that I love but are not increasing my knowledge base much, have decided to read some very highly reviewed and very much anticipated books from the health and fitness world. Which ones, you ask? Great question! Let's get into four that have caught my eye and I cannot wait to read!
The Big Picture by Tony Horton
We all know and love him from his insane P90X workouts, one of which I will be doing today! But, did you know that he is also an inspirational author? True! The Big Picture is Horton's first book that is no fitness related, but does still talk on health.
I have heard tons of fantastic things about this book and cannot wait to read it for myself. Horton talks all about how to achieve life goals and set a purpose for your life in 11-steps that will also help you attain optimal health. I have heard that this is a really great outline for things we may already know to do, but have not started for whatever reason.
If you are interested in Tony's other book, Bring It!, you can find it here.
Yoga Anatomy 2nd Edition by Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews
This may not be for everyone, but I have been seriously wondering about how to really make sure all the right muscle groups are feeling what they should be feeling during each pose. It is so ridiculously easy to be just a little bit off in a pose and think we are doing it right. Goodness, I am guilty of this so often. This book even goes into the psychology of flows and breathing.
Leslie Kaminoff, is pretty well known in both the yoga community and health and fitness world. He is a world renown yoga instructor who, if you ever read Yoga Journal, you have probably already learned something from. The book is separated into pose types such as sitting, standing, and inversions. Oh boy, I cannot wait to get my hands on this goodie!
Note: I say, "get my hands on" because I have read many kindle reviewers complain that the picture size is too small. Paperback seems to be the way to go for this guy.
Also, these cards may be a bit better for those who feel a book of yoga anatomy is a bit intense. Besides, they look super fun :)
Eat to Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness by Scott Jurek
I first hear about this book at least a year ago when Scott Jurek was being interviewed on a popular running blog. Although I do not remember which running blog it was, I do remember being enthralled by his story. He is an ultramarathoner, a record breaker, an extreme high performance athlete, and a vegan. If that last one surprised you like it did me, get ready for what I think will be a mind blowing reading experience. A high performance athlete who does not eat meat or any animal by-product- whhhaaatt?!
Jurek also adds in some inspiration to help us overcome the mental barriers as well as the physical. It has surprised me how many people talk about this book in relation to philosophy as much as fitness. It also surprises me that I have not read it yet. Let's just stop the embarrassment and read it now, ok?
The Body Book by Cameron Diaz
I recently hear Cameron Diaz talking about her new book on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and though, "yep, that is something I want to read." To be completely honest, I have always though of Cameron Diaz as a super fit and fantastic looking girl, but never really considered her to know a whole ton about nutrition. Seems like that thought would be wrong and her book would be crazy interesting to anyone who enjoys knowing the interactions of chemicals on a cellular level. Yes, yes that interests me a lot.
This book looks great for learning easy recipes and quick tips, but it also seems to be full of health information we all have wondered at some point bet never known the answer to. I also very much enjoy what Cameron said about healthy people not dieting and that those who are the most healthy eat a lot; they just eat a lot of really great things. Nothing speaks to this food-loving girl more than throwing those constrictive diets to the wind and deciding to eat lots of yummy, healthy things!