Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. I find so much value in books. Sometimes they inspire me, give me a new perceptive, teach me, guide me… Sometimes they make me cry and sometimes they make me laugh. Books are all so different and have so much to offer.

Lately, I have been on a healthy living book kick. I have been filling my brain with healthy living topics like clean eating, paleo diet, stretching, yoga and personal growth books. I have had many take-aways from each book. Here are some of the latest healthy lifestyle books I have been reading.

I enjoyed these books and I think you will too!

Mind Over Meds: Know When Drugs Are Necessary, When Alternatives Are Better – and When to Let Your Body Heal on Its Own by Andrew Weil MD

About the Book:

Prescription drug use in America has increased tenfold in the past 50 years, and over-the-counter drug use has risen just as dramatically. In addition to the dozens of medications we take to treat serious illnesses, we take drugs to help us sleep, to keep us awake, to keep our noses from running, our backs from aching, and our minds from racing. Name a symptom, there’s a pill to suppress it.

Modern drugs can be miraculously life-saving, and many illnesses demand their use. But what happens when our reliance on powerful pharmaceuticals blinds us to their risks? Painful side effects and dependency are common, and adverse drug reactions are America’s fourth leading cause of death.

My Thoughts:

It’s shocking to me that Americans use more medicine than any other country. We spend almost $1000 per person per year on pharmaceuticals! I have been interested in learning about this phenomenon, and this was the book for me to learn more!

Andrew Weil does a great job in this book explaining the problem of over medication. It is a great resource to read before you make the decision to take medication for life. While some medication is necessary, it does appear we over medicate based on how much we use pharmaceuticals compared to other countries.

Real World Mindfulness for Beginners: Navigate Daily Life One Practice at a Time by Brenda Salgado

About the Book:

Major changes are a part of life; yet dealing with them can be overwhelming. Endorsed by the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine, mindfulness is a simple way to gently help you become more present with the challenges you face and navigate difficulties with more clarity and courage.

The guidance presented in Real-World Mindfulness for Beginners has been praised by today’s leading voices on mindfulness. Particularly helpful to those who are new to mindfulness, Real-World Mindfulness for Beginners offers knowledge that is easy to understand and techniques that can be applied immediately. Each chapter offers mindfulness practices that are specific to common challenges such as dealing with anxiety and stress, managing anger and hurt, and coping with grief and loss.

In Real-World Mindfulness for Beginners, you’ll find:

Mindfulness practices that are most applicable to your current need
Easy mindfulness practices that take only minutes or even seconds
Tips that modify mindfulness practices to inspire new experiences

Through the practices in Real-World Mindfulness for Beginners you’ll unearth the quiet strength within to handle life’s curve balls as they come, wherever you may be.

My Thoughts:

What and uplifting book about mindfulness techniques. As a mindfulness beginner, I was happy to see how simply laid out this book was. The different sections are clear and each deal with something different. I really enjoyed the chapter on cultivating gratitude and joy. The book is a positive read that focuses on being more mindful and dealing with life’s changes and challenges.

The Big 15 Paleo Cookbook: 15 Fundamental Ingredients, 150 Paleo Diet Recipes, 450 Variations by Megan Flynn Peterson

About the Book:

Going Paleo doesn’t have to mean going crazy. Wasting time, energy, and money on expensive ingredients and difficult recipes is the last thing anyone needs when trying to adopt a new way of eating. But knowing how and where to start can be a challenge.

In The Big 15 Paleo Cookbook, Megan Flynn Peterson shows you how to get everything you want in a healthy diet, and avoid everything you don’t. Megan’s journey into eating paleo started in 2011 after a year of unexpected weight gain, anxiety, and a slew of other issues that affected her overall well-being. The results of her new paleo diet were so transformative that she began helping others find their own liberation through following a paleo diet and lifestyle. Now, with The Big 15 Paleo Cookbook, delivers fantastic, simple recipes that won’t break the bank or take over your life.

* Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Thighs * Burger Bowls * Báhn Mí Tacos * Crustless Broccoli Torte * Curried Sweet Potatoes * and much more!

My Thoughts:

I related closely to Megan’s intro story about why she made the change to real food (paleo). I really enjoyed this cookbook for a number of reasons. First, it is full of recipes that are real food. Secondly, there is a lot of new recipes that I hadn’t seen before in similar cookbooks. Thirdly, the recipes are pretty simple and easy to prepare. Oh…and also because of the Ginger Beet Sorbet recipe. OMG.

Stretching to Stay Young: Simple Workouts to Keep You Flexible, Energized, and Pain Free by Jessica Matthews

About the Book:

As we age, our bodies move less and less. And the less we move, the tighter our muscles and joints become. But this isn’t our natural state—in fact, our bodies were designed for movement.

Stretching is a gentle, simple activity that anyone can do. Doctors often “prescribe” stretching to patients to alleviate ongoing aches and pains, as well as improve range of motion and flexibility. Those who enjoy an active lifestyle find that regular stretching improves athletic performance and decreases the risk of injury.

Jessica Matthews knows how important stretching is. Her work as a seasoned yoga instructor, exercise physiologist, and graduate-level health educator has impacted thousands of lives, and has made her a leading and trusted expert in the health and fitness industry. In Stretching to Stay Young, Jessica meets you at your current level of stretching ability and guides you step-by-step through each stretch, arming you with the confidence you need to progress into deeper levels of stretching for enhanced flexibility and strength over time.

Stretching to Stay Young is your all-in-one guide to creating a stretching regimen that is tailor fit to your specific needs.

My Thoughts:

I have so much more energy when I take 10 minutes out of my day to stretch. Just a few stretchs and I feel great! It is no wonder this book is titled, Stretching to Stay Young. I really love the illustrations that make it clear how to do each stretch. Chapters are seperated by parts of the body (neck and shoulder, hips and glutes). This book if a great guide to stretching!

Clean Eating Bowls: 100 Real Food Recipes for Eating Clean by Kenzie Swanhart

About the Book:

The concept of “bowl food” has gained popularity in recent years. Bowls make it simple to create meals in no time at all—just pile it on and dig right in. But when you pair the convenience of the bowl with the nutrition of clean eating, you’ve got one power-packed combination.

Clean Eating Bowls is your complete resource for customizing any and every kind of bowl that your clean eating heart desires. With recipes that leave you feeling satisfied, you can relax and enjoy the pleasures of clean eating instead of worrying about what not to eat.

In Clean Eating Bowls, you’ll enjoy 100 of Kenzie’s simple, crave-worthy recipes, such as:

Huevos Rancheros Breakfast Bowl
Carrot Cake Smoothie Bowl
The Ultimate Taco Salad Bowl
Barbacoa and Avocado Bowl
Poke Noodle Bowl
Peanut Butter Cup Pudding Bowl

My Thoughts:

So many fun clean eating food bowls in this book! I already knew I loved Kenzie’s recipes from her blog and her Spiralize it book. This book also is a winner. She has simple and creative bowl recipes for everything from breakfast smoothies to dinner. This book is organized by type of bowl and list allergens. It’s a super fun recipe book!

The Eat Fat, Get Thin Cookbook: More Than 175 Delicious Recipes for Sustained Weight Loss and Vibrant Health by Mark Hyman MD

About the Book:

The companion cookbook to Dr. Hyman’s revolutionary Eat Fat, Get Thin, with more than 175 delicious, nutritious, heart- and waist-friendly recipes.

Dr. Hyman’s Eat Fat, Get Thin radically changed the way we view dietary fat, and proved that the key to losing weight and keeping it off is to eat ample amounts of good fats. Now, Dr. Hyman shares more than 175 mouthwatering recipes to help you incorporate these good fats into your diet and continue on your path to wellness. With easy-to-prepare recipes for every meal–featuring nuts, coconut oil, avocados, and lots of other superfoods you thought were “off limits”–you can achieve fast and sustained weight loss. Your health is a life-long journey, and THE EAT FAT, GET THIN COOKBOOK helps make that journey both do-able and delicious.

My Thoughts:

I am loving the gluten free, healthy fat, low sugar recipes. I have been following Dr. Hyman on the internet for awhile and really respect his opinions. I think he has a lot of good insight about health. This is a must have book if you are looking for recipes that fit the Eat Fat, Get Thin mentality.

Yoga Body and Mind Handbook: Easy Poses, Guided Meditations, Perfect Peace Wherever You Are by Jasmine Tarkeshi

About the Book:

Yoga offers the benefits of reducing stress, increasing peace, and cultivating greater wellbeing. If you’re new to yoga, you may wonder if it’s right for you―what if it’s more difficult or requires more patience and athleticism than you thought?

Named one of 2016’s 100 Most Influential Yoga Teachers in America, Jasmine Tarkeshi has spent more than 20 years teaching yoga to people of all levels and abilities. As co-founder of Laughing Lotus Yoga Centers in New York and San Francisco, Jasmine has seen firsthand that with the right guidance anyone can enjoy and benefit from yoga.

Easy-to-follow and fun, the Yoga Body & Mind Handbook offers:

Complete yoga routines from 15 minutes to over an hour include breathing, posture, and meditation
Beginner-friendly yoga postures with suggested modifications
Meditations that can be done anywhere to counter stress and boost health
Detailed instructions and illustrations of techniques, postures, breathing exercises, and more

No matter your level of yoga familiarity, the compassionate, step-by-step guidance in the Yoga Body & Mind Handbook will show you how yoga can help you live up to your highest potential by relieving physical, mental, and emotional tension.

My Thoughts:

Yoga has really worked wonders in my life. I get so much from such a simple workout. This book is my at home studio guide! I just open it up and follow the guide. The yoga pose appendix is a nice quick posture lookup. Nice book for yoga, meditations and breathing techniques.

The Sweet Potato Diet: The Super Carb-Cycling Program to Lose Up to 12 Pounds in 2 Weeks by Michael Morelli

About the Book:

When you hear the words “carb-cycling” you may think: That’s for the serious athletes and bodybuilders, there’s no way I could ever do that – it’s just too complicated. Guess again. In The Sweet Potato Diet, popular fitness guru Michael Morelli removes all of the guesswork and takes away the fear from traditional carb-cycling by simplifying it down into a step-by-step eating schedule where you’ll never have to weigh your food, and there’s absolutely no calorie counting ever.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a gourmet chef to do well on this diet, which includes 45 step-by-step, easy-to-follow recipes that will leave your taste buds happy and your stomach satisfied. The Sweet Potato Diet arranges recipes in convenient sections by course, even some sweet treats and decadent desserts which you can enjoy guilt-free on your new diet. It really works by supercharging your metabolism, promoting lean muscle gains, and optimizing fat burning by working with your body.

My Thoughts:

I love sweet potatoes! I found this book to be full of great sweet potato recipes. I liked learning about carb-cycling and think it is an interesting health concept. I learned how carb cycling has an impact on fat loss, increased energy, and overall health. This book has plenty of insight on strategies to track results, meal planning, easy exercises and more. Great for anyone interested in carb-cycling!

What healthy living books catch your eye?