ReadingAndThinking.com

Discover great reads with curated book lists, recommendations & insightful reviews of fiction, novels & nonfiction—all on your favorite book blog.

10 Best Healthy Living & Wellness Books for a Vibrant Lifestyle

Discover the best books on healthy living, lifestyle, wellness, and health. Explore top picks for a healthier you with insightful reads on well-being.
Today we will talk about the 10 Best Healthy Living and Wellness Books to Read in 2024. 

Best health and wellness books tell you that living a healthy life is not difficult. 

Health is a concern for all of us. How to stay healthy, what is healthy, and what is the standard of health, we don't know what the standard is. These ten books tell you about healthy living knowledge of science.

A health quotient represents a person's health knowledge, attitude toward health, and ability to maintain health. In this era of more and more material life, health problems are becoming more and more serious. 

Obesity, staying up late, not exercising, smoking, alcoholism, chronic diseases, etc., are undoubtedly major hazards to our health. 

Maintaining health is one of the most important core competencies of an individual, so it should be taken seriously.

A cluttered desk with healthy living and wellness books, a pink mug, flower vases, and various decorative items in soft, warm tones.

Best Healthy Lifestyle and Wellness Books for Better Living

Discover the best health and wellness books for a healthy lifestyle. Explore top-rated guides on healthy living, nutrition, and holistic wellness.

1. How Not to Die


How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Dr. Michael Greger




How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Dr. Michael Greger 

Today, with the increasing development of the Internet, any statement will be questioned, especially in terms of diet and nutrition related to everyone. The benevolent sees the benevolence and the wise see the wisdom. 

Might not be as mind-blowing 4 months ago as now, yet it's always a good thing my way is confirmed by authorities and supported by research. The stats are good, but the authors are too obsessed with them. Writing seems to be pale, dotted with unnecessary jokes. I'd regard it only as a clinical argumentation guidebook for a plant-based diet.

I still agree with most of the views in the book, such as:

  1. Promote a balanced diet. Nutrients from whole vegetables are more effective than supplements. This seems more reliable than some books that let you take various supplements.
  2. Daily intake of various vegetables + whole grains + beans + potatoes + nuts to achieve a balanced diet has given me a basic understanding of a balanced diet, at least I will take it into account when buying vegetables and cooking.
  3. According to the traffic light eating principle, let us try our best to choose unprocessed or lightly processed food and avoid deep processing and junk food.
  4. The secret to staying healthy: a whole-vegetable diet + 90 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every day. I admit that I am a person who is more self-disciplined and loves sports. Exercise brings me health, and the dopamine secreted makes me feel full and full throughout the day. Pleasure, of course, the need to cut out all animal foods and go vegan, I have my doubts. It will be judged after learning more nutrition knowledge in the future.
In any case, I read this 580,000-word masterpiece in less than three days, and it is worth recommending.


2. The 4-Hour Body


The 4 Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss


The 4 Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss 

The first thing to say is that after reading this book, I am still afraid to try many of the methods mentioned by the author. Such as the dizzying array of nutrients and various drugs that the author lists in the book. 

I don't think real numbers are wise to take without a doctor. In addition, the author only uses his own experimental data, which can only be used as a reference, and certainly cannot be used as a scientific basis. But this book still inspired me a lot

The book can be divided into three parts:

  1. Chapters 1 to 6 discuss basic concepts;
  2. Chapters 7 to 18 talk about fat loss and muscle gain;
  3. Chapters 19 to 33 tell the author's various crazy experiments in various aspects.
My personal favorite is the first two parts, chapters one to eighteen. The biggest inspiration for me. In the following chapters, I was simply dizzy and dizzy by the author's various experiments, and I basically flipped through it.

The author put forward the concept of "minimum effective amount" at the beginning: you can achieve the desired result with the smallest amount. It is proposed that there are two "minimum effective doses" that must be kept in mind when it comes to fitness:

1. To remove stubborn fat - all you have to do is find hormones that promote fat loss. 

2. To increase muscle or strength - what you are doing is promoting the motor function of muscles and muscle groups.
Therefore, the author will say: that 4 hours of fitness a week for body sculpting is enough. So why do so many people fail (including me)? 

The author believes that the main reason is - "logical error". 

And put forward 4 principles that make the body sculpting program successful:

  1. Know what you're doing and increase self-awareness. 
  2. Like what you are doing, improve entertainment 
  3. Turn what you're doing into a competition and increase your motivation. 
  4. Make the plan small and specific, and avoid big and empty.
Therefore, the authors believe that measuring their own data is very important. 
But for someone like me who doesn't go to the gym, the fat percentage is really hard to measure. Now I have to first self-test the bust, waist, hips, and so on.

For fat loss, the authors propose the "Slow-Carb Diet"

  1. Don't eat all "white" carbohydrates 
  2. Eat a fixed food repeatedly 
  3. Don't eat or drink calories 
  4. Don't eat fruit 
  5. Take one day off a week.
I personally have doubts about the first and the fourth. In addition, the author recommends eating black beans. I ate a meal, and it was really hard to eat...

For muscle building, the author lists 4 principles:

  1. Exhaust each group of contacts 
  2. Use 5/5 beats 
  3. Only practice 2-10 movements per workout 
  4. Increase the recovery time according to the number.
The author recommends the potting equipment the most. I heard about it for the first time and wanted to buy one, but I was afraid that I would smash my house into pieces if I let it go. So I still practice dumbbells first.

As the author says, the key is action. After writing this article, I'm going to start practicing...


3. Metabolical 


Metabolical: The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine by Robert H Lustig


Metabolical: The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine by Robert H Lustig 

Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric neuroendocrinologist who has long been on the cutting edge of medicine and science, challenges our current healthcare paradigm which has gone off the rails under the influence of Big Food, Big Pharma, and Big Government.

You can’t solve a problem if you don’t know what the problem is. One of Lustig’s singular gifts as a communicator is his ability to “connect the dots” for the general reader, to unpack the scientific data and concepts behind his arguments, as he tells the “real story of food” and “the story of real food.” 

Metabolical weaves the interconnected strands of nutrition, health/disease, medicine, environment, and society into a completely new fabric by proving on a scientific basis a series of iconoclastic revelations, among them: 
  • Medicine for chronic disease treats symptoms, not the disease itself
  • You can diagnose your own biochemical profile 
  • Chronic diseases are not "druggable," but they are "floodable" 
  • Processed food isn’t just toxic, it’s addictive
  • The war between vegan and keto is a false war—the combatants are on the same side
  • Big Food, Big Pharma, and Big Government are on the other side
Making the case that food is the only lever we have to effect biochemical change to improve our health, Lustig explains what to eat based on two novel criteria: protect the liver and feed the gut. 

He insists that if we do not fix our food and change the way we eat, we will continue to court chronic disease, bankrupt healthcare, and threaten the planet. But there is hope: this book explains what’s needed to fix all three. 


4. Atomic Habits  


Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear


Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear 

A book on how to form good habits and change bad habits. The content itself feels more interesting and more reasonable, but it is more verbose, citing a lot of examples, and dividing simple things into many chapters to talk about slowly. 

I feel that just reading the third chapter is enough, or if you want to read all 20 chapters, you can skip the main text and read the chapter summary at the end of each chapter.

The author makes two more important points. The first is to say that we should pursue a state, not a goal because the latter is difficult to grasp. If it is a goal that is too easy to achieve, it will usually brush the achievement all at once, and it will be very empty and unable to continue, but if it is too easy to achieve A goal that is difficult to achieve will be unattainable for a long time and cannot be followed up due to frustration. 

So we should pursue state change. For example, it is not to learn a certain musical instrument but to be a Musician - A musician here is a state, as long as you keep practicing the instrument every day, you are in this state (of course Musician does not mean Professional Musician the meaning of).

The second point of view subdivides habit formation into four steps: 

  1. Cue; 
  2. Craving; 
  3. Response; 
  4. Reward. 
The first two steps are the problem stage, and the last two steps are the solution stage. 

The remaining chapters of the book are basically extended explanations of these four aspects. There are many examples and some more specific suggestions, but the whole is relatively scattered. For example, there is a technique of Habit Stacking and Temptation Building. 

Basically, it is to help build new habits through existing habits. For example, make an agreement with yourself to exercise for 7 minutes after each nap, or before every time you brush your phone. First deal with the mail inbox.

In addition, for example, strong self-control and self-discipline are actually achieved by changing the environment or eliminating cues that lead to bad habits. It is very difficult to really rely on willpower to achieve self-control. The people with the best self-control are typically the ones who need to use it the least.


5. The Sleep Revolution 


The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time by Arianna Huffington


The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time by Arianna Huffington 

    The book "Sleep Revolution", like its title, spends a lot of time telling us the importance of sleep. As to where the importance of sleep should be placed, everyone may have their own opinions, but several key points mentioned in this book are worth referring to.

    Sleep is necessary for the brain to clear out harmful substances. The book mentions that studies have shown that the human brain produces toxic substances during daily work. Due to the limited function of the brain, people have to process too much information when they are awake, so they have no time to clean up these harmful substances. 

Only in the sleep state can the harmful substances accumulated in the brain be effectively dealt with. If these harmful substances are not cleaned up in time, the brain cannot enter the best state. In fact, this is a bit like the operating mode of a computer. 

After a long time of booting, there are always a lot of junk files. If the CPU has been running the program, it will not have enough computing power to process the temporary garbage generated. Only when the CPU is idle can the memory and other processes be processed? The same is true for people who need sleep.

   The book also mentions that good sleep can improve a person's appearance, which is similar to the Buddhist saying that "images are born from the heart". One possible reason should be that good sleep is the premise of inner peace. 

As mentioned earlier, long-term lack of sleep will lead to excessive excitement, inability to concentrate, and natural unable to achieve a quiet and peaceful state of mind. 

On the contrary, good sleep can make people's mental state in a good state, and it is easier to achieve a peaceful state of mind. When the mind is calm, it will naturally relax. 

The so-called "appearance is born from the heart" in Buddhism means that a person's appearance will be affected by spiritual and ideological factors. From this perspective, good sleep can indeed improve a person's appearance.


6. The Telomere Effect 


The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer by Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn


The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer by Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn 

It may be hard for us to live forever, but it seems easier to live longer. Looking at today's society, more and more centenarians are appearing, and more and more people are beginning to pay attention to health preservation.

It was not until I recently read Telomere, an easy-to-follow guide to cracking the aging code, co-authored by Nobel Laureate Elizabeth Blackburn and Alyssa Ipal, that I finally believed that the human lifespan is can be extended using scientific methods.

This book is divided into four chapters to describe the impact of telomeres on the human lifespan and how to protect telomeres, repair telomerase, and improve the damage to telomeres from daily habits such as diet, exercise, and sleep, and then achieve anti-aging, Age-defying growth.

Aging and death are unchangeable facts of life, but how we age can be changed, and it will be up to us.

Chronic stress, negative thinking, interpersonal conflicts, unharmonious social relationships, sleep quality, diet, and exercise all affect telomeres, and telomeres affect the human lifespan. 

It is like a highway, the faster you go further you go, the shorter your lifespan. To prolong your lifespan, you can only control the rate of aging through scientific methods and reverse the process of telomere wear and tear.

Why do people age at different rates? Why are some people still in good spirits in their old age, while others are premature, exhausted, and confused? "Telomere" may help you to break the stereotype and bring new insights.


7. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck 


The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson


The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson 

When I was anxious, hesitant, and vulnerable, someone always whispered in my ear, "If you are serious, you will lose." This kind of life wisdom seems to have captured the heart of all suffering: If inner confusion comes from caring, the happiest way is to stop caring. 

If seriousness means failure, then we should look to the opposite of seriousness. It can be withdrawn and hypocritical, but not sincere and wholehearted. It is a cold eye, a smirk, a spectator mentality of "it has nothing to do with me". The final result is what Epicurus described as "peace of mind". But contemporary Epicurean proponents shrug off the risks of this wisdom.

First, it is difficult to pursue inner peace, because caring is the basic way of human existence. When people preach the art of not giving a f**k, they have misunderstood human nature. Giving a f**k or not seems to be a choice everyone can decide: if we choose not to care, not to be serious, then we have a smooth road to inner peace. This is clearly a myth that needs to be broken. 

In fact, it is very difficult and thankless to control and even contain concern. This is because we have a natural tendency to care about certain people, certain things, and certain ideas, and this is the basic way we live in this world, with ourselves, others, and the world. We may choose to care about this or that, but we cannot choose to care for ourselves; without it, we would not know how to live.

Second, inner peace is the result of romanticization, and giving up caring means giving up many "worthy" values. The romantic vision of "not happy with things, not sad with oneself" is our imagination of the state of existence of gods, because they have no "I" and no "life" that "I" needs to participate in, and naturally they are not attached to "I" mind and perseverance above. 

I have too much "me" and "my vision" and "my life" to unfold, and then "my pain and joy" and "my history and future". If there are people who can truly "don't care about everything", then their living methods are not enviable at all. When they give up caring, they avoid not only pain but also happiness. Because they give up participating in life, they miss the precious value of life forever.

Manson argues that “improving lives depends not only on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade but on learning to take lemons better.” Humans are flawed and limited. Not everyone can be extraordinary, there are winners and losers in society, some of which are unfair and not your fault.

“There are only so many things we can give a f**k about so we need to figure out which ones really matter. While money is nice, caring about what you do with your life is better because true wealth is about the experience.”


8. The Little Book of Hygge 


The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking


The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking 

This is an informative guide to Hygge about the way the Danes are proud of their lifestyle and aesthetic attitude. When traveling with friends to Copenhagen, the enthusiastic hostess of the hostel put it on the bedside for others to read. The beige hardcover with exquisite illustrations is very attractive, so I took it and looked at it.

It was pitch black outside the window and it was raining lightly (it is said that it rains 179 days a year in Denmark, which the author of this book doubly calls Winterfell), and a few small candles on the windowsill were flickering with flames, and I was half leaning comfortably. 

Cushions, drinking Carlsberg, wearing my Christmas Flannel Hyggebukser (“That one pair of pants you would never wear in public but are so comfortable that they are likely to be, secretly, your favorites.”) Warm lighting Hit on the paper, it felt like everything was Hyggeligt at the time.

Denmark's "National Wine" Carlsberg


Enthusiastic host

This is a book that is not suitable for binge reading. It exists as a careful reminder to keep an attitude of gratitude, pay attention to the quality of life, and take each day seriously. If you feel out of shape, eat a piece of chocolate, have a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, go read, watch a movie or TV episode, listen to music, or in winter, put on a (reindeer) Jumper, wear good quality wool socks, get into the blanket...

Personal favorite Danish drama "Rejseholdest" (Rejseholdest) and Danish national treasure actor Mads Mikkelsen.

Newport near Christmas

In short, Hygge is "The art of creating intimacy, the coziness of the soul, the absence of annoyance, taking pleasure from the presence of soothing things, cozy togetherness...it's humble and slow, rustic over new, simple over posh, ambiance over excitement."

"Frigid" subway

Although a large part of the happiness of the Nordic people depends on a small population, low competition, a good international environment, and generous social benefits, so they can enjoy their Work-life balance more fully... 


9. Born to Run 


Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall


Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall 

I just started running for a few months when I got a runner's knee. In fact, someone recommended this book to me earlier, but I didn't care, until my knee hurt and it was difficult to walk, I eagerly bought this book and started to look. 

Maybe because of this expectation, my expectation for this book is an explanatory book similar to a popular science article, but obviously, the author wrote it as a novel, at least in the first half. 

In the first 24 chapters, the author is talking about hearing about this mysterious person in the deep mountains of Mexico and how difficult it is to find them. Of course, if you put yourself in the shoes, I understand the author's emphasis on this bizarre experience. But as a junior runner looking for help, this passage was a little impatient. . . 

starting from chapter 25, really explains the various characteristics that people are born with to run, especially the analysis of the body structure and the illusion of the process of human evolution. 

I agree very much. We are born to be endurance runners, but the change in living habits and the misunderstanding caused by the interest chain of the running shoe industry have made us more obstacles to regaining our nature.

I'll keep running when I get better. The beginning of the book is right, it is human nature to run, when you are happy when you are sad, you will naturally want to run. You can tell by looking at the children, and they will naturally run when they are happy.


10. Spark Joy 


Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondō


Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondō 

Japanese decluttering guru Marie Kondo has revolutionized homes—and lives—across the world. Now, Kondo presents an illustrated guide to using her acclaimed KonMari Method to create a joy-filled home that works the way you need it to.

Spark Joy features step-by-step folding illustrations for everything from shirts to socks, plus drawings of perfectly organized drawers and closets. Kondo also answers frequently asked questions, such as whether to keep “necessary” items that may not bring you joy. 

With guidance on specific categories including kitchen tools, cleaning supplies, hobby goods, digital photos, and even building your own personal “power spot” in your home, this comprehensive companion is sure to spark joy in anyone who wants to simplify their life.

MARIE KONDO is a professional cleaning consultant with a three-month waiting list. Inspired by the Japanese book Throw-Out Skills and a lifelong love of all things house and home, she began her study of the art of cleaning, established her consulting business, and founded the KonMari Method. 

Her courses, “Lessons on Organization and Storage for Women” and “Lessons on Organization and Storage for Company Presidents”, have many dedicated fans. Her previous book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, is a #1 New York Times bestseller and has become a worldwide sensation. 

Conclusion

We have selected the 10 books to tell you that it is not difficult to live a healthy life: Among them, are health care books that only medicated experts know, Vegetarian Running Practice, and don’t let doctors who don’t understand nutrition harm you. 

If you are looking for the most cost-effective or most popular health and wellness books, then the following list can be used as your reference.

Modern society has entered an era of rapid development. The pace of society, work, and life is accelerating and pressure is increasing. More and more people are in a sub-health state. "Sub-health" has been a concern for people from all walks of life. 

This issue is recommended for everyone. Some good books on health preservation, I hope you can gain some knowledge about health preservation and maintaining a healthy body.

Here is a list of Books on Health and wellness:

Next Post Previous Post

Related Post

Book Recommender Tool

Looking For More Books To Read?

Explore and find your next good read - Book Recommendations for specific interests.

Get Book Suggestions

Discover ratings, reviews, summaries, and genres.

Book Summary Tool

Instant Any Book Summary

Explore and find your next Book Summary for specific interests.

Get Book Summary

Discover ratings, reviews, summaries, and genres.

Book Series Finder Tool

Looking For Books Series To Read?

Explore and find Book Series for specific interests.

Get Book Series

Personal Growth Book Finder Tool

Instant Any Book

Explore and find your next Book for specific interests.

Get Personal Growth Book

Discover personal development journey.

Free Printable Calendar

Manage Reading Notes, Schedule & Events

Manage your reading schedule, write notes, and track your reading progress by downloading this printable calendar.

Get Calendar

Popular Posts

Recent Post