The post Book Review: The Awakened Body appeared first on Independent Book Review.
]]>
The Awakened Body
by Ray Walker
Genre: Memoir / Health & Dieting
ISBN: 9798891328174
Print Length: 232 pages
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Reviewed by Elizabeth Reiser
An inspirational memoir about a health scare that sparks major change
Ray Walker was no stranger to weight loss gimmicks and fad diets; she had tried them all. She was even featured as a success story in a magazine about weight loss. But she later settled into a sense of ambivalence.
Instead of dieting, her brain went on autopilot, and she indulged in processed foods with abandon. She gained back all the weight, plus an additional ten pounds. She came to terms with what she thought would be the rest of her life: overweight but happy, eating processed foods, and taking medications to help with any ailments. Then a health crisis changed everything.
Her kidney almost quit.
After a painful stretch followed by lifesaving surgery, Walker realized she would have to reevaluate her relationship with her health. This was not about the number on the scale or the size of her jeans; it was about listening to her body and making changes to better her well-being.
The second half of the book sees Walker fusing her personal story with self-help guidance. It’s as much a story about her as it is about you. Maybe it is time to improve your relationship with your body.
Starting with asking readers to discover their reason why, like wanting to keep up with their kids, Walker prompts readers to fill out a worksheet to uncover patterns and actionable ways to be healthier. It is a thorough worksheet, and readers who find journaling helpful to their process will like this aspect.
Walker raises compelling arguments throughout the book regarding how we sabotage ourselves on our health journeys and how we can stop. The mind as a bully is one particularly persuasive concept she focuses on, discussing examples of this and how the negative voice can be quieted. Instructions on breath-work and meditation are some of the helpful tools she provides.
In addition to including worksheets and coping tools, Walker shares her struggles with food addiction, leading her into a discussion and instruction on food detox. Her weight loss of 140 pounds is impressive, and she poses insightful questions to help readers determine their own path to a healthy lifestyle. It should be noted that Walker is not a doctor or a nutritionist, and the perspective on detoxing may cause some emotional pain to readers who are suffering from disordered eating.
Walker’s honesty and conversational writing style on this relatable topic make this memoir a well-worthy read. Anyone looking to improve their relationship with their body and their mind could use this as a guide for their journey to improvement.
Thank you for reading Elizabeth Reiser’s book review of The Awakened Body by Ray Walker! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.
The post Book Review: The Awakened Body appeared first on Independent Book Review.
]]>The post Book Review: The Unicorn Diet appeared first on Independent Book Review.
]]>Reviewed by Joelene Pynnonen
A myth-busting, fact-slinging, anecdote-swinging weight-loss companion
MK Lorber has written a solid, sensible book that delves into the science of dieting and weight loss. From the start, The Unicorn Diet puts the major point up front and center: Calories out need to exceed calories in. The Unicorn Diet is a health journey, though, as weight loss is not the only goal. Achieving an active, healthy lifestyle is the end goal, and Unicorn Diet provides the blueprint to get there.
For its diminutive size, The Unicorn Diet is a surprisingly thorough book. It walks readers through nutrition: exploring calories, proteins, carbs, macros and micros. While these sections will likely be the ones readers trudge through, they explain what the body needs and how much of it. There are also break-downs on how to read nutrition labels and tips on avoiding the misleading information often provided.
The book is set up well, geared clearly toward ease of use. Chunks of heavy-going information are broken up with useful infographics. The text is peppered with fascinating anecdotes, myth-busting facts, and homework tasks. All of these pieces serve to regroup wandering thoughts, and it works.
I wouldn’t expect to enjoy reading about calorie-counting or nutrition, but the succinct pieces of information interspersed with jokes and stories made reading a breeze. Diet plans are toward the end of the book, so that by the time readers start to work on them, they have all of the information to consider. The homework that is given at the end of chapters is also grouped at the end, to make referring back to it effortless.
The Unicorn Diet works toward offering an achievable weight-loss plan regardless of lifestyle, age, or current health. It’s clear that Lorber knows people won’t continue with a diet completely out of their comfort zone. There are no recipes in the book and no suggestion to cut any food groups or type. The homework is geared toward creating a plan that each reader is most likely to stick to. Readers can have any of the foods they are accustomed to eating, so long as calories out exceeds calories in. If a person has to have a few drinks on the weekend, there’s a plan for that. If there’s a big party, this book has you covered.
The Unicorn Diet is a motivating and informative lifestyle guide. It manages to be conversational and interesting even when digging into some pretty dense nutritional material. With handy guides on how to adjust diets to different social and personal situations, easy to access information and sensible tips throughout, this book has everything readers might need to make the best choices for themselves.
Category: Nonfiction / Health, Fitness & Dieting
Print Length: 184 pages
ISBN: 978-1735971704
Thank you for reading “Book Review: The Unicorn Diet” by Joelene Pynnonen! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.
The post Book Review: The Unicorn Diet appeared first on Independent Book Review.
]]>