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What’s the latest science on brain health? How can I lose fat after 40? Why am I not seeing results from my workouts? I’m fortunate to have built my career around working with leading health and wellness brands, athletes and experts in the field. Last year, I shared 8 of the best health and wellness podcasts to help us eat better, exercise smarter, and live more optimally.
Below, I share 8 of the newer, most reputable and leading books in health and wellness, all of which made the New York Times Best Sellers list. They aim to educate, inspire and offer “actionable tips” to level up your health and mental wellness and help you feel, as Dr. Gabrielle Lyon says, Forever Strong.
‘Outlive: The Science of Art and Longevity’ by Peter Attia
Peter Attia asks us, “Why should we seek longevity?” Despite being a rigorous yet thorough read, Attia challenges some conventional medical thinking on aging to illustrate a new approach to preventing chronic disease and extending long-term health. Attia shares how he “rethinks” mainstream medicine, which, for all of its successes, has fallen short of making progress against the diseases of aging that kill most people: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and type 2 diabetes. Dr. Attia explains how we must replace this outdated framework with a personalized, proactive strategy for longevity.
This is not “biohacking,” but rather science, and this book offers tools to best personalize our health needs. While Attia has his own podcast, I valued learning more about his daily lifestyle, workout routines and nutrition habits (including a glass of wine or tequila here and there) on this episode of The Him and Her Podcast.
Related: 5 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read Before Starting a Business
‘Forever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well’ by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon
Dr. Lyon has worked with everyone from the military to geriatrics to the strongest athletes in the world and has become my go-to for all things protein and muscle. Since meeting her, I have tried to include 40+ grams of protein in my meals. The results? I am stronger, have fewer sports injuries and have more mental clarity. In Forever Strong, Dr. Lyon teaches us how to reboot our metabolism, build strength, and extend our lives with an actionable guidebook demonstrating muscle’s importance for health and longevity.
As the Institute for Muscle-Centric Medicine® founder, Dr. Lyon changes the conversation about fat loss and longevity by stating that “the fat story is about restriction, and the muscle story is about strength.” Lyon explains that 73% of adults are overweight or obese, and outside of smoking, obesity is the leading cause of death. She asserts, “We are not making progress because these issues are a muscle problem, not a fat problem. We are not overfat, we are under-muscled.” Dr. Lyon focuses on skeletal muscle as the most important organ for longevity, fitness and health.
Related: 7 Books Every CEO Should Read
‘Scarcity Brain: Fix Your Craving Mindset and Rewire Your Habits to Thrive with Enough’ by Michael Easter
Our world is overloaded with everything we’re built to crave and overconsume. Easter starts his book with research on why many of us have a scarcity mindset, left over from our ancient ancestors, who had to constantly seek and consume to survive because vital survival tools like food, material goods, information, and power were scarce. He explains how our caveman wiring can push us to want more than we need and then repeat — specifically with bad choices.
He uses examples like gambling, drinking, binge-watching TV and overeating unhealthy food. Easter then reveals that the solution isn’t to aim for less mindlessly but rather to understand why we crave more in the first place, drop our worst habits and make more effective use of what we already have. With a well-organized format, he explains the scarcity loop theory. Then, he empowers us with relatable, direct and useful examples that can lead us to self-discovery and utilizing tools to live a healthier, more satisfying, and fulfilling life. Easter’s book is the answer for anyone looking to stop mindless scrolling, constant cravings, and always wanting to overconsume. You can find a thorough episode about Scarcity Brain on The Joe Rogan Show.
‘Young Forever: The Secrets to Living Your Longest, Healthiest Life’ by Dr. Mark Hyman
Known as one of the leading Functional Medicine practitioners and teachers, Dr. Mark Hyman focuses his 11th book on the trending topic of longevity. As we’ve noticed from these New York Times Best Selling books on wellness, doctors and functional medicine experts are finding new ways to modify aging and extend good health. In this book, Dr. Hyman challenges us to reimagine our biology, health, and aging process. He explores the biological hallmarks of aging, their causes, and their consequences—then shows us how to overcome them with simple dietary, lifestyle, and emerging longevity strategies. From reducing inflammation to fortifying immunity, this book offers specifics on supplements that may be best for you, insights on where research on aging is headed and using your food as medicine.
Related: 50 Books That Transformed My Business and My Life
‘Boundless Kitchen’ by Ben Greenfield
Greenfield is a long-time friend, and I’ve adopted many of his health and wellness hacks, which, similar to his recipes, can be wild and “out there.” Biohacking meets molecular gastronomy in this all-new cookbook that includes 48 inspired recipes for longevity, health and great eating. Greenfield brings his “mad scientist chef” approach right into our kitchens and teaches us unconventional kitchen tools and tactics, ingredients both familiar and fringe (such as organ meats and colostrum), and detailed guidance for making food that boosts brain and body health, doesn’t taste like cardboard, and is incredibly fun to create.
Within these pages, you’ll find a fresh take on “blue zones,” principles for clean eating, recipes for plants, meats, fermented foods, drinks and desserts — from Carrot Cake Blender Waffles to Crispy Fish Collars to Ben’s Biohacked and Boundless Beef Stew. Including cooking techniques across roasting, sous vide and air-frying, this gorgeously illustrated book is free of diet dogmas. It will change your perception of what healthy eating can be — absolutely enjoyable and delicious!
Related: When Will We Finally Put Our Money Where Our Food Grows?
‘Master Your Stress, Reset Your Health: The Personalized Program to Calm Anxiety, Boost Energy, and Beat Burnout’ by Dr. Doni Wilson
I first listened to Dr. Wilson on The Big Silence podcast here. Dr. Wilson has focused on stress reduction for years, and in this book, she explains how stress is not one size fits all. It is different for every individual. To recover from stress and burnout, we must first understand how stress impacts us, then utilize her step-by-step guide to help us address the health issues caused by stress and improve our longevity. I respect Dr. Wilson’s philosophy that it’s impossible to be “stress-free,” yet we can learn to give ourselves and our bodies what we need to be healthy even while stressed.
‘Next Level: Your Guide to Kicking Ass, Feeling Great, and Crushing Goals Through Menopause and Beyond’ by Dr. Stacy Sims
15 years ago, I was honored to help Dr. Sims launch and promote a hydration product inspired by her TEDx talk entitled, “Women Are Not Small Men,” explaining how sports nutrition studies were conducted on men and the results were assumed to be the same for women. Dr. Sims was resolute about how this presumption was incorrect. She went on to research physiology and how women responded differently from men to all things nutrition, exercise, supplements and naturally, hormones. Amongst other books and published studies around women’s physiology and performance, Dr. Sims’ latest book revolves around Menopause, where most women battle new symptoms, from gaining weight, losing endurance and strength, and taking longer to bounce back from workouts than before. Once you understand your physiology, you can work with it—not against it—to optimize your performance.
In Next Level, Sims shares science-backed advice about training, nutrition, sleep and recovery and supplements, sample exercise routines, meal plans, macronutrient planning charts, and case studies from real women she has coached through the transition. I have seen benefits in my own workouts, having applied her research about how women over 40 need more strength than cardio.
‘Gut Feelings: Healing the Shame-Fueled Relationship Between What You Eat and How You Feel’ by Dr. Will Cole
One of the country’s leading functional medicine experts and integrative medicine doctors, Dr. Will Cole started one of the world’s first functional medicine telehealth centers. In his third New York Times Best Selling book, Dr. Cole explains the relationship between our physical and emotional health, providing a framework for us to understand the gut-brain connection and influence that connection for the better. He illustrates how stress and shame can cause gut inflammation and sabotage your health in a process called Shameflammation, which can be the reason for chronic health conditions such as autoimmune disorders, leaky gut, IBS and other GI disorders.
From recipes to mindfulness and better sleep techniques, Dr. Cole offers holistic tools to help you re-evaluate your relationship with food and your body, getting you back in touch with your gut feelings. His specific 21-Day Gut Feeling plan helps you bridge the gap between your emotions and your health.
Longevity is the current common thread woven amongst these books and other titles I’d add to the list, including The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner, Glucose Revolution by Jessie Ichauspé, How To Help Your Child Clean Up The Mental Mess by Dr. Caroline Leaf and Genius Kitchen by Max Lugavere. I enjoy keeping on top of the science and welcome continuing to experiment with my own health and wellness routines.
I hope you seek to become the best version of yourself and, through education and experimentation, find what works best for you. Every body is different, and nutrition, fitness and mental health routines are not one size fits all. I encourage you to find what tools help you be your absolute best in your career, your family and most importantly, yourself!
