Get Fit Slowly Book Shelf
It used to be that whenever I read a book, it was a novel. I didn’t really enjoy reading non-fiction. In fact, I used to be in a book club and every time there was a non-fiction title, I kind of tuned out.
But you know what? I’ve found a genre of non-fiction that I love to read and I bet you can guess what it is! Fitness/Health/Nutrition titles have been the mainstay of my reading since I’ve been writing this blog and living a healthy life. Part of it is that I’m always looking for things to blog about, but truly I like reading about the different philosophies on fitness, exercise, and nutrition.
Everyone has a different idea of what is right and what is wrong. You know what I’ve decided? No one is wrong–we all just believe what we believe. If you can read something and take away one thing from it that works for you, then it was time well spent–even if you discarded ten other things.
Here are just a few of the titles that I’ve read during the past couple of years (with their associated amazon affiliate links of course). And while I don’t fully agree with every thing in each of these books, I did get some helpful information from each of them.
I first wrote about The Portion Teller way back in February of 2008. This book really opened my eyes to how much food I was eating relative to how much food I should have been eating. But the best part for me is that it provides a way to keep track of what you eat without counting calories. You can use the visual clues in this book to get approximations of how much you should be eating. Also, it’s got great ideas for those of us who are trying to maintain our weight.
Good Calories Bad Calories was the first book that I read that pins obesity on the over consumption of ultra-processed carbohydrates. Though I didn’t know it at the time, this book provided the basis for my belief that these types of carbs should really be limited in our diets if we are serious about losing weight. The resulting spike in insulin that promotes fat storage makes it really difficult for us to decrease our body fat percentages and increase our lean body mass. The evidence in this book is pretty eye opening.
The latest book on my reading list, The Primal Blueprint reinforces the evidence provided in Good Calories Bad Calories. I haven’t finished this book, but it’s a great read. Mark Sisson emphasizes that the obesity was relatively unheard of until the agricultural revolution. He claims that if people ate and exercised the way our Primal ancestors (the Groks) did, instead of the way modern families (the Korgs) do then we’d be much better off. Sisson provides a framework of 10 Primal laws that he lives by and also provides loads of success stories. If you don’t want to buy the book (it’s hard to get at the library) then check out his website: Mark’s Daily Apple. A little forewarning, however; this book can be a little dogmatic and some of the philosophies are pretty hard core. Take what you can use. There’s a lot of good information here.
I devour the latest issue of Nutrition Action Health Letter the day it arrives in my mail box. Invariably, the cover story provides well thought out arguments and cites respected literature to make its point. Also, the back cover consistently provides some of my favorite information. It features two food items (usually found in main stream grocery stores). One of them is labeled “The Right Stuff” and the other is labeled “Food Porn.” It’s pretty amazing how bad stuff can be labeled and packaged as healthy. People either love or hate this publication because of its one-sided rants against big business and the fleecing of the public for the sake of the bottom line. I feel that they’re looking out for the little guys.
There’s not an issue of Runner’s World that doesn’t give me something to write about. I read each issue carefully, over the course of several weeks, looking for things to help my running, nutrition, weight maintenance, and writing. There’s a good mix of entertaining fluff and useful, easy to understand knowledge that I can incorporate into my life. The photos of amazing places to run are also very inspirational. Runner’s World is a great publication, regardless of your running ability.
I’ve been meaning to write about this title for a while now. But I just haven’t had the type of post in me that it will take to do it justice. My wife has devoured this book from cover to cover, looking for ways to tweak her vegetarian diet so that she can get rid of her cravings for candy and other junk food. I think it’s working for her as she’s definitely changed her eating habits over the last few months. This book may not be for everyone. In fact, it may not even be for me since I don’t consider myself a “performance runner” and I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on my nutritional goals at the moment. But it’s still a pretty good read and provides some great background information on macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, as well as race fueling strategies and recovery nutrition.
These are the the types of things that I’ve been reading this year. No more Danielle Steele or Dean Koontz for me. The titles that I read now have a direct correlation with my motivation and success to maintain my weight and improve my fitness.
I hope you find something on the list that interests you as well. What are you reading these days?
