For this past Christmas I received an interesting health related read, Choosing Health by Rebecca Hazelton. It was eye opening and an interesting and scientific approach to learning how to change your lifestyle.She covers an array of topics that include: how to mentally prepare for changing your life and getting healthy, diving into your fears and goals, seeking motivation, basic overview of a healthy diet, elaborates about fats, carbs, and proteins. She also looks into metabolism, and types of fitness related workouts, sample menus and recipes.
Fascinating enough, Hazelton has a lot of experience since she is a "Functional Nutritionist" and a trainer. She really has a lot of knowledge on different body types and how biomedical individuality really plays its role when changing your lifestyle! Her concept of Metabolic Typing is something we should all read about. It explores beyond your basic concept of "dieting" and looks into all aspects when adjusting your lifestyle habits supported by scientific research, she credits throughout each section.
Hazelton does a wonderful job really covering how to get started into a healthier lifestyle. I hate the word "diet" and she does too. "Diets tend to have a negative perception and a lack of knowledge along with it. She advises that you ditch the labels that you place on yourself and health related terms and do your research. My favorite part of this book was the sample menus and recipes near the end of the book! They are easy to follow and I love trying new healthy recipes. So for me, that was AWESOME! Also she includes some tips and advice for first time workout beginners. I fortunately have had the opportunity to meet with a personal trainer at my gym (Yay Anytime Fitness) and have spent my fair amount of time going to gyms, so it wasn't something I really benefited from. But needless to say, those tips and advice were nice reminders and refreshers to some NEEDED basic instruction!
Another of my favorite section is about Stevia. Hazelton is an advocate for ALL NATURAL SWEETENERS not ARTIFICIAL. Your regular run of the mill sugar comes from a sugar cane, similarly Stevia comes from a leafy green plant; natural. It's benefits are: 0 calories, found to AIDE in weight loss, prevents cavities and gum disease, balances blood pressure and sugar levels, and even improves skin conditions. In the book she explains much more about sweeteners in general and Stevia. From personal experience I heard about Stevia 3 years ago from my Nutritionist. It is nice to have in teas and hot cocoas and other yummy goodies. However, it's not too great to bake with. She offers more alternatives for that as well.
However, I did think some of her advice was to an extreme. I, like most 23 year olds, are recently out of college and along with that carry some student loan debt. I can't afford to buy everything organic, or "raw", for example unpasteurized and non-homogenized milk; though she thoroughly explains why everyone should (based upon mounds of research and credible sources). I buy what I can afford and when I can afford some organic products or head over to the farm market for some locally fresh veggies/fruits/meats I DO! But realistically I don't have the time nor the funds to support that ideal diet. I buy fresh fruits and veggies weekly, and it is costly but worth the price in my opinion. Too many processed or extra additives in some frozen or prepared foods make my digestion less than ideal. :( So if you can allow some change into your budget and bulk up on some FRESH veggies and fruits and go for the purest of meat you can, I think you're on the right path! No ones perfect so just try your best! :)
All in all, I hope you can get out to read this insightful, low-priced book! It truly was a refreshing new approach to learning how to change your lifestyle! Hazelton covers a HUGE array of topics, way more than I could list, and is worth the read! Below are links to her website and Amazon, where you can purchase it as low as $2.99!!
Have a great day and a wonderful start to your New Year!
Arieal
http://choosinghealthnow.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Choosing-Health-One-Size-Doesnt-Fit-All-Exercise-Motivation-ebook/dp/B00L1M0D4Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420223578&sr=8-1&keywords=choosing+health+rebecca+hazelton
*Thank you to my dearest friend, Devon, for getting me this book for Christmas!
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