Books to Get You Moving in 2019
Author: Emily Munoz
The Health and Wellness team has some book recommendations for you—four of the best books we know that can help you make better choices for your health and wellness journey this new year. The best part is that each of them is a pretty easy read, or you can also listen to them as audio books. Pick up these books and lay the foundation for some positive perspective as we settle into 2019.
The RBG Workout: How She Stays Strong... and You Can Too
By Bryant Johnson
If you want a practical, illustrated guide to exercising, and one that also helps you reframe healthy aging, you’ll enjoy this little gem. It’s written by Bryant Johnson, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s personal trainer, and the person she calls “the most important person” in her life (after her family). She’s overcome a tremendous amount of adversity and health issues, she’s in her 80s, and she also needs to keep both her body and brain flexible — after all, she has some important decisions to weigh in on.
No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness
By Michelle Segar, Ph.D.
This is one of the best books we’ve found for helping us work through a plan for sustained change that feels good. Dr. Segar lays out a plan she refers to as MAPS, which stands for Meaning, Awareness, Permission and Strategy — and she takes you through very practical ways that you may be able to enjoy movement and stop working from the “wrong whys.” If you have ever been frustrated by a cycle of goal-setting and failure, this book is a game-changer. Look for the worksheets and the easy takeaways at every chapter.
Body Kindness: Transform Your Health from the Inside Out—and Never Say Diet Again
By Rebecca Scritchfield, RDN
One of the best parts of this book is the way the author describes way to “Spiral Up.” Instead of the downward spirals that keep us away from the goals we want, her goal is to transform health from the inside out. The book is laid out in a way that makes it easy to pick up and read even a few pages — even in those few minutes, you’ll find inspirational quotes, practical tips, and ways to think about the truly big questions like what your values are, where you belong, and how to manifest a healthy life that honors you and your loved ones. While this book doesn’t address grief specifically, it does help us understand how we can treat ourselves with kindness even when we’re the most stressed.
How to Live a Good Life
By Jonathan Fields
Even if your grief makes it feel as though living a good life is impossible right now, the Fields book is based on an easy-to-follow theory of using “buckets” to figure out where you’re spending your energy. It’s a fast, engaging read with all kinds of companion resources: there are worksheets, a podcast, a journal, and even a camp. We don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Send Us Your Book Recommendation
Do you have any other good suggestions for us? What’s helping you fight for your best life this new year? Email your suggestions to innerwarrior@taps.org, and let us know what you think of these. Together, we’ll get stronger every day.
From the pen of...
Emily Muñoz is TAPS director, Inner Warrior program. She is the surviving spouse of Army Cpt. Gilbert A. Munoz.