Books That Have Had A Deep Impact On Me

I mentioned in an email yesterday that I have a list of books that I "insist people own", and of course I got a bunch of emails asking what was on the list. First of all, insist is a strong word, but the following is a list of books that have impacted different parts of my life. Some of the books have helped with my health and fitness while others have helped me build PEERtrainer. 

I want to keep this short and sweet, but I would very much like to hear what books have impacted you and why. Please add them to the comments section below. All these books are available on Amazon, most you can purchase used versions of very cheaply.

8 Weeks To Optimum Health: A Proven Program for Taking Full Advantage of Your Body's Natural Healing Power. By Andrew Weil, MD, this book is an excellent introduction to learning how your mind and body effect your health. I have owned this book for over a decade and find myself referring to the book again and again.

Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. By Daniel Goleman. This book was first published over a decade ago. I have owned it for that long and continually re-read it. At a basic level it shows how there is a lot more to life than "book smarts" and IQ. This is a big book, but if you are interested in mastering your emotions for the long term, this book will be invaluable.

The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People. By Stephen Covey. If you have not read this book I would strongly encourage you to. Used copies are available on Amazon for 3 bucks. This book will help you deal with other people, and also help you master your emotions in those interactions. 

Learned Optimism. By Martin Seligman.  His observations have been referenced in almost every book here.  His insights about what makes a person fail vs succeed at really anything in life are life changing but more importantly, he divides the components of optimist thinking into 3 categories and gives practical tools to change your thinking.  

Healing Back Pain. By John Sarno. This book is not just about back pain- it can help you with any chronic pain you have in your body. This book helped me cure my back pain at age 26, and have observed it to help many many others as well. 

Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. By Christiane Northrup. I was reading this book before she was on Oprah! This book is the most controversial on this list, but I would encourage people to be open to her perspective on women's health. 

Awaken The Giant Within. By Tony Robbins. What I really like about Tony Robbins is that he gives you the "Cliffs Notes" for every major thinker out there. He brings together an extremely wide variety of impactful ideas and integrates them in a digestible format. The top people in the world consult with him directly, and pay huge fees for his advice. This book contains the core of his advice and you can buy a used copy for as low as .48 cents on Amazon!

These books are in addition to both Eat To Live and Eat For Health by Joel Fuhrman, which most of you know about. Slow Burn is something that I have recently added and talked about in prior emails.

From a diet perspective, Dr. Fuhrman provides an approach which has led to incredible results for people. Most importantly, his diet concepts help people lose weight permanently. We recommend Eat For Health in particular because of the MANDI points system, which combined with portion control will teach you exactly what you need to eat to lose weight and also have optimal health: Order Eat For Health 2 Book Set

When you click on the Eat For Health link you will see an amazing array of endorsements from the top medical leaders in the country. Dr. Fuhrman is the real deal.

Comments

[Kathleen West]

I read a book called Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain. It's great! I often arrive home from work tired and not wanting to do anything but sit on the couch or go to bed, but; I tried one of her techniques and surprised myself! I did what she told me to do than I jumped off the couch and cleaned my entire house without getting tired.

[Kim]

Another good book that helped me is called "Thin for Life" by Anne Fletcher. It is about people who have successfully lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off for at least 5 years. It helps to motivate and encourage me to know that I can do this. You can also find this book on Amazon.com

[Nikki]

It's pretty New Age-y, but I recently read an older book, The Celestine Prophecy, and it was so thought-provoking. It challenged my beliefs, caused me to assess the present as it falls in the continuum of the history of mankind, and made me pay closer attention to and value the power of my thoughts (and dreams). It also presents an idea of what the future of the world and society could be. It was a book that had me realize how powerful our minds are and how much control we really have over our destiny. I liked it!

[Beth]

The Pleasure Trap, (Mastering the Hidden Force That Undermines Health & Happiness), by Lisle and Goldhammer.

This book is about what really drives us psychologically and physiologically when it comes to eating and food. Especially the real causes behind what makes us fat and unhealthy.
It changed my whole paradigm about eating and food, and motivated me to stick with healthy habits. It is literally one of the most eye-opening, life changing books Ive ever read.

Dr Fuhrman recommends it to his patients, which is how I found out about it.

[Kate McG]

My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor, a Harvard brain researcher who had a massive stroke at 37. She shares her experience of being in the world using only her right brain, which is more intuitive and spiritual and less judgmental than the left brain. She suggests steps for tapping into our right brains to achieve greater happiness. One of her principle points is gratitude.