Discover Your Optimal Health Review

As some of you may know, I have been participating in the Take Shape For Life program for the past 20 weeks. I am beyond thrilled at the huge impact this has had on my life, so this review may be a bit biased. I'm trying to remain objective, but forgive me if I lose my way. This also was not on my fall reading list, but it seems like it is going to take the place of another on the list. Sorry, A Brave New World. I may never read you.

Dr. Wayne Scott Anderson has come out with a new book called Discover Your Optimal Health. The purpose of this book is a swift kick in the butt to get you, the reader, started on a journey to create the healthiest self possible. I've read a few weight loss books in my time. It's not a hobby per say, but I never really got past the reading, and if I did, it would be for a few weeks before I would give up. I was more content in my routines than motivated to be healthy.

This isn't a weight loss book. This is a book about motivation, and about how being unhealthy isn't your fault. It's easier, quicker, and often cheaper to eat unhealthily. We have stressful jobs; we have stressful lives; brownies come in boxes. You get the picture? Okay, so he is a doctor and has facts and editors and such that make it sound a whole lot more impressive. But he has a point. And the point is, it is easier to be overweight than not in this day and age.

However, this book isn't just for the overweight. That's why I said it is not a weight loss book. It's about how no matter what you are doing, optimal health should be your focus. Dr. Anderson defines this as is a healthy mind, a healthy body, getting beneficial sleep, and spending good quality time with those you love. Sounds like a dream, right? Maybe, but Dr. A seems completely convinced, and I want some of that.

Discover Your Optimal Health acts as sort of a prequel to the Take Shape for Life program, which includes his other books (The Habits of Health and the supplementary workbook) as the guideline for making a healthier you for a lifetime.

Some of the negatives for the book:

There is a lot of repetition of key phrases and stories that can get annoying, especially if you have already read the Habits of Health. I know that repetition is key for remembering, so I suggest only reading a chapter at a time, and not trying to read the whole book in one go.

Dr. Anderson sometimes seems like he doesn't live in the real world. This is specifically in reference to what is feasible for most Americans monetarily. For example, although it may be more relaxing to completely redesign my  bedroom, travel to Europe, and get regular massages, I am not made of money. And while swimming regularly is an excellent workout, I am not going to be able to install and indoor pool in my house to make this happen. A suggestion to join the YMCA would have been more appropriate.

Otherwise, I'm a huge fan. It's a great book to read if you are considering Take Shape for Life, already on the program and need a bit of motivation, or even considering any diet out there. Dr. Anderson has a gift for motivating and framing the issues, and he provides some answers on how to take your life into your own hands. It's not an all-encompassing text by any means. It is more an avenue to start the journey of shifting your life from a non-healthy trajectory to a path toward optimal health.  I can't gush enough about it. If you are looking for health, start here.