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Find out moreLooking to change your life? Whether it’s physical, emotional or spiritual change you seek, these books may have some answers. If you’re seeking to enlighten, enlarge or explore your mind, check out our Mind & Body section for a more comprehensive range of books.
This year forget big resolutions. For real change start small. Forget the latest exhausting fitness fad. Lose the guilt. Stop feeling bad. Improving your life is much easier than you think: Try any habit, make it tiny, find where it fits naturally in your life and nurture its growth. Silicon Valley legend BJ Fogg, pioneering research psychologist, founder of the iconic Behavior Design Lab at Stanford, and one of Fortune’s ‘10 New Gurus You Should Know’, has cracked the code of habit formation. Based on twenty years’ research and used by over 60,000 people, his TINY HABITS® method reveals that the key to changing behaviour is the opposite of what you’ve always been told. It isn’t about willpower. By focusing on what is easy to change, not what is hard; focusing on what you want to do, not what you should do, you’ll discover that creating happier, healthier lives can be easy, and surprisingly fun.
A waste-free lifestyle is actually achievable--for everyone, every budget and every schedule. Not ready to dive straight into composting, or to go totally plastic-free yet? Waste Not Everyday is your step-by-step, day-by-day guide to simple, progressive lifestyle changes that will have a big effect on what you throw out, and on the health of our planet. With tips, tricks, recipes, motivation and inspiration, Erin Rhoads, well-known author of Waste Not and passionate waste advocate, takes you on a gentle journey towards zero waste, day by day. Split into four easy-to-follow parts, Waste Not Everyday features 365 achievable daily changes that will lead to a genuine shift in thinking and action, motivational reminders to help you keep sight of the bigger picture, as well as daily, weekly and monthly mini-challenges to help you progress.
Boundaries and self-care go hand in hand; you can't have one without the other. We understand the importance of self-care, but how do we protect the space within which we do it? When we have healthy boundaries, we create a space between us and all else, where we feel safe, clear and confident in who we are and what we want and need. Our boundaries - the limits we place on what we will and won't tolerate - define our routines, habits, choices, parenting, jobs, relationships; everything. And there's nothing more important for our self-care. In this practical guide, Jayne Hardy - author of The Self-Care Project and founder and CEO of The Blurt Foundation - helps us explore our existing boundaries; the ones that work for us and the ones that work against us; and guides us on creating new boundaries so that our physical, mental, emotional and digital spaces are protected. Packed with friendly advice, the latest research and worksheets to help you reflect on your own experiences, Making Space is for anyone who feels overwhelmed, disconnected or walked on by life, and wants to make a change in an ever-encroaching world.
It only takes 5 minutes to start changing your life. For good. Feel Better in 5 is the first daily 5-minute plan that is easy to maintain, easy-to-follow and requires only the smallest amount of willpower. Top tips include: * A strength workout that you can do anywhere * Gut-boosting snacks you can eat on the go * Yoga moves to relax and stay supple * Breathing exercises to calm the mind Drawing on Dr Rangan Chatterjee's twenty years of experience and real-life case studies from his GP practice, Feel Better in 5 is your daily plan for a happier, healthier you at no extra cost.
It can be challenging to travel at your own pace in the modern world without falling for the temptations of fast planes, cheap airlines, last-minute tickets, quick-fix travel apps and overzealous tour operators. To actually take a back seat and allow yourself time to embrace the ebb and flow of travel requires a more thoughtful and philosophical way of journeying. Slow Travel: A Movement is a beautifully designed and practical compendium of places, activities, tours and experiences that will inspire you to get on the road in your own time and on your own terms. This book explores slow travel as a physical or philosophical endeavor, taking readers off the beaten track and through nature, and unveils journeys that will nurture talent and ignite the inner-self. In this fast-paced world, it's worth adjusting your vacation time to a pace we can all strive to keep up with.
This book is an invitation to come home to your authentic self in a world that is frequently mesmerized by spin, narcissism, fantasy, and exhibitionism. Psychology and classic wisdom literature have, in various ways, long recognized the value for simply becoming who you are (i.e., ordinariness). However, this call is becoming increasingly drowned out by the many other voices that emphasize publicity and image-making over authenticity and humility. Renowned therapist and author Robert Wicks has written The Tao of Ordinariness as a way of beginning to address these tendencies in contemporary society. In this new countercultural work, the strength and joy of exploring who you are - and proceeding to share yourself with others in a way that they too can reclaim themselves - is revisited from a range of vantage points. The author specifically reexamines themes of humility, simplicity, letting go, self-awareness, alonetime, resilience, and mentoring. In an era when people increasingly measure self-worth by external measures, such as the number of likes and views and followers on social media feeds (which have many individuals chasing impossible fantasies and living with a constant fear of missing out ), Wicks offers a return to your authentic self.
Put an end to dieting and replace weight-loss struggles with this easy approach to a healthy, plant-based lifestyle, from the bestselling author of How Not to Die. Every month seems to bring a trendy new diet or a new fad to try in order to lose weight - but these diets aren't making us any happier or healthier. As obesity rates and associated disease and impairments continue to rise, it's time for a different approach. How Not to Diet is a treasure trove of buried data and cutting-edge dietary research that Dr Michael Greger has translated into accessible, actionable advice with exciting tools and tricks that will help you to safely lose weight and eliminate unwanted body fat - for good. Dr Greger, renowned nutrition expert, physician, and founder of nutritionfacts.org, explores the many causes of obesity - from our genes to the portions on our plate to other environmental factors - and the many consequences, from diabetes to cancer to mental health issues. From there, Dr Greger breaks down a variety of approaches to weight loss, honing in on the optimal criteria that enable success, including: a diet high in fibre and water, a diet low in fat, salt, and sugar, and diet full of anti-inflammatory foods. How Not to Diet then goes beyond food to explore the many other weight-loss accelerators available to us in our body's systems, revealing how plant-based meals can be eaten at specific times to maximize our bodies' natural fat-burning activities. Dr Greger provides a clear plan not only for the ultimate weight loss diet, but also the approach we must take to unlock its greatest efficacy
Peri-peri chicken, cottage pie, fudgy chocolate brownies - this is diet food with a difference. Following on from the No.1 bestseller Lose Weight for Good, top chef Tom Kerridge shows you how to shed the pounds and kick-start a more active lifestyle with ALL of the maximum-taste, lower-calorie recipes from his upcoming BBC2 TV series. Expect MASSIVE FLAVOURS and NUTRITIONAL POWER-PUNCHES! Having lost more than 12 stone in the last five years, Tom knows from experience how important it is to motivate yourself to start dieting and exercising - and to stay on track. 'When I first set out to lose weight, I concentrated mainly on what I was eating,' he says. 'But now I know that it's to do with fitness as well: the two working together is the winning formula for getting maximum results and maintaining those results long term. And the number one rule when it comes to eating well on a diet is to keep food interesting! Every recipe in this book not only sustains you through the day, but provides fantastic tastes and textures with each mouthful.' With light bites and veggie feasts, meal-prep to see you through the week and tasty sweet treats, Tom has got it covered. The focus is on BOLD FLAVOURS and BIG PORTION SIZES, so you'll never go hungry and you'll always feel satisfied. Recipes include Quick black dhal; Steak tacos with burnt corn salsa; Charred mackerel and potato salad; Lamb bhuna; blueberry meringue sundaes and many more. At the back of the book, you'll find a fantastic bonus chapter with a workout that will help you get started with a healthier lifestyle, no matter where you're at now. It's all about taking control of your life in a positive way, so get ready to EAT better, DO more and LOSE WEIGHT with Tom Kerridge!
The must-have guide for getting sh*t done! Written for those who finds it hard to Get Sh*t Done, this book is designed to have a profound, life-changing effect on anyone who wants to adopt and implement the elements of greater productivity. New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Gitomer explains why we are so often stymied by procrastination and reveals the strategies to achieve and profit more.
488 Rules for Life is Kitty Flanagan's way of making the world a more pleasant place to live. Providing you with the antidote to every annoying little thing, these rules are not made to be broken. 488 Rules for Life is not a self-help book, because it's not you who needs help, it's other people. Whether they're walking and texting, asphyxiating you on public transport with their noxious perfume cloud, or leaving one useless square of toilet paper on the roll, a lot of people just don't know the rules. But thanks to Kitty Flanagan's comprehensive guide to modern behaviour, our world will soon be a much better place. A place where people don't ruin the fruit salad by putting banana in it ... where your co-workers respect your olfactory system and don't reheat their fish curry in the office microwave ... where middle-aged men don't have ponytails ... Other rules to live by include: 1. Men must wear shorts over leggings The gym is no place for people to discover whether or not you are circumcised. That's a private discussion for another place and time. 2. Team bonding activities should be optional Some people love it when management decides that an afternoon of bowling or paintballing or (god forbid) karaoke will help everyone work better as a team. Others would rather be dead. 3. Don't ever mention your 'happy place' To me, this sounds less like a pleasant, fun state of mind and more like some kind of utopian wank palace you've had built in the basement. What started as a personal joke is now a quintessential reference book with the power to change society. (Or, at least, make it a bit less irritating.)
Friendship is such an important part of our lives but how much to we really know about it? The Friendship Formula shows readers how to create and maintain longlasting, nurturing and functioning friendships. Friendship is a beautiful thing but there are lots of difficult times in life where it can be tricky to navigate: when friendship becomes toxic; how to break up with a friend; what to do if a friend 'ghosts' you and surviving friendship betrayal; how motherhood can impact on female friendships; friendship grief and how to cope with losing a friend. This book shows you how applying kindfulness to the difficult side of friendship can help you mend your heart, move on and get the best out of those friendships that really matter.
An Ode to the NHS. The twisting and turning story of Henry's sciatica treatment. a non-fiction account of both private and public healthcare covering any and all aspects of Henry's illness including being temporarily paralysed, the characters on the wards, spinal surgery and recovery, addiction to pain medication and his treatment by the doctors nurses and physiotherapists throughout. This is a story of hope as well as a letter of gratitude. As someone who has grown up with parents working in the NHS, the work patterns and experiences of the staff were familiar to me. I also found this a very insightful read, it is not only about Henry's diagnosis and treatment, but about how desperately we need the NHS to keep going, and how much the human mind and body can endure. The characters described throughout keep you interested in their treatment as well as Henry's and provide light relief during darker periods of his journey. They act as a balm to the reader as well as the writer while describing the weeks and months of constant pain, worry, doubt and depression that would have otherwise been all-encompassing. A brilliant book full of the ups and downs of a long term and life-changing illness, made even more endearing that 50% of the proceeds go to the charity that supports the NHS hospital so frequently mentioned throughout. Charlotte Walker, A LoveReading Ambassador
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We all need a little direction sometimes and this section is crammed full of great ideas for ways of improving your outlook, in all aspects of your wellbeing. Help from the shelf. From tips for good nutrition and taking care of your body (Optimism: Reflections on a Life of Action by Bob Brown) to coping with all the emotional situations in life, relationships, bereavements, stress, depression (Mind Whispering: A New Map to Freedom from Self-defeating Emotional Habits by Tara Bennett-Goleman). Discover the potential you have for being the ‘you’ you’ve always wanted to be or the ‘you’ you had no idea was in there.
Take a look at our monthly recommendations to find exactly what you’re looking for. Bear in mind though (and even ‘body and spirit’ too …), that just ‘reading’ them may not be enough. There’ll be homework!