“The Body Book” by Cameron Diaz.
I’d call it “The Body Bible” or “The Body Manual”
The Body Book: The Law of Hunger, the Science of Strength, and Other Ways to Love Your Amazing Body
“A human being eats five times a day. A human being should sweat at least once a day. That gives you six times a day, every single day of your life, to choose to be conscious or unconscious. To choose to be awake or to live in dreamland.
So wake up. Love yourself. Care for yourself.
Your body is the most precious thing that you have.”
“Everything that I have, everything that I am, relates to my knowledge about my body. And I want you to have the same thing. I want you to know yourself, your power. I want you to be the most powerful, capable, confident woman that you can be. I want you to know what it feels like to have a relationship with your body, to feel connected to it. I want you to know the true joy of living in a body that is yours and yours alone, of knowing how incredible it feels to nourish yourself with good food, to move and sweat, to truly care for your health. Because once you posses that knowledge and are living in the body that you are meant to be in, you will find that your energy is boundless and that you can see and experience the world in a way that you couldn’t before.”
“Here’s what this book is not: It is not a diet book. It is not a workout regimen. It is not a manual to becoming a different person.
Here’s what it is: a guide to becoming yourself.”
“So what I’d love for you to do is to use this book as a guide to understanding that amazing body and to help it to become what it has always been meant to be. Make this book your own! Get a pen and write in the margins. Take notes. Bend the corners of the pages. Ask questions. Seek answers. And get ready to meet your true, powerful, healthy, confident, amazing self.”
That’s like the words taken straight out of my mind, out of my mouth. Every time I talk to someone going through some health/weight loss/fitness challenges — these are the messages that I’m sending out there, installing into people’s minds. Not only with what I say, but more so with what I do, how I live my life.
I wasn’t born that healthy. And I am certainly not one of those “lucky” ones, who can do or eat whatever and stay healthy and fit — I don’t even believe there are people like that, who can be eating-whatever couch potatoes and can still manage to stay healthy, vibrant, full of energy, fit, active and capable to live their life fully.
The Body Book is a practical actionable textbook, manual about our body, our mind, mind-body connection, life balance, energy, vitality, life full of fulfillment. It’s about how to take care of a biological machine that we call the body, the machine that has a profound effect on the quality of our life — health, career, relationships, our calling, well-being — you name it, taking a good care of our physical self affects absolutely everything!
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Chapters of the book:
INTRODUCTION: Knowledge Is Power (The importance of knowledge for life improvement)
PART ONE — NUTRITION: Love Your Hunger
Chapter 1 — You Are What You Eat (Importance of nutrients that literally “make” us)
Chapter 2 — Food, Glorious Food! (The ode to amazing healthy food. What it is. All about it)
Chapter 3 — Hunter, Gatherer, Drive-Thru-er (Cameron has her story too. From Junkie to Healthy Eater)
Chapter 4 — How to Love Your Hunger (Why hunger is our friend and how to listen to it)
Chapter 5 — Eating the Sun (Importance of getting outside, loving the Sun)
Chapter 6 — Complex Carbs Are Energy (Different kinds of carbs. What they are. Where to get them. Which ones are the best)
Chapter 7 — Sugar Is Not a Nutrient (The absolute uselessness of sugar and its dangers)
Chapter 8 — Protein Is Strength (All about protein in human language)
Chapter 9 — Fat Is Essential (Why fats are, in fact, essential. Where to get them and how to eat them)
Chapter 10 — Eating the Stars (All about vitamins and minerals in our food)
Chapter 11 — Water Is Life (Why hydration with the best water available is a life saver)
Chapter 12 — The Digestion Chapter (How it all works starting from the moment we take a bite to the very end)
Chapter 13 — Say Hello to Your Little Friends (All about gut bacteria. Importance for digestion, immune system and happiness)
PART TWO — FITNESS: The Body Wants to Be Strong
Chapter 14 — The Body Wants to Be Strong (Importance of strong, fit body for life)
Chapter 15 — The Magic of Movement (Why movement, not just working out, is essential for life)
Chapter 16 — Energy In, Energy Out (Better version of calories in, calories out. It’s not the calories that matter — it’s energy, that is not the same thing for our body)
Chapter 17 — Oxygen Is Energy (Importance of breathing. How it works. What it does. Getting outside for fresh air is essential)
Chapter 18 — Structural Support (All about bones. Did you know, that our bones is where our blood cells are made? Bones support all our internal organs, all our “soft” body structures)
Chapter 19 — Muscle Woman (Why muscles are so important, especially as we grow older)
Chapter 20 — The Basics of Training (What is training. Why. How)
Chapter 21 — Your Lady Body (All about our lady parts)
Chapter 22 — The ABC’s of Zzzz’s (Sleep. Importance of good sleep. How to sleep well, even with a schedule like Cameron’s)
PART THREE — MIND: You’ve Got This
Chapter 23 — You’ve Got This (How to turn information into action)
Chapter 24 — The State of Being Connected (All about mind-body connection. How to interpret the signals our body sends to us and what to do about them. How to tune into our body through mindful practices. How to trust our gut, our intuition. How to read our gut signals and how to respond)
Chapter 25 — Decoding the Modern Appetite (The difference between hunger and appetite, and why we, as a society, literally are eating ourselves to death)
Chapter 26 — Unpacking Your Habits (Great health and fitness is a habit. How to form healthy-fit habits and stick to them. How to get out of “habit loops”)
Chapter 27 — Nothing’s for Free (Nothing — healthy body, mind, great career, life fulfillment — comes for free. It’s all about discipline. How to build yours)
Chapter 28 — Planning for Your Nutrition (How to plan eating healthy. It’s all about planning. No secrets. Just good planning. Cameron’s lifestyle and nutrition planning)
Chapter 29 — Finding Your Inner Athlete (Everyone is an athlete. Movement is your responsibility, if you have a physical body. How to find your perfect movement/workout routine and stick to it. How to sneak in more movement in your day even with a super-busy unpredictable lifestyle like the one Cameron has. There are no excuses not to move)
CONCLUSION: Now You Really Got This (Now it’s time to act — “wake up, love yourself, care for yourself. Your body is the most precious thing that you have.”)
Supplementary Reading List (Books to read, if you want to dig deeper)
(These are my comments)
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The Body Book by Cameron Diaz is a manual that provides knowledge, actionable tips, explanations on the topics mentioned above. It’s all about nutrition, physiology, training, sexuality, mind-body connection, digestion, sleep, appetite, motivation and willpower, life mastery, achievement and fulfillment, eating/movement disorders and their effect on us as a society.
The book is very rich in information, in science, but what it makes very beautiful and unique — all this information is presented in a very personal grounded way.
Yes, you’ll find here all the theories about macro and micro nutrients — fats, proteins, carbs, water, vitamins and minerals and their role in our health. You’ll find all about our metabolism, the importance of lifestyle factors like sleep and mindful connection to the world, about hunger and different hormones effecting it, all about the importance of getting outside in the Sun, the importance of breathing, danger of processed sugar in our diets, the importance of bacteria in our gut.
But what makes this book feel special — it feels like you are reading someone’s diary. It feels like you are sitting down on the couch with one of your girlfriends and you are chatting about all the things important — what we eat, how we move, our lifestyle choices, mind-body connection, health of our women “parts” and sexuality, about our self-love and accepting/embracing ourselves just the way we are. Also sharing tips to stay healthy, fit, sexy, to succeed in life — professional and personal. And maybe it also feels like the girlfriend, you are chatting with, talked to all these experts in nutrition, movement, well-being, women’s health, and now she is sharing all this with you, plus her own experience, her own daily practice — how she uses all that knowledge daily in her life to keep herself in the top condition physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
That’s an amazing book. You can go as deep into knowledge as you want. Or you can just read about Cameron’s daily practice and get all the benefits applying it.
I loved the book! I believe every woman needs one.
Get yours!
The Body Book: The Law of Hunger, the Science of Strength, and Other Ways to Love Your Amazing Body
Some more quotes I loved:
“I share with you, and it is my own journey of learning and taking care of my body that I offer to you as an example of how to apply that knowledge so you can enjoy the benefits.”
“The food we consume over the course of a day creates the experiences we have in that day. Because what we eat carries the stuff of life — our lives.”
“When I refer to health, I’m talking about having a body that is working at its optimum, a body that has the energy to go all day without crashing, a body that can fight off illness and keep you strong. I’m talking about feeling amazing in your skin, in a body that can wake up in the morning, get out of bed, make breakfast, and get moving. I’m talking about having a mind that can be clear and productive, thoughtful and happy.”
“The responsibility to be healthy is in your hands — no one else is going to do it for you. So ask yourself: do you want to live in a body that allows you to do the things you want to do, a body that is full of health and capability, that you are proud to call your own? Because it’s your choice.”
“Now that I understand that I create the experience of my entire life by what I eat, I have been transformed.”
“Just because you can put something in your mouth, chew it, swallow it, and then poop it out doesn’t mean it’s food. It just means you can chew it, swallow it, and poop it out.”
“Even more awful is the fact that the cumulative result of all of these unhealthy meals is a society that has a growing population of sick and unhappy people who don’t even know that it is the food they are eating that might be making them sick — that the food they are eating is not even food!”
“That’s what I want for you: to understand that you can do anything if you set your mind to it, and that a healthy body, supported by eating well and moving a lot, is the vehicle that will get you there.”
“When it comes to your nutrition, you are what you eat. When it comes to your fitness, you are how you move”
“The point is that life changes, and we need different types of strength at different times. But the one thing that must remain consistent is MOVEMENT.”
“The next time you groan at the idea of hitting the gym, think about what you did as a kid to move your body in a way that you loved. Instead of dreading activities you find dull, start enjoying activities that thrill you.”
“THE RIGHT TRAINING PROGRAM FOR YOU IS . . .
- At your level
- In your neighborhood
- One that excites you
- One that will make you sweat
- One you will stick to”
“The purpose of this book is to help you connect with your body and understand its basic needs and functions so that you have the knowledge and confidence to go out into the world and be the healthiest person you can be.”
“Let’s become aware, become conscious, get mindful. What’s the point of walking through life totally oblivious to what you’re doing and how those choices are determining your mental, physical, and emotional health? That SUCKS!”
“And information without action is just a set of facts.”
“If you consistently make good, healthy choices, then you will likely be healthy. Whatever you are consistent in is what you will become.”
“The more consistent you are with these choices, the closer you come to being the happy, healthy, beautiful, glowing woman that you want to be. Being healthy and well is a lifelong endeavor.”
“It starts with information and developing self-awareness, and it continues with commitment, dedication, and action. And the confidence to be able to say, “I’ve got this.”
“So please, make it your responsibility to keep your body strong and healthy, because no one can do it for you. You have to be the one who puts in the time and effort. Even if you have someone helping out and offering advice, you are the one who needs to follow through. And you are the one who will benefit from applying that knowledge and putting it into action.”
“By becoming more aware of the relationship between what you do and how you feel, you can begin to make subtle shifts that will encourage more positive shifts. By waking up to the connection that already exists between your mind and your body, by strengthening that connection, you will gain understanding about how your food and movement patterns relate to your moods, your energy levels, your entire life.”
“Here’s why listening to your gut is so important: Happiness comes from within. It is the absolute truth. You may have to hear it a million more times before you either believe it or truly understand it. But the whole reason that I’m writing this book is so that you can hopefully move a little closer to it and ultimately achieve it by applying all of this knowledge to your life. When we connect our minds and our bodies, we are our own best allies. When we follow our inner wisdom, we are our own best mentors. That goodness on the inside spills out onto the outside. I really want for you to know what it feels like to be truly happy. Being connected to your body and your mind, and having them be connected to each other, is a major chunk in the puzzle of being happy in life and living it to the fullest.”
“The overall theme of this book is creating whole-body health: mental clarity and discipline, physical well-being and strength, and emotional balance. The way you’re going to get there is by harnessing your discipline to put into action all of the knowledge and awareness you’ve gained so that you can start making smarter choices about what you eat and how you move.”
