Fitness and nutrition books: please recommend your Favorites!

[Goodlittlewitch]

I'm just getting back into the swing of things and I find that reading books on the subject always help me keep motivated!  about a decade ago I bought "Shape your life!" and loved it. it had workout plans, a month's worth of meal plans, and dealt with things that you might not expect like rest, work and spiritual fulfillment.  LOVED IT! I went to find it on my book shelf today and it's missing, which means it's time to go though the stacks of books in my closet. but I was thinking that it might be time for me to start looking at some new and updated books. 

So tell me, What books motivated you to get your gym gear on and get out there?

 

[Wild Wolf]

The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf:

 

I love this book because it helped me when I decided to go PALEO. PLUS, there's a 30 day meal plan w/ cooking instructions and ingredients towards the back

 

The Primal Blueprint and any other book by Mark Sissions:

 

Mark leads marksdailyapple.com and has TONS of stuff on health and fitness

 

Those are 2 great ones to start w/ and if you want, check this out:

 

http://archive.org/details/ConvictConditioning

 

This is a free PDF download for Convict Conditioning. It's a great read on how to become super-badass in old school calisthenics

 

I hope these help you out and good luck!

 

Wolf

[Goodlittlewitch]

Thanks for the book/blog suggestions1 I was looking at a few Paleo books, but waited on picking one up since I was heading off on vacation and knew I wouldn't be able to try any thing. 

I'm going to put convict conditioning onto my ipad and enjoy the read.  

I've also been reading though the back log of nerd fitness, since I started following it since january when it was suggested as on of the best fitness blogs on the web.  

I picked up a book to read on my vacation called Which comes first, Cardio or Weights?: workout myths, training truths and other surprising discoveries from the science of exercise by Alex Hutchinson, it was a easy read dealing with common questions that both new to fitness and seasoned pros don't entirely know, all back by university studies. 

[Loren Wade]

I'm a huge Convict Conditioning fan. As far as paleo, though, while I do love the above books, I think there is an even better book for beginners called "It Starts With Food". It explains everything in easy to understand ways and simple analogies. The Paleo Solution is already a few years old (and paleo science is constantly changing and updating) and goes into the very meat biology, which is fine if you're science nerd. Many people aren't, which is why I suggest "It Starts With Food" first.

 

Agreed though, definitely one of the best fitness blogs around. Welcome!

[smazzon1]

I'm with The Wolf; The Paleo Solution is a great book and explains every aspect about the Paleo diet and gives you recipes!

 

Another book I recommend that isn't necessarily a fitness book is The Power of Habit. It's one of Steve's must-read books and it explains in depth about the power of habit, how a habit is formed, and how it becomes an unconscious act. It's a great read because it talks about how people get addicted to smoking, alcohol, eating, gambling, and more. I learned so much from that book and I feel like everyone should read it if they're trying to change a lifestyle habit. 

[Lyra Rigby]

My recommendations:

Starting Points: "Why We Get Fat", "It Starts With Food" and "The Primal Blueprint". Do head over to marksdailyapple.com and read the content there as well.

Onward Progress: Try reading one of Jillian Michaels books. Disregard the diet advice if you're looking to go paleo. I'd recommend "Master Your Metabolism". I'd also recommend "Wheat Belly" and "Body by Science".

Mind Explode-y Heavy Hitters: "The 4 Hour Body" and "Primal Body, Primal Mind" (My personal fave)

[Goodlittlewitch]

I picked up and loved the Paleo Solution.  I have now been on a paleo learning kick, reading Practical Paleo, Paleo Slow Cooker, and The Paleo Coach.  I've been loving the everyday Paleo podcast.  I am committed to give total paleo a try starting June 1st. I've been working though doing 75% but having a few last treats before I go all out. 

I bought Starting Strength and honestly haven't read much of it with all the paleo reading I have been doing.  I look forward to Starting barbell training.  I'm considering getting a few persona trainer sessions to make sure I have good form before I go all out.

Thanks so much for all the reading suggestions.  I'm sure I'm going to keep working my way though this summer. Some I think would be great library books, great to read once and get what you need from it, not something to hang out on my shelf for ever (I can never get rid of books!).  

[fengor]

Taubes seem to be solid but has a very boring writing style in "Good Calories, Bad Calories". His other books are easier to read i been told.

 

"Body by Science" is what got me into strength training (with about 30min a week machine time). 

 

"The 4hour body¨ by Tim Ferriss was a fun read but i would take it with a grain of salt. read it, enjoy it, but get more ltierature about the points that interest you.

 

Actually getting more literature is always nice.

 

I'm looking myself for good movement books. Supple leopard was recommend here on the forums and on irc. Any other good books about movement/mobility out there?

[Lamp]

Starting Strength by Riptoe is a must read if you ever desire to pick up a barbell. It is long and highly detailed, but for good reason. It'll make you think twice every time you see someone deadlifting, squatting, benching, or doing cleans.

[Anarchist]

The Abs Diet (David Zinczenko) - Love the recipes on this one.

 

The Nerd Fitness Rebel Fitness Guide (Steve Kamb) - Fun workout routines.. best thing is everything links to a demo video on YouTube.

 

7 Weeks to Getting Ripped (Brett Stewart) - Simple, Straight to the point. The cardio games are a highlight. I've read this book and just began the prescribed program.