Book Recommendation: In Fitness and in Health

My friend Phil Maffetone recently published a book called In Fitness and in Health. Dr. Phil Maffetone, besides being an accomplished endurance athlete and all-around great guy, is a health expert who is renowned worldwide for his work in diet, nutrition, stress management, and biofeedback. He's been named coach of the year by Triathlete Magazine and called one of the top 20 most influential people in endurance sports worldwide by Inside Triathlon. Phil was instrumental in my recovery last year. I'm a fan.

As triathletes, we constantly struggle to eat and exercise in a way that optimizes our racing time. In a world of conflicting advice about fats and carbs, aerobic and anerobic, I welcomed In Fitness and in Health as a sane guidebook. Phil offers real methods to attain and maintain health, and stories about real people whom he has helped to take charge of their health and gain better lives.

In Fitness and in Health takes a novel approach to wellness, suggesting that it is up to each of us to take charge of the long-term care of our bodies. Phil advocates that medicine can help cure disease, but that we can prevent it. In a health book unlike all others I have read, he uses a simple formula of diet, exercise and lifestyle management to create and maintain optimal health and fitness.

Some of what he advocates surprised and enlightened me. He cuts through the confusion of Atkins and South Beach to explain what foods are truly bad for us, and that some foods we've been taught to avoid are actually highly beneficial for health. Phil looks at food as something to be enjoyed, and diet as a means to optimize our bodies' functionality. Followers of his diet system won't find themselves limited, but liberated.

Phil's wise words about disease and injury prevention have given me the tools to continue a life of racing, problem-free, for decades to come. His chapters about stress remind me that a too-hectic life is as bad for the body as a poor diet, and his stress-management techniques help me take control. His ideas about increasing energy levels are applicable to training, work, and life in general.

If you're interested not just in being a better triathlete, but in living a healthier and happier life, I highly recommend that you pick up Phil's new book. Click here to purchase the book on amazon.com. Click here to visit Phil's website.