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.

Author and host Ariane de Bonvoisin interviews Mitch Thrower for the podcast "Change Nation."

While I was in New York a while back, I was given the opportunity to be interviewed by host Ariane de Bonvoisin for the podcast "Change Nation." (Her past guests include Jack Canfield from The Secret and Dr. Wayne Dyer.)

It was a great experience. Ariane is bright, motivated, beautiful and kind - not to mention she is a triathlete who completed the St. Croix Triathlon and now has her sights set on a longer race.

Ariane wrote the bestselling book The First 30 Days - Your Personal Guide to When Life Changes, and together, we were able to discuss some very deep issues about work, life, sport and inspiration. I read her book recently and indeed, The First 30 Days is a life-altering book for anyone dealing with any type of of change in his life.

Here is an overview from her website...

Ariane De Bonvoisin, author of The First 30 Days, presents real accounts of those that have faced adversity through change. From the start, Ariane became accustomed to a life of change. Before the age of eighteen she had lived in six different countries, on three different continents, and had learned four different languages.

After graduating from the London School of Economics, she joined The Boston Consulting Group, which allowed her to experience an even greater array of locations. After she obtained her MBA from Stanford, a career in media began to develop. She eventually became a certified trainer and life coach for the Anthony Robbins Companies after working for corporations such as BMG Sony Music and Time Warner.

The First 30 Days gives individuals different tools to understand the most crucial aspect of change, the beginning. It is here that one can feel stressed and alone, or they can take change head on to promote clarity and hope through their transition.

As you enter the sport of triathlon, you might just find yourself in one of life's "transition areas," and this book is a very well written guide to helping you find your way again. Order it here.

From the change nation web site...

My Interview With Entrepreneur and Triathlete, Mitch Thrower

You can turn any job situation into an incredible opportunity by interviewing everyone who works there. That's the advice that entrepreneur and change optimist, Mitch Thrower, author of Give Me 10 Seconds and I'll Change Your Life, frequently gives college students when they express their biggest fear—getting stuck in a cubicle, like in the world of the hit TV show The Office.

"People forget that the diamond mines of information exist in the people around them," Thrower told me, "so they stop hunting for diamonds." What you should be doing, he says, at any stage of life is having coffee or lunch with everyone in your company. Ask them things like...

What have you learned here? and What do you love in life?

Then listen and learn from their unique perspectives and experiences."

To hear my entire Change Nation interview with Mitch Thrower, click here."
-Ariane de Bonvoisin
------------