Look Great, Feel Great: 12 Keys to Enjoying a Healthy Life Now

Look Great, Feel Great by Joyce Meyer caught my eye at the library. I had never heard of Meyer, but a book about weight loss and fitness from a Christian perspective intrigued me. I am glad I took the time because I picked up a few pointers that I hope will pay off.

The book is well-organized and direct. Meyer sets out “12 keys” to optimizing how you look and feel, focusing on healthy eating and exercise, but also emphasizing the spiritual side of her recommended endeavors. The keys include things like “mindful eating,” limiting stress, drinking water, and taking personal responsibility.

After discussing each key, Meyer provides a list of five suggested ways to implement each idea. She urges readers chose just one of the five, show more write it down, and do it every day until it becomes a habit. In fact, her suggested plan is to go back after reading the book and focus on one key each month, making a habit out of one of the implementation tips, with the idea that you would have a different, healthier life in a year.

The book is definitely aimed at those at a “beginner level” of health and fitness. Some of her information is pretty basic (deep fried food is bad for you, stress causes high blood pressure) and some of her tips are hackneyed (get more exercise by taking the stairs, herbal tea counts as drinking water).

But there is enough substance there for those who have reached the “intermediate level” to make it useful. She does a very good job of explaining the science behind diabetes, for example, instead of simply propounding a ban on sugar and starch. Her chapters on how stress leads to overeating and the health benefits of water have similar depth.

And her menus of implementation ideas provide something for everyone – either as a first step or a gentle reminder. For me, the ideas for how to be a “mindful” eater made the reading worthwhile. Ideas like “stop eating if you are no longer hungry” may seem mighty simple, but that alone could make a huge difference. show less

I suppose for someone that is totally ignorant of eating healthy and treating your body well, this may be a good book to start with. The author starts with working on what you keep telling yourself and how to change the dialog to yourself.
We need to move/exercise. There's no way around this. Our bodies were made for action/activities and sitting in front of the stupid box (TV) or a computer all day or in a vehicle, just isn't going to give the movement our bodies need.
We must drink water.
We must eat what is natural and not man-made.
And of course, everything in moderation.
If you know a bit more than the average person about eating right, then avoid this book. If you don't know diddly, then check your library for this title.

I was hoping for something a little less physical health oriented and more spiritual-health oriented. In general, I do like Joyce Meyer's books. If you're looking to lose weight and strenghten your relationship with God, try this book.

Do you have any idea how valuable you are? If you suffer from self-doubt or self-hatred, if you abuse your body with bad food or bad habits, even if you simply put yourself at the very bottom of the list of people you do things for, under the kids and spouse and parents and boss and friends, then you do not understand your own value. If you did, you wouldn't treat yourself that way.
You were put on this earth to spread God's love, and nothing could be more valuable than that. Maybe you never learned your own importance. It took me many years of studying God's Word and fellowshipping with Him before I got even an inkling of my own worth.

'n Fantastiese boek. Van die begin af, word alles duidelik uiteengesit. Elke stap wat jy moet stap om beter te kan lyk en voel. Hoe jy jou lewe kan verander, hoe om klein tree te neem na 'n beter jy.
Die boek is goed uiteen gesit en bespreek elke aspek in volle besonderhede.
Hierdie is 'n moet lees vir enige persoon veral vrou wat hulself beter laat lyk, deur beter te eet en te oefen.
Uitstekend.

Excellent book with clear action points to living a healthy life with balance