4 out of 4 stars
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In a time when there is no shortage of recommendations on fitness and nutrition steps to take to attain good health, it is very easy to get confused by the pool of information out there. This begs the question of which information to adhere to and which information to ignore. This is the problem that Don Roberts tackles head-on in Wellness Toolbox: Debunking Myths About Fitness and Nutrition to Provide All the Tools You Need for a Healthier and Happier Life. Analyzing a host of popular fitness and nutrition beliefs, the author, in this well-researched book, classifies them into "Facts" and "Myths."
Roberts includes his personal stories detailing how he discovered the effects of some approaches to fitness and nutrition that he applies today. Adding personal stories in books like this is always an important feature for me, as it makes the book more relatable. The author's 27 years of experience as a fitness and nutrition coach, along with the numerous success stories included in the book, is bound to have a positive effect on the confidence of readers in his methods. Even though the author delivers his message in a confident and serious tone for most of the book, I enjoyed that he included humor in the form of funny illustrations. This will help lighten the mood as some readers may feel disappointed when they discover that many of their health practices over the years are wrong.
Furthermore, the author's in-depth analysis of every fact and myth discussed was one of my favorite features of the book. He left no room for unanswered questions by explaining different exercise procedures and healthy foods and their proportions in detail. Roberts use of a simple language, avoiding technical terms, and fully explaining abbreviations like PFM (pelvic floor muscles), HIIT (High-intensity interval training), and EPOC (excess post oxygen consumption) will also help readers follow the book easily.
In addition, the author lists several reference books for readers to source for additional information. The author also maintains that readers should always consult professional fitness and nutrition coaches to guide them in employing these methods. There wasn't much to dislike about this book. While I noticed about four errors throughout the book, they were all minor errors and didn't disrupt the flow of my reading. I also think that the author should have considered including illustrations showing how various exercising techniques, like pistol squats, landmine twists, and box jumps, are carried out.
Overall, Wellness Toolbox was a fun, educational, and inspirational read for me. The author expertly combined the features I expect from a good health book and included motivational quotes at the end of each chapter. I also learned quite a lot, especially on the outdated use of the body mass index (BMI), the improper use of calcium supplements, fluoride, and soy, and the "SMART" method as a strategy for achieving fitness goals. I'm sure other readers will learn a lot from this book as well.
I strongly believe that this book merits a rating of 4 out of 4. The author's detailed description of his methods made up for the absence of the illustrations I wanted to see. Therefore, there is no reason to rate the book less than the maximum rating. I would recommend this book to people that are interested in health improvement through fitness and dieting. However, I would not recommend it to those looking for an easy route to better health, as a sufficient amount of work has to be put into following the author's methods.
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Wellness Toolbox
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