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Healthy Habits Suck: How to Get Off the Couch and Live a Healthy Life… Even If You Don’t Want To
Salad instead of steak? Working out? Skipping that second beer or glass of wine? Healthy habits are THE WORST.
If you’re someone who gets up every morning and can’t wait for your run, considers eating sweet potatoes a splurge, and sets aside thirty minutes before work to meditate—this book isn’t for you. If you’re someone who thinks about getting up to go for a run but goes back to sleep, regrets last night’s dinner of fast food, and can barely get to work on time—let alone meditate—then this book will help you find the motivation you’ve been looking for to live your healthiest life, even when you don’t want to.
With this funny, in-your-face guide, you won’t find advice on how to “enjoy” exercise, or tips for making broccoli and kale taste as good as donuts and ice cream. What you will find are solid skills to help you actually do the healthy things you know you should be doing. Using these skills—based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and neuroscience—you’ll learn to find the motivation you’re really craving to adopt healthy habits, even if they do suck. You’ll also discover how to accept self-criticism, develop self-compassion, and live a more meaningful life.
This book not only acknowledges that many healthy habits suck, it uses science to explain why we want the things we want (junk food), crave the things we crave (sugar), and dislike the things we dislike (exercise). At the end, you’ll feel validated in feeling like these things are the absolute worst. But you’ll also find the motivation to do them anyway.
If you’re someone who gets up every morning and can’t wait for your run, considers eating sweet potatoes a splurge, and sets aside thirty minutes before work to meditate—this book isn’t for you. If you’re someone who thinks about getting up to go for a run but goes back to sleep, regrets last night’s dinner of fast food, and can barely get to work on time—let alone meditate—then this book will help you find the motivation you’ve been looking for to live your healthiest life, even when you don’t want to.
With this funny, in-your-face guide, you won’t find advice on how to “enjoy” exercise, or tips for making broccoli and kale taste as good as donuts and ice cream. What you will find are solid skills to help you actually do the healthy things you know you should be doing. Using these skills—based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and neuroscience—you’ll learn to find the motivation you’re really craving to adopt healthy habits, even if they do suck. You’ll also discover how to accept self-criticism, develop self-compassion, and live a more meaningful life.
This book not only acknowledges that many healthy habits suck, it uses science to explain why we want the things we want (junk food), crave the things we crave (sugar), and dislike the things we dislike (exercise). At the end, you’ll feel validated in feeling like these things are the absolute worst. But you’ll also find the motivation to do them anyway.
184 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2019
144 people are currently reading
2173 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
June 7, 2019
There is some decent information in here on how to change your lifestyle slowly and permanently.
How she broke down changes into "values" and forced you to dig deeper into the reasons behind these "values" before making a change could be a great way to decide if they are even needed.
I especially liked the 90% idea (make sure you can commit to the new thing 90% of the time before integrating it).
The problem I had with the book is that the writing makes it seem like they are trying to explain adult issues to a small child.
As a result this comes off highly condescending.
Thank you NetGalley and New Harbinger Publications, Inc. for my ARC.
How she broke down changes into "values" and forced you to dig deeper into the reasons behind these "values" before making a change could be a great way to decide if they are even needed.
I especially liked the 90% idea (make sure you can commit to the new thing 90% of the time before integrating it).
The problem I had with the book is that the writing makes it seem like they are trying to explain adult issues to a small child.
As a result this comes off highly condescending.
Thank you NetGalley and New Harbinger Publications, Inc. for my ARC.
April 17, 2019
When non-fiction authors hit the trifecta of being educational, entertaining and engaging I am a very happy reader. Dana Lee-Baggley accomplishes exactly that in this book. Healthy Habits Suck is written with equal parts humor and expertise. She veers away from preachy, dogmatic and the overenthusiastic overpromising adapted by so many authors in the genre. It’s solid advice based on the Adaption of Choice Model to help you adopt healthier habits.
July 2, 2019
“The majority of North Americans eat too much processed food, don’t sleep enough, drink too much, and are overweight.” Why? Because Healthy Habits Suck!
Healthy behavior goes against our caveman instincts to rest, avoid pain, seek pleasure, and live in the now. To override those instincts, you must find more pros or reduce the cons of a healthy behavior like exercising. You may never experience a runner’s high but the bragging rights of running a marathon may be enough of a pro in your eyes to encourage running 10 miles before work each morning.
The goal you set has to be within your control. Sometimes, despite eating low calorie food, you just can’t lose weight. You’ve reached a plateau. So you give up and indulge in a chocolate sundae. This happens because your goal shouldn’t be “losing weight” because your body controls that. Instead, you should make “eating more fruit and vegetables” or “eating fast food only once per week” your goal because that is totally within your control.
Healthy Habits Suck uses well-researched psychological methods to allow you to motivate yourself to reach your goals. The author suggests working on only one goal at a time and reading just one chapter per week. The ideas in each of the nine chapters require some introspection so that timeframe seems reasonable. The book also has a website with a 22-page workbook used within the chapters plus three short audio files.
There is a lot to like about this book. It approaches healthy goals in new ways. This is not just another book with a diet and recipes. It digs into the underlying motivation or stagnation of our actions. It might be the way to achieve truly long-term healthier living. 4 stars!
Thanks to New Harbinger and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Healthy behavior goes against our caveman instincts to rest, avoid pain, seek pleasure, and live in the now. To override those instincts, you must find more pros or reduce the cons of a healthy behavior like exercising. You may never experience a runner’s high but the bragging rights of running a marathon may be enough of a pro in your eyes to encourage running 10 miles before work each morning.
The goal you set has to be within your control. Sometimes, despite eating low calorie food, you just can’t lose weight. You’ve reached a plateau. So you give up and indulge in a chocolate sundae. This happens because your goal shouldn’t be “losing weight” because your body controls that. Instead, you should make “eating more fruit and vegetables” or “eating fast food only once per week” your goal because that is totally within your control.
Healthy Habits Suck uses well-researched psychological methods to allow you to motivate yourself to reach your goals. The author suggests working on only one goal at a time and reading just one chapter per week. The ideas in each of the nine chapters require some introspection so that timeframe seems reasonable. The book also has a website with a 22-page workbook used within the chapters plus three short audio files.
There is a lot to like about this book. It approaches healthy goals in new ways. This is not just another book with a diet and recipes. It digs into the underlying motivation or stagnation of our actions. It might be the way to achieve truly long-term healthier living. 4 stars!
Thanks to New Harbinger and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
January 14, 2020
I’m still on the couch and binge-watching the Great British Baking Show. My love of SweetTarts and cookies was no match for this author.
January 17, 2020
This was a fun and informative little book written by Dayna Lee-Baggley, a psychologist who discusses exactly why healthy habits are so hard to adopt and sustain. In short, they are hard because, in her words, they suck. They go against years of evolutionary conditioning that values energy conservation. Unfortunately, in a world where calories are all too accessible and where the physical demands of life are no longer sufficient to promote fitness, adopting healthy habits, no matter how inconvenient or difficult, is key to both longevity and a good quality of life as we age.
Hate to exercise? Too bad. According to Baggley, many of us hate getting up to go to work, but we do it because we value the pay check. Exercise or eating healthy is no different. It would be great if every healthy choice was easy, convenient, or welcome. But at the end of the day, sometimes they are necessary and that alone should be reason enough to push forward.
The key, in her opinion, is to tie the healthy behaviors into something we value. Make it personal. So maybe we don't like to get up early to exercise because it's much more satisfying to hit the snooze button, however, we do value health because it allows us to enjoy our kids, spouses, or other activities. So the exercise is a means to an end, even if it isn't always "fun."
There is a lot here for someone who is a chronic "excuse maker." The "I don't like exercise" or "I just don't have time" groups. It also offers a lot of useful advice for emotional eaters. Those who eat to sooth some emotional need or dull some uncomfortable emotion.
I've read quite a few of these types of books and what I liked about this one was that Dayna doesn't sugar coat the truth. She also doesn't feel the need to overwrite the book. It's short, and instead of filling it with fluff to beef it up, she simply says what needs to be said, which I appreciate. Too many authors try to fill up pages even if it means going off topic or being overly repetitive. This is concise and to the point.
Hate to exercise? Too bad. According to Baggley, many of us hate getting up to go to work, but we do it because we value the pay check. Exercise or eating healthy is no different. It would be great if every healthy choice was easy, convenient, or welcome. But at the end of the day, sometimes they are necessary and that alone should be reason enough to push forward.
The key, in her opinion, is to tie the healthy behaviors into something we value. Make it personal. So maybe we don't like to get up early to exercise because it's much more satisfying to hit the snooze button, however, we do value health because it allows us to enjoy our kids, spouses, or other activities. So the exercise is a means to an end, even if it isn't always "fun."
There is a lot here for someone who is a chronic "excuse maker." The "I don't like exercise" or "I just don't have time" groups. It also offers a lot of useful advice for emotional eaters. Those who eat to sooth some emotional need or dull some uncomfortable emotion.
I've read quite a few of these types of books and what I liked about this one was that Dayna doesn't sugar coat the truth. She also doesn't feel the need to overwrite the book. It's short, and instead of filling it with fluff to beef it up, she simply says what needs to be said, which I appreciate. Too many authors try to fill up pages even if it means going off topic or being overly repetitive. This is concise and to the point.
December 31, 2019
This is a short read that is full of good advice. I think I’ll add it to my yearly re-read list.
She asserts that our thoughts and feelings are like passengers on a bus. Our head is full of passengers. One might be telling you to go to the gym and eat a salad and another says, “ice cream is on sale, you like ice cream and deserve a break.” You can choose which passenger to listen to and when. I really like that thought process.
She asserts that our thoughts and feelings are like passengers on a bus. Our head is full of passengers. One might be telling you to go to the gym and eat a salad and another says, “ice cream is on sale, you like ice cream and deserve a break.” You can choose which passenger to listen to and when. I really like that thought process.
December 28, 2024
Examples felt repetitive and rudimentary (skimmed second half), but I appreciated a more emotional and realistic approach to adopting healthy habits.
In sum: tie goals you make to values/overall ways in which you wish to improve your quality of life (e.g more energy > more quality time w friends and fam); make goals that are quantifiable and based on practicing a good habit, rather than avoiding a bad one; make achievable goals then increase ambition over time; be forgiving towards yourself
In sum: tie goals you make to values/overall ways in which you wish to improve your quality of life (e.g more energy > more quality time w friends and fam); make goals that are quantifiable and based on practicing a good habit, rather than avoiding a bad one; make achievable goals then increase ambition over time; be forgiving towards yourself
April 10, 2019
I’m not normally one to read self-help books, but when I saw the cover of Healthy Habits Suck, I couldn’t resist checking it out. The cover showed me that the book would be filled with humor, and wouldn’t be the typical self-help book, and thankfully the cover did not lie! The author infuses humor and real world examples to teach the reader that, yes, healthy habits DO suck, but there’s a reason we follow through with them anyways. Apple pie will always taste better than apples, our instinct might always be to choose the couch over the gym in the evening, but that doesn’t mean we should allow our instincts to rule our actions. The author gives specific examples and then clear advice about how to follow through with changes for the better in your life.
It’s a quick and easy read, not at all dry. Though the author cites research to back up her findings, it doesn’t overwhelm the book and her voice rings through every page. I enjoyed reading the book and hope to put some of the advice into action. Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Hopefully I will develop some more healthy habits because I read this book!
It’s a quick and easy read, not at all dry. Though the author cites research to back up her findings, it doesn’t overwhelm the book and her voice rings through every page. I enjoyed reading the book and hope to put some of the advice into action. Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Hopefully I will develop some more healthy habits because I read this book!
August 16, 2022
The title actually gives you a good idea of what this book is set out to do and I think it's quite successful. It helps you to stop berating yourself for not feeling like doing exercise, craving bad foods, and trying to find a quick fix for complex issues and feelings that aren't readily fixable; it's just how we're hard wired (Congratulations! You're human!). However, since we don't have to worry so much about saving our energy for running from a bear, fattening up for scarcity, and most of us live well beyond 30 years of age, we get to choose things that work for us in our current context. We can choose to do things that help us live fulfilling lives, rather than just make it through the day.
The most important prerequisite for helping you make those healthy choices is knowing what your core values in life are. 'Doing healthy things because it's healthy' is not enough: you have to dig deeper into why you need to be healthy; deeper than 'because it's good for me'. What are you afraid of if you keep doing the unhealthy stuff? What are you going to do with the extra energy that you will have if you make healthier choices? The book gives a few examples of these, but I think that most people will need an uncomfortable conversation with someone repeating the 'why this..., why that...?' until you get to the bottom of what moves you. Then remind yourself of that motivator all the time and it should help you to do the things that maybe you don't like or feel like, but know are necessary to give you long-term satisfaction. Good luck!
The most important prerequisite for helping you make those healthy choices is knowing what your core values in life are. 'Doing healthy things because it's healthy' is not enough: you have to dig deeper into why you need to be healthy; deeper than 'because it's good for me'. What are you afraid of if you keep doing the unhealthy stuff? What are you going to do with the extra energy that you will have if you make healthier choices? The book gives a few examples of these, but I think that most people will need an uncomfortable conversation with someone repeating the 'why this..., why that...?' until you get to the bottom of what moves you. Then remind yourself of that motivator all the time and it should help you to do the things that maybe you don't like or feel like, but know are necessary to give you long-term satisfaction. Good luck!
May 29, 2019
I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
The premise of the book is shown in the title: healthy habits (such as running, eating greens, avoiding fast food) can be difficult to implement, because they are difficult or even counterintuitive. We’d rather stay in and eat a donut / a hamburger with fries, right? And this approach kind of makes sense and makes one’s failure’s at staying healthy easier to stomach. However: then Lee-Baggley goes on to ground these hang-ups of ours in our cave people past (”it was easier to survive back then if you had your belly full!”) , and this evolutionary psychology does not work for me.
Oddly, then there comes another metaphor: that each of us is a “bus driver”, and our “passengers” are various emotions and needs we experience. So, for example, as the bus driver, we think “it’s time to exercise!”, but one of the passengers shouts that “exercise is boring!” and another tells us “eat a donut instead!”. And we should try to work with these passengers to be able to take them into account or dismiss as needed. Again, not a bad metaphor, although not a 100% congruent with the first one.
Overall, I think the book contains some good ideas, but it is unfortunately too chaotic. It switches gears / metaphors too easily, and loses sight of its bigger picture to the point where the reader is not sure what the bigger picture is.
The premise of the book is shown in the title: healthy habits (such as running, eating greens, avoiding fast food) can be difficult to implement, because they are difficult or even counterintuitive. We’d rather stay in and eat a donut / a hamburger with fries, right? And this approach kind of makes sense and makes one’s failure’s at staying healthy easier to stomach. However: then Lee-Baggley goes on to ground these hang-ups of ours in our cave people past (”it was easier to survive back then if you had your belly full!”) , and this evolutionary psychology does not work for me.
Oddly, then there comes another metaphor: that each of us is a “bus driver”, and our “passengers” are various emotions and needs we experience. So, for example, as the bus driver, we think “it’s time to exercise!”, but one of the passengers shouts that “exercise is boring!” and another tells us “eat a donut instead!”. And we should try to work with these passengers to be able to take them into account or dismiss as needed. Again, not a bad metaphor, although not a 100% congruent with the first one.
Overall, I think the book contains some good ideas, but it is unfortunately too chaotic. It switches gears / metaphors too easily, and loses sight of its bigger picture to the point where the reader is not sure what the bigger picture is.
January 3, 2020
I actually didn't finish this book, but I wanted to give the reason why I stopped. It was very informative and a lot of what the author says made sense, but she kept bringing up evolution. It wasn't just occasionally it seemed like the overall reason we gain wait and keep it on is because of evolution. Although I believe we have adapted to our environment I do not believe we were evolved, so unfortunately this book was not for me.
February 4, 2020
I hardly ever read self help books, but I saw this as an audiobook I could stream from my library and decided to give it a shot. The title is pretty stupid, but I have to say this was chock full of helpful stuff. I plan to listen to it again, and who knows, maybe build some healthier habits.
August 7, 2019
This book came out the gate strong. Making a lot of connections to how we are as evolved humans and how we treat resting and conserving energy to our caveman roots. Clarify your values. Don't just say "I want to lose weight to feel better". What is the why? What will you do once you feel better? Using the SMART strategy to reach those values. Using behavior assessments along the way.
These are some of the strategies that I was able to take away from the book early on. At some point though it turned a bit too new agey for my taste with the mental 'passengers' that derail us from our goals. I am more a science and fact person, so this was a bit of a turn off for me. Others may feel differently.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
These are some of the strategies that I was able to take away from the book early on. At some point though it turned a bit too new agey for my taste with the mental 'passengers' that derail us from our goals. I am more a science and fact person, so this was a bit of a turn off for me. Others may feel differently.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
February 2, 2020
This book exceeded expectations. Delving into value-based thinking, it was so much deeper than common tips & tricks to sneak healthier habits into your life. I can see myself rereading this book again in the future because the psychology was really interesting.
June 1, 2019
Wow. What a phenomenal book.
I picked up this book solely because of the cover. Based on the cover and the title, I was expecting a book which will use strong language and rant with me about how difficult it is to live healthy.
Instead I got a well researched book on why maintaining healthy behaviours is so difficult and what I can do to make behaviours stick. The author used principles of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) to suggest ways to live healthier.
I have been restless the past few days because of a difficult situation at work. This book was right up my alley. Although it was a book on healthy behaviours, it helped me so much with my anxiety too. It reminded me to go back to the book by Hariss as well.
Please don't consider this a weight loss book, it is not. It is strictly about being in the right mental frame to make health behaviours stick. The author assumes that you already know what to do to lose weight (eat whole foods and more veggies, less sugar and processed food, exercise etc.), the problem is that you don't stick with those behaviours. That's what this book targets.
I will definitely revisit in future once I apply some techniques. A companion book to this can be Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin where she talks about the loopholes. Combo of these two would be deadly for your extra weight.
I received a free copy from Netgalley. Thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley.
I picked up this book solely because of the cover. Based on the cover and the title, I was expecting a book which will use strong language and rant with me about how difficult it is to live healthy.
Instead I got a well researched book on why maintaining healthy behaviours is so difficult and what I can do to make behaviours stick. The author used principles of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) to suggest ways to live healthier.
I have been restless the past few days because of a difficult situation at work. This book was right up my alley. Although it was a book on healthy behaviours, it helped me so much with my anxiety too. It reminded me to go back to the book by Hariss as well.
Please don't consider this a weight loss book, it is not. It is strictly about being in the right mental frame to make health behaviours stick. The author assumes that you already know what to do to lose weight (eat whole foods and more veggies, less sugar and processed food, exercise etc.), the problem is that you don't stick with those behaviours. That's what this book targets.
I will definitely revisit in future once I apply some techniques. A companion book to this can be Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin where she talks about the loopholes. Combo of these two would be deadly for your extra weight.
I received a free copy from Netgalley. Thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley.
April 24, 2019
I volunteered to give my honest review in exchange for a free copy of the book pre-publication. This book is refreshing in that it isn't goal oriented. It's value oriented, because values are always there, and goals are forgotten once achieved. It discusses all of the contributing factors that influence your weight, and how much you can actually control. I found it to be very helpful. I have been on weight loss programs of some sort off and on for over 30 years! It was nice to read the author's ideas that aren't the mainstream. However, it's common sense.
November 10, 2019
I’m honestly not sure what it was about this book that made it such a difficult read for me. It’s not that there were no good ideas about changing habits. There were. But the book felt rambly and unnecessarily wordy. I think what I dislike the most is the endless use of metaphors. Which is odd, because I frequently use metaphors with my own patients. But you don’t string them together one after the other. “Imagine that you’re a dog putting on socks and then imagine that people are criticizing your choices and then imagine that you left your child out in the rain all day.” And I especially grew heartily sick of the people on the bus that she talked about endlessly.
Also, if you’re going to keep giving examples of times you ordered burgers and fries, and how you made a decision to eat steak only every evening while traveling, and how you eat whatever meat your host offers, stop claiming that you follow a plant-based diet.
Also, if you’re going to keep giving examples of times you ordered burgers and fries, and how you made a decision to eat steak only every evening while traveling, and how you eat whatever meat your host offers, stop claiming that you follow a plant-based diet.
October 15, 2023
This book is a realistic and refreshing take on how to improve your health and well-being. The author, Dayna Lee-Baggley, is a clinical psychologist and a certified health coach specializing in helping people change their habits and behaviours. She does not sugarcoat the fact that living a healthy life is hard and often sucks, but she also provides many practical and evidence-based strategies to overcome the obstacles and challenges that we face. She uses humour, anecdotes, and examples from her own life and clients to illustrate her points and make the book engaging and relatable.
Some of the topics that she covers in the book are: how to find your motivation and values for living a healthy life, how to deal with the discomfort and pain that comes with changing your habits, how to cope with setbacks and failures, how to create a supportive environment and social network, and how to balance your health goals with other aspects of your life. She also includes exercises and worksheets at the end of each chapter to help you apply the concepts and strategies to your own situation.
I liked that the author did not promise any quick fixes or easy solutions, but rather encouraged the reader to embrace the suckiness of living a healthy life and to focus on values and long-term benefits. I also appreciated that she acknowledged the diversity and individuality of people’s health needs and preferences, and did not prescribe any specific diet or exercise plan, but rather offered general guidelines and tips that can be adapted to different circumstances.
I would recommend this book to anyone who struggles with motivation, discipline, or consistency. This book will not make living a healthy life easy or fun - like all habit and lifestyle books, change requires hard work to put the ideas into action - but it will make it more manageable.
Some of the topics that she covers in the book are: how to find your motivation and values for living a healthy life, how to deal with the discomfort and pain that comes with changing your habits, how to cope with setbacks and failures, how to create a supportive environment and social network, and how to balance your health goals with other aspects of your life. She also includes exercises and worksheets at the end of each chapter to help you apply the concepts and strategies to your own situation.
I liked that the author did not promise any quick fixes or easy solutions, but rather encouraged the reader to embrace the suckiness of living a healthy life and to focus on values and long-term benefits. I also appreciated that she acknowledged the diversity and individuality of people’s health needs and preferences, and did not prescribe any specific diet or exercise plan, but rather offered general guidelines and tips that can be adapted to different circumstances.
I would recommend this book to anyone who struggles with motivation, discipline, or consistency. This book will not make living a healthy life easy or fun - like all habit and lifestyle books, change requires hard work to put the ideas into action - but it will make it more manageable.
March 18, 2024
What sets this book apart from many other books about reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is its ACT based approach to the matter.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy has proven to be a succesful method to help people choose positive actions when they are confronted with negative emotions or thoughts. It teaches you to choose positive behavior based on your values.
Since weight gain and unhealthy habits often cause people to have negative feelings about themselves, even though our interest in unhealthy (amounts of) food is part of our genetic programming, ACT can be very effective in acknowledging what's going on in our brains (instead of fighting it), and making intentional choices based on positive values we have.
This enhances our chances of really changing our behavior in the long run instead of swinging back and forth between success and failure in trying to maintain healthy habits.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy has proven to be a succesful method to help people choose positive actions when they are confronted with negative emotions or thoughts. It teaches you to choose positive behavior based on your values.
Since weight gain and unhealthy habits often cause people to have negative feelings about themselves, even though our interest in unhealthy (amounts of) food is part of our genetic programming, ACT can be very effective in acknowledging what's going on in our brains (instead of fighting it), and making intentional choices based on positive values we have.
This enhances our chances of really changing our behavior in the long run instead of swinging back and forth between success and failure in trying to maintain healthy habits.
April 14, 2021
The title of this book is a great hook, and representative of its overall tone. Though the author is an experienced therapist with lots of education under her belt, the book is decidedly realistic about how hard it is to make healthy habits stick. Based in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), the book goes on to describe a practical and compassionate plan for how to add or keep healthy habits in your life, a plan that hinges on linking a healthy behavior to your values to make it feel important to you. If your mindset is right, this is a book which truly could change your life. The chapters are short and digestible, the tone is compassionate, and the advice is expert.
August 2, 2024
Audiobook in Spotify. I was curious about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and neuroscience in this context. Author is down to earth and relatable and I enjoyed the concept of our passengers and not eliminating, but rather welcoming them. There’s a worksheet and the author helps the reader contemplate it throughout so in theory at the end the reader has a written list of strategies and techniques.
January 2, 2020
Your brain does what it does to protect you and has had eons of evolution and the training of your life to date to develop coping mechanisms, shortcuts, and tricks to make you happy. Unfortunately, that may be detrimental to your health by supporting, even coopting your best intentions to keep you on your couch eating chips and binge-watching Netflix. That's good to know, but what really helps is Lee-Baggley's guidance to work around those shortcuts and tricks to live a life 'in service of your values'. I liked her suggestions, compassion, and her premise that the best life is the life that serves you.
January 20, 2020
3 plus
Quick read with some interesting information and new ways of thinking about healthy habits. To be really useful, one must download the worksheets and take some time to answer the questions.
The many references to cavemen were annoying and the comparisons to bus passengers were odd.
Bottom line - developing healthy habits is a lifetime struggle!
Still, I'm glad I read.
Quick read with some interesting information and new ways of thinking about healthy habits. To be really useful, one must download the worksheets and take some time to answer the questions.
The many references to cavemen were annoying and the comparisons to bus passengers were odd.
Bottom line - developing healthy habits is a lifetime struggle!
Still, I'm glad I read.
January 16, 2024
I liked this one! It was entertaining and helpful.
December 14, 2024
I’m not sure about the cave man science but I think this has some good points like the 90% rule and imagining your feelings/sensations as passengers on a bus
November 5, 2024
Primarily talks about ACT and values-based strategies for working toward goals, especially health-based ones. Overall lots of great advice and an easy read.
January 15, 2020
I was pleasantly surprised by the way the author reframed various health-related ideas and made some important connections. I expect to continue thinking about the suggestions and incorporating them for a while (hopefully!).
May 30, 2019
I actually do enjoy having a healthy lifestyle but also love to read about various topics and people from a psychological and biological standpoint. I liked how this book did relate our tendency to not typically gravitate towards those healthy standpoints back to a evolutionary basis. The book didn't really hold new information for me but I thought it was very informative and interesting.
May 24, 2019
Strong Start, Falters About Halfway In, Never Really Recovers. This book had an intriguing premise - it was going to explain the scientific reasons for why you don't want to be healthy and help you overcome them. And it had some excellent points in the beginning regarding human evolution, even as it glossed over any actual science or citations. But around halfway in it begins using a particular metaphor that effectively says "you're not to blame" and rather than continuing with the quasi-scientific explanations it goes full bore with this metaphor through the end of the book. Intriguing in the first half, and genuinely well written throughout. May be exactly what people who generally read self help books are looking for. Recommended.
February 21, 2020
It's a decently good book. It uses basic ACT principles. I have read a lot of similar books so my opinion might not be relevant to someone with less exposure to ACT. She offered some very helpful ideas that I have used in my work with clients, but it wasn't necessarily earth-shattering.
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