The Healthiest You: Take Charge of Your Brain to Take Charge of Your Life

Life Changing- 12 Week Method- The Program by Dr. Kelly Traver MD and Betty Kelly Sargent Published 2009 by Atria Books Reviewed by: Dr. Joseph S. Maresca This work is an excellent reference for life-long health planning and maintenance. Early in the book, the authors present a fairly comprehensive health risk assessment which covers the essentials of controlling vices, stress, lack of exercise, junk food etc. Exercise is said to boost the metabolism by 20-30 % . Core exercises are presented; such as, chest, abdomen, back, shoulders and thighs. Long term goals are formulated for fitness, stress reduction and nutrition. The basic food groups are set forth. These are grains, fruits, veggies,meat, fish, poultry, good fats and sweets. Personally, I find that cinnamon, stevia and sugar- free candies are good substitutes for white sugar. In addition, a high quality probiotic formula will help to maintain general gastrointestinal health along with high fiber. Milk thistle can be a good liver tonic. The BMI (body mass index) is discussed with the norm ranging between 18.5 and 24.9. Caloric expenditure is set forth. For instance, walking burns 200 or more calories. Weight lifting can burn up to 300 calories and running expends 350 calories. These facts comport with my own personal experience. The maxim " Change your thoughts and you change your mind" is quoted from Dr. Normon Vincent Peale. The author advises to do away with anxiety and be less concerned with matters not under our direct control. Stress is discussed at length. Stress can lead to increases in the heart rate, blood pressure increases, blood flow migration from the gut to the skeleton and increases in blood sugar. Fatigue also begets chronic inflammation . From personal experience, you should check the C-reactive protein, SED rate and other markers for potential inflammatory states. These tests would be done in the blood chemistry in rheumatology, cardiology or a comprehensive physical check-up. The allergen blood panel is another place to examine for inflammation from foods we consume regularly. i.e. egg white IgE, cow's milk IgE, codfish IgE, wheat IgE, corn IgE, pea IgE, peanut IgE, soybean IgE, shrimp IgE, tomato IgE. Your gastroenterologist can order an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy to get more precise visual information pertinent to existing inflammations in the gastrointestinal tract and colon. The Pillcam is another useful tool which produces visual images in a video format. Exercise, eating regularly, 8-9 hours of quality sleep, slowing down and nurturing yourself will help to de-stress. The authors cite a 3-hour window to break-up clots and restore blood flow from strokes. In addition, I would ask about a doppler test of the head/neck area to gain some assurance about the likelihood of a blood clot breaking up randomly. In addition, stroke prevention strategies include good diabetes care, low cholesterol,blood pressure monitoring a

//The Program: Master the Secrets of Your Brain for the Healthiest Body and the Happiest You// is an excellent tool for anyone making a commitment to improve their health. The focus is on the basics: eat right and exercise. It seems simple, but many people have difficulty following this advice. Whether the goal is to lose weight, become more fit, or to eat better, something inside us often seems to sabotage our efforts to make healthy choices. Frustration sets in and then we give up. What makes //The Program// different is Dr. Traver's explanation of the biological basis for this self-sabotage. She provides an understanding of how the human brain works, and how to successfully initiate lasting behavioral changes. //The Program// is set up as a 12-week plan, with the author suggesting a manageable goal of studying one chapter per week. By explaining why your body and mind work as they do; showing you how to work with your brain's natural tendencies; and supplying examples of concrete actions you can take to make positive changes, //The Program// provides the tools to successfully improve your health. Reviewed by Laurie Racca

This is not just another book on stuff that I know I should do to get and stay healthy but ultimately fail to do for one reason or another. (Why does change for the better always seem so hard?!) The Program, by Dr. Kelly Traver, helped me make the connection between my behavior and the way my particular brain works. This understanding was key to unlocking my resistance to change and allowed me to use the tools in this program to make positive adjustments in my life. This is not a one size fits all program...it is a program that fits all sizes! I highly recommend it, particularly for anyone who needs help to outsmart their change-resistant brain.

This book was both informative and a really enjoyable read. The author first explains, in very understandable terms, how the brain works, how human beings are motivated, along with anecdotes so you can relate without being a medical student or scientist. Then she goes on to help you relate it to your life, week by week, with a different task each week. I'm excited to work through "The Program" and see if I can improve my health habits. I liked the way the author wrote in a non-judgmental tone, as if she's saying "I know, I get it. I struggle to maintain good health too. It's because we're human. Here's how to work with our biology instead of against it." With health care costs in the United States skyrocketing, it seems that focusing on disease prevention and creating health lifestyles will be one of the themes of this upcoming decade. I would recommend this book to all people who are looking to get motivated to get healthy and stay healthy.

Wow! Just started reading this book today and can't put it down. Any questions I have about my health and happiness are answered in simple, practical terms that I can put into practice immediately. In the course of two hours, I have come across at least a dozen discoveries. And I am someone who has been hunting for answers for many years. I look forward to having this book as a guideline to more satisfaction in my life for many more years and updating this review over time.