12 Books for a New Year, New You

Artwork: Balkhovitin, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

As 2018 kicks into high gear, we are reminded of the value of investing in all aspects of your health. Take advantage of the momentum of a fresh new start by fortifying yourself with a selection of books that will help you boost your performance and enhance your potential in the long run.

Also: 5 Ways to Cultivate Creativity in 2018

Crave has rounded up 12 new releases that will help you master everything within your control, from your mindset, lifestyle, and home to your diet, mind-body connection, and your career.

Mindset

Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World by Tim Ferriss (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) is like having the perfectly curated feed in the palm of your hands, with more than 50 morning routines—both for the early riser and those who struggle to get out of bed; tips on how to overcome failure and bounce back towards success; ways to thrive (and survive) the overwhelming amount of information you process every day; how to achieve clarity on your purpose and assess your priorities, and more.

Judgment Detox: Release the Beliefs That Hold You Back from Living A Better Life by Gabby Bernstein (North Star Way) provides a six-step plan to help people deal with negative thought patterns that sabotage their lives, drawing from the spiritual principles from the text A Course in Miracles, Kundalini yoga, the Emotional Freedom Technique (aka Tapping), meditation, prayer and metaphysical teachings.

Lifestyle

Change Your Schedule, Change Your Life: How to Harness the Power of Clock Genes to Lose Weight, Optimize Your Workout, and Finally Get a Good Night’s Sleep by Suhas Kshirsagar and Michelle D. Seaton (Harper Wave) is an eye-opening handbook from a leading Ayurvedic physician that blends cutting-edge science on “clock genes” with ancient eastern wisdom to help us understand how to harness the power of chronobiology to effortlessly lose weight, sleep better, exercise stronger, reduce stress, and boost our wellbeing.

Awakening Your Ikigai: How the Japanese Wake Up to Joy and Purpose Every Day by Ken Mogi (The Experiment). Ikigai is a Japanese phenomenon commonly understood as “your reason to get up in the morning.” Ikigai can be small moments: the morning air, a cup of coffee, a compliment. It can also be deep convictions: a fulfilling job, lasting friendships, balanced health. Whether big or small, your ikigai is the path to success and happiness in your own life.

Home

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A simple, effective way to banish clutter forever by Marie Condo (Vermillion) makes the process of keeping your home neat something manageable and practical for the most disorganized or busy types. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house “spark joy” (and which don’t), this international bestseller will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home—and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.

Diet & Nutrition

Clean Protein: The Revolution that Will Reshape Your Body, Boost Your Energy—and Save the Planet by Kathy Freston and Bruce Friedrich (Hachette Books) is a powerful solution to excess weight and chronic health issues, and it’s a cultural revolution that will be talked about for decades. Complete with delicious recipes and a detailed guide to food planning, Clean Protein explains everything you need to know in order to get lean, gain energy, and stay mentally sharp.

Skin Cleanse: The Simple, All-Natural Program for Clear, Calm, Happy Skin by Adina Grigore (Harper Wave) guides readers through a holistic program designed to heal their skin from the inside out. Adina’s program begins as any healthy regime should: with the basics for full-body health. That means eating plenty of fresh, whole foods; drinking more water; getting blood pumping and oxygen flowing to your cells.

The No Meat Athlete Cookbook: Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipes to Fuel Your Workouts—and the Rest of Your Life by Matt Frazier and Stepfanie Romine (The Experiment). A fast-growing global movement, No Meat Athlete (NMA) earns new fans every day by showing how everyone from weekend joggers to world-class competitors can become even healthier and fitter by eating whole plant foods. The No Meat Athlete Cookbook showcases 125 delicious vegan recipes, many inspired by plant-based foods from around the world.

Mind-Body Connection

Stack Your Bones: 100 Simple Lessons for Realigning Your Body and Moving With Ease by Ruthie Fraser (The Experiment). Improve posture, alleviate pain, and create balanced strength and flexibility with 100 simply presented exercises. Your body responds to events and stresses in your life: Your back may tense up, shoulders slouch forward, hips veer off to the right or left. Slowly, without noticing, you shift out of balance. By becoming more aware of your body (its habits, structure, and needs) you can relieve pain and move with ease once again.

The Mind-Gut Connection: How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, and Our Overall Health by Emeran Mayer (Harper Wave) combines cutting-edge neuroscience with the latest discoveries on the human microbiome. The book features strategies to heal the gut by focusing on a plant-based diet; balance the microbiome by consuming fermented foods and probiotics, fasting, and cutting out sugar and processed foods; promote weight loss by detoxifying and creating healthy digestion and maximum nutrient absorption, and more.

Career

Boost! How the Psychology of Sports Can Enhance your Performance in Management and Work by Michael Bar-Eli (Oxford University Press) breaks down the complex behavioral science of getting ahead. Through original scientific research, unique case studies, and anecdotes from the world of sports and beyond, Bar-Eli explains the psychological underpinnings of human behavior and how we can harness this knowledge to perform at our highest levels, succeeding in our careers and personal lives.

An Intelligent Career: Taking Ownership of Your Work and Your Life by Michael B. Arthur, Svetlana N. Khapova, and Julia Richardson (Oxford University Press) provides clear guidance on how to take charge of your own destiny, seek continuous learning, collaborate with others, recognize and act on fresh opportunities, determine when it is time to move on, and much more.

Miss Rosen is a New York-based journalist covering art, photography, culture, and books. Her byline has appeared in L’Uomo Vogue, Vogue, Dazed, AnOther Man, Aperture, and The Undefeated. Follow her on Twitter @Miss_Rosen.