How often do you delay a doctor’s appointment when you feel unwell? Do you have trouble listening to your body and its needs when it sends you signals? Don’t worry, you are not alone. It’s easy to place health on the back burner when there are so many things to do, but that’s why the 21-Day Wellness Challenge is so important.
Without it, you run the risk of letting your physical and mental health slip down your priority list when, in reality, it should be number one.
If you are tired of ignoring your own needs and crave making your well-being a priority, then this book list will become your go-to. In terms of making it happen as soon as possible, check out 15-minute summaries of these titles on the Headway app.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner in the world of health or not, accept the challenge and set a wellness-orientated lifestyle once and for all!
Day 1: Obtain your ideal body with 'The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman' by Timothy Ferriss
Youth can forgive everything — parties with lots of alcohol, junk food diet, excessive social media, lack of exercise. However, it is always a good idea to start treating your body as a temple as soon as possible.
'The 4-Hour Body' is a step-by-step guidebook that will reveal the secrets of fat loss, fitness, effective dieting, and quality sex on a solid wellness journey. It is a real savior for everyone ready to walk the path of physical self-care.
"The decent method you follow is better than the perfect method you quit." — Timothy Ferriss
Day 2: Move closer to success with '13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do: Take Back Your Power, Embrace Change, Face Your Fears, and Train Your Brain for Happiness and Success' by Amy Morin
Do you struggle with insecurities? Perhaps you sometimes take things said by a family member too personally and can’t let go. Maybe you often feel like a victim. This book will help you achieve the mental strength you’ve always wanted by decluttering and letting go as part of your overall health challenge.
"Developing mental strength isn’t about having to be the best at everything. It also isn’t about earning the most money or achieving the biggest accomplishments. Instead, developing mental strength means knowing that you’ll be okay no matter what happens." — Amy Morin
Day 3: Own your nightly Zzzs with 'Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams' by Matthew Walker
If you feel even more restless in the morning than before slumbering, it sounds like you need the help of Matthew Walker, the leading mind in sleep therapy. He can help you develop a healthier lifestyle by getting enough rest.
'Why We Sleep' is the culmination of several decades of research and fervent fact-checking, all to make sure you get the best advice. It answers all your questions about sleep and helps you understand why you need to get more of it.
"The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep." — Matthew Walker
Day 4: Make the most of your mornings with 'The 5 AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life' by Robin Sharma
If you’re dreaming of more productive and fulfilling days, say no more; we have a perfect tool for you to achieve your new habit! 'The 5 AM Club' will show you how to increase motivation and make you feel like there are about 50 hours in a day. Intriguing, isn’t it? The ironic thing is that productivity plays a huge part in a healthy lifestyle; it’s not all about food and exercise!
"The smallest of implementations is always worth more than the grandest of intentions." — Robin Sharma
Day 5: Hit your fitness goals with 'SuperLife: The 5 Simple Fixes That Will Make You Healthy, Fit, and Eternally Awesome' by Darin Olien
Relying on old ways often doesn’t yield results. That’s why 'SuperLife: The 5 Simple Fixes That Will Make You Healthy, Fit, and Eternally Awesome' is the ideal route to find new information and create a new workout. Not only is it super-relatable, but it’s packed with scientific knowledge to back everything up. A new life awaits
"It’s true, organic food is more expensive to grow, and we have to be willing to pay for it. Some people see that as a luxury. I always come back to the same question: Would we rather give our money to the farmer or the pharmacist, the grocer or the doctor?" — Darin Olien
Day 6: Master healthy eating with 'Food: WTF Should I Eat?: The No-Nonsense Guide to Achieving Optimal Weight and Lifelong Health' by Mark Hyman
You want to lose weight, so you eat less and stick to fruits and vegetables, right? Well, not necessarily. Thankfully, you can enjoy your food and watch the number on the scales decrease, too. In 'Food: WTF Should I Eat?: The No-Nonsense Guide to Achieving Optimal Weight and Lifelong Health,' Mark Hyman opens your mind to the wonder foods that will help you lose weight while enjoying the process.
"Read ingredients lists and don’t eat anything with the word “hydrogenated” on the label." — Mark Hyman
Day 7: Unlock hidden happiness with 'Inner Engineering: A Yogi’s Guide to Joy' by Sadhguru
Prepare to be shocked: It turns out that you don’t need to be extra-flexible to grab the benefits of yoga. In fact, you can benefit from it simply by learning from those in the know without extreme physical activity. If yoga has always been something you’ve wanted to try but you’re put off by the seemingly super-human stretches you see on Google, don’t worry. 'Inner Engineering: A Yogi’s Guide to Joy' shows how understanding the mechanics behind yoga can be just as valuable.
"Learning to listen is the essence of intelligent living." — Sadhguru
Day 8: Become a productivity master with 'Beyond Coffee: A Sustainable Guide to Nootropics, Adaptogens, and Mushrooms' by James Beshara
Do you always reach for a cup or two of coffee every morning to wake you up? While not the healthiest method, it certainly ticks a box. So, why not look toward a more natural way to boost your energy and productivity and avoid the need for extra stress management? In 'Beyond Coffee: A Sustainable Guide to Nootropics, Adaptogens, and Mushrooms,' James Beshara shares his hints and tips backed up by scientific studies in your new toolkit.
"One large analysis concluded that theanine taken with caffeine improves alertness and one’s accuracy when switching between different tasks." — James Beshara
Day 9: Get the body you’ve dreamed of with 'Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body' by Michael Matthews
Want to build muscle but don’t want to hit the gym every spare second you have? Believe it or not, you can get into excellent shape without committing all your time and energy to a total body workout. You simply need to learn the secrets within 'Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body.' You and your upper body can thank us for it later!
"The two biggest inner game barriers are lack of motivation and lack of discipline, and most people have to wrestle with them at some point, usually sooner than later." — Michael Matthews
Day 10: Learn how to lose weight and keep it off with 'Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss' by Joel Fuhrman
Losing weight isn’t about starving yourself or exercising to extremes; it’s actually about knowing how your body works. In 'Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss,' Joel Fuhrman shares his expert secrets and makes losing weight as easy as ABC, along with extra help from vitamin D and other nutrients.
"If you have a significant layer of fat around your waist, it means you have regularly consumed food in response to toxic hunger or have eaten recreationally. The body does not store large amounts of fat when fed a wholesome natural diet and given only the amount of food demanded by true hunger." — Joel Fuhrman
Day 11: Find valuable insights about addiction with 'Recovery: Freedom From Our Addictions' by Russell Brand
You might have heard of Russell Brand, but do you know all about his story of addiction and recovery? Learn how Brand navigated his way through the darkness, the captivating twists and turns, and how his inspiring story turned itself around.
"You can never quench your spiritual craving through material means." — Russell Brand
Day 12: Learn how to rival Masterchef with 'Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking' by Samin Nosrat
Whether you believe yourself to be a good cook already or you feel there’s room for improvement, 'Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking' is the book you need. Sometimes, it’s not the most complicated things that bring together the whole, but a firm grasp of the basics.
“Play to each element’s strengths: use Salt to enhance, Fat to carry, and Acid to balance flavor.” — Samin Nosrat
Day 13: Discover the natural food route with 'Animal Vegetable Miracle: A Year of Food Life' by Barbara Kingsolver
When Barbara Kingsolver and her family moved to a farm, she wasn’t sure what to expect, but since then, her life has transformed. This part-diary, part-guide gives valuable insights into health and wellness through diet and natural foods. If you’re looking for a way to break out of the processed route, this is the book for you.
“Cooking is 80 percent confidence, a skill best acquired starting from when the apron strings wrap around you twice.” — Barbara Kingsolver
Day 14: Kick fad diets to the curb with 'How Not to Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss' by Michael Greger
Sick of fad diets and looking for an effective way to lose weight and keep it off? Michael Greger has some gems of information for you in 'How Not to Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss.' Turns out, it’s far more about science than we realize, and learning how your body works unlocks the knowledge you’ve been craving.
“Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” — Albert Einstein
Day 15: Hit your 7-8 hours per night with 'The Sleep Revolution: Transform Your Life, One Night at a Time' by Arianna Huffington
We live in a fast-paced world and don’t have enough time for sleep. Or should that say that we don’t prioritize sleep time enough? If you feel rest is nothing more than a luxury, it’s time to read 'The Sleep Revolution: Transform Your Life, One Night at a Time' by Arianna Huffington. There, you’ll learn key tips on how to get enough shut-eye every night and feel a whole lot better for it.
“Sleep is profoundly intertwined with virtually every aspect of brain health. Lack of sleep over time can lead to an irreversible loss of brain cells—yet another debunking of the myth that sleep debt can be made up.” — Arianna Huffington
Day 16: Discover what you’re capable of with 'The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Full Human Potential' by Wim Hof
Do you believe you can achieve the so-called impossible? Wim Hof believes you can, and by the end of 'The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Full Human Potential,' you might, too. From mind-blowing personal stories to tips to help you on your way to superhuman feats of your own, this is a must-read for anyone keen to develop their mental strength.
“Do you know what a happy person needs? Nothing. Because he is happy. That is what I want to give to my children, to the beloveds around me, to all the living beings around me. I want to be happy, and I want the same for you.” — Wim Hof
Day 17: Learn how to move past trauma with 'The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma' by Bessel van der Kolk
Traumatic experiences have a much greater impact on us than we realize. In 'The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma,' Bessel van der Kolk explains the scientific research behind how the mind and body react to trauma and ways to escape its clutches to regain future happiness.
“As long as you keep secrets and suppress information, you are fundamentally at war with yourself…The critical issue is allowing yourself to know what you know. That takes an enormous amount of courage.” — Bessel van der Kolk
Day 18: Activate your fat cells in the right way with 'Always Hungry? Conquer Cravings, Retrain Your Fat Cells, and Lose Weight Permanently' by David Ludwig
Do cravings control your life? You’re not alone. But the good news is that you can conquer those cravings and take back the reins of control for yourself. You don’t have to be at war with your appetite to lose weight; you can do so while enjoying a little of what you like in moderation. David Ludwig explains how.
“Forget calories. Focus on quality. Let your body do the rest.” — David Ludwig
Day 19: Enjoy what you see in the mirror with 'Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease' by Robert H. Lustig
It seems like all the foods we enjoy are on the list of things we shouldn’t eat, but that’s partly down to the way we’ve programmed our tastebuds and brains. In 'Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease,' Robert H. Lustig gives excellent actionable advice on how to beat sugar addictions and bypass fast food for good.
“The obesity pandemic is due to our altered biochemistry, which is a result of our altered environment.” — Robert H. Lustig
Day 20: Prepare to be amazed with 'Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us' by Michael Moss
It’s easy to think that food companies know what’s good for us and that they only have our health and well-being in mind. Wrong. They’re actually making us unhealthier by pushing us toward processed foods we learn to love. While you don’t have to avoid all the 'good stuff,’ you can learn the art of moderation. Michael Moss shows you how.
“They may have salt, sugar, and fat on their side, but we, ultimately, have the power to make choices. After all, we decide what to buy. We decide how much to eat.” — Michael Moss
Day 21: Retrain your tastebuds with 'The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor' by Mark Schatzker
There’s a very real link between nutrition and flavor, and it turns out our taste buds have been trained all wrong! Let Mark Schatzker enlighten your mind with the tricks the food industry has been playing on you.
“Modern food may be the most compelling lie humans have ever told.” — Mark Schatzker
Boost your well-being with Headway summaries!
If you’re ready to dive in and change your life, let Headway lead your charge! Our 21-Day Wellness Challenge is the perfect place to start. In just 15 minutes, you can read or listen to a summary and discover valuable and inspiring insights to change your mindset.
Your new life starts now!
