With a tag line of “feed, move, understand and love your amazing body”, Cameron Diaz’s bestselling The Body Book instantly had me intrigued. From her down-to-earth nature to glowing spirit, when I heard she had just released a book about keeping fit, fabulous and happy, I couldn’t wait to read what she had to say.
And while she’s not a vegetarian (so the bits about eating meat didn’t resonate with me—although she’s very diplomatic, giving a shout out to her vegan and vegetarian friends), the talented actress has loads of great info to share, from getting digestion into shape to mastering the mind. As you read on, it’s obvious she’s passionate about more than her day job (although keeping healthy is no doubt an important part of her work).
Educating yourself about your body is one of the most important things that you can do. — Cameron Diaz
“As human beings, when we have experiences that bring us great joy and fulfillment, all we want is to share that excitement with others,” she says. “That’s how I feel about this book.”
She writes that everything within the 263 pages is information that she uses to live her life.
“(It’s) information that makes me feel so excited and joyous… That’s why I’ve written it—because educating yourself about your body is one of the most important things that you can do.”
Cameron dishes the dirt on sugar, including body-damaging high fructose corn syrup, tells why cooking in an iron skillet is a good idea (it increases iron intake), why inflammation is downright dangerous, the importance of sunlight, how our breathing affects our health, how to find your inner athlete—and loads more.
“Your amazing body is the only body that you will ever have,” she writes. “No matter what shape it is, how much you love or hate it, whether it feels tired and word down or lively and invigorated, your body is the most precious thing you have.”
Cameron Diaz’s 7 Secrets of Healthy Living
1. Get Off the Couch – Being sedentary—especially for women—has been found to increase biomarkers (molocules whose presence indicates the likelihood of developing various diseases) for inflammation.
2. Increase Your Consumption of Fruit and Veges – Especially those rich in Vitamin C and beta-carotene. These antioxidant-rich nutrients may help your body minimise the stress response.
3. Increase Your Consumption of Omega-3 Fatty Acids – Add some walnuts to your oatmeal at breakfast. Put a few slices of avocado on a salad at lunchtime.
4. Get Enough Sleep – Lack of sleep may be associated with more inflammation. Aim for seven to nine hours per night.
5. Avoid Excess Body Weight, Especially Around Your Abdomen – Tummy fat is linked more closely with excess inflammation than any other kinds of body fat.
6. Revise Your Workouts During Stressful Times – High-intensity workouts of long duration may be counterproductive and result in over training, characterised by lots of inflammation. Moderate-intensity workouts, such as riding your bike for an hour, may be better and actually help control inflammation.
7. Maintain a Positive Outlook – Reducing stress levels is also an important part of preventing inflammation.
Buy Cameron Diaz’s The Body Book here
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