William H. Wall

This debut self-help work presents arguments for simple changes that could have a big impact on one’s health.

In this brief book, Wall, the founder of fitness and weight-loss company Trim Body, presents ideas about basic healthy practices that he says can reverse disease, obesity, and chronic unhappiness. He posits that most pain, inflammation, and discomfort come from a lack of nutrients in a poor diet; in particular, he highlights deficiencies in important vitamins, such as D-3, and the mineral magnesium. He recommends exercise and eating whole, healthy foods as a way to create simple changes with large effects. The book is divided into three sections, and the first deals with technology and daily lifestyle habits that interfere with being trim and healthy. Wall argues that a reliance on technology leads to less physical movement, but more instant gratification; he cites examples such as automatic windows in cars, and sitting endlessly in traffic each day. He then moves into nutritional issues, citing the troubles with excessive alcohol and empty calories, and how a lack of proper nutrients can create a void. Finally, he provides strategies for incorporating more exercise into each day, including resistance training, counting steps, and walking more frequently. Readers searching for simple solutions to a sedentary lifestyle will enjoy his straightforward approach to slimming down and eating healthy. Experienced readers of nutrition and exercise books may find the material to be overly general, though, as Wall offers a broad overview of basics, aimed at beginners on the path to change. One particularly helpful element is the author’s analogy of a healthy lifestyle as a game of chess: finding threats and adverse players, he says, will allow a person to consistently combat health hazards and build a trim life.

A brief, general set of guidelines for overcoming sedentary, unhealthy living.