ALIVE WITH LIFE

A compact and comprehensive system for finding health and happiness.

The latest from medical doctor, professor, and entrepreneur Epler (Fuel for Life, 2013, etc.) is a read-in-one-sitting book with one clear goal—to give its readers more good days, the kind in which everything goes just right, when they’re feeling healthy, happy, and well-adjusted. To that end, the author’s approach is two-pronged. On the one hand, he lays out five “components” of well-being, including “being engaged in life,” “finding meaning in your life,” and having positive social interactions. He matches these strategies with 10 health practices—basics that most people already know, such as a nutritionally balanced diet, regular exercise, plenty of sleep, and constantly learning new things. Epler’s prose is clear and energetic throughout, whether he’s writing about ordinary subjects, such as the benefits of regular daydreaming, or extraordinary ones, such as the puzzling assertion that people can learn to heal their own “complex dysfunctional disease” by using the power of the mind. The bulk of the book offers elaborations on the five components and 10 health practices. Some are very specific and helpful, such as Epler’s discussion of the dangers of trans fats and saturated fats. Other are less so, such as the vague and aphoristic encouragements that pepper the book (“Live and enjoy the moment”). Epler dramatizes and humanizes his points with short vignettes that depict ordinary people dealing with situations that relate to the topic at hand (“Let me tell you about my friend and work-out partner John”). His own experience as a medical doctor comes through in every discussion, whether it’s about the dangers of processed sugars or the benefits of getting enough sleep and steering clear of caffeine late in the day.

An often uplifting and refreshingly brief outline of basic mental and physical self-care.