My favorite books on life-style health

Why am I passionate about this?

I have lectured in 30 countries and all US States. Previously, I was the Director of Training in Mental Health for Kaiser Permanente in the Northern California region. In this capacity, I oversaw training programs in 24 medical centers where over 150 postdoctoral residents and interns are trained each year, the largest mental health training program in the US.  I am the author of 15 books (translated into over 20 languages). The second edition of my book, Rewire Your Brain 2.0, came out last year. My book, Mind-Brain-Gene: Toward the Integration of Psychotherapy, encompasses the fields of psychoneuroimmunology, Epigenetics, Neuroscience, Nutritional Neuroscience, and psychotherapy research.    


I wrote...

Rewire Your Brain 2.0: Five Healthy Factors to a Better Life

By John B. Arden,

Book cover of Rewire Your Brain 2.0: Five Healthy Factors to a Better Life

What is my book about?

This book presents new developments in a range of sciences that promote brain health. This book offers down-to-earth guidelines from a range of sciences, including neuroscience, epigenetics, immunology, and psychology. In this 2nd Edition, the book offers guidelines on how to apply the latest developments in these fields to help improve your mood, memory, life, longevity, and relationships. You’ll learn to overcome mild depression and anxiety, procrastination, burnout, compassion fatigue, and a variety of other negative thought patterns. 

The practical applications of recent discoveries in these sciences are made most accessible by the use of a mnemonic. Each of these five letters in SEEDS identifies the essential lifestyle behaviors that promote brain health and longevity. These five factors are Social, Exercise, Education, Diet, and Sleep.  

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

John B. Arden Why did I love this book?

I found this book to be an excellent testament to the importance of good quality sleep. The author engages the reader by not only presenting his own research, but all the current research on how all the aspects of sleep are critical for brain health.

We spend literally one-third of our lives asleep. There are many brain maintenance functions that are critical during the sleep process. This book describes how each one of these functions is important for the brain and mental health in general.

By Matthew Walker,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Why We Sleep as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
TLS, OBSERVER, SUNDAY TIMES, FT, GUARDIAN, DAILY MAIL AND EVENING STANDARD BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2017

'Vital ... a life-raft' Guardian
'A top sleep scientist argues that sleep is more important for our health than diet or exercise' The Times
'It had a powerful effect on me' Observer
'I urge you all to read this book' Times Higher Education

Sleep is one of the most important aspects of our life, health and longevity and yet it is increasingly neglected in twenty-first-century society, with devastating consequences: every major disease in the developed world - Alzheimer's,…


Book cover of Burn: New Research Blows the Lid Off How We Really Burn Calories, Stay Healthy, and Lose Weight

John B. Arden Why did I love this book?

This timely book reveals how many of the food fads are not based on coherent and sensible science.

One of the hot fads that the book reveals does not make historical sense is the so-called paleo diet, which is based on the no-carb diet. Actually, our ancestors, who were all hunter-gatherers, did not eat primarily meat and avoid carbohydrates. In fact, these ancestors ate complex carbohydrates. The point that the author raises is that complex carbs are critical for metabolism.  

By Herman Pontzer,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Burn as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Pontzer's findings have huge implications for our attitudes to exercise, diet and public health' Mark Webster, Sunday Times

A myth-busting tour of the body's hidden foundations from a pioneering evolutionary biologist

'Public health strategies stubbornly cling to the simplistic armchair engineer's view of metabolism, hurting efforts to combat obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and the other diseases that are most likely to kill us'

Herman Pontzer's ground-breaking research has revealed how, contrary to received wisdom, exercise does not increase our metabolism. Instead, we burn calories within a very narrow range: nearly 3,000 calories per day, no matter our activity level.…


Book cover of Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding

John B. Arden Why did I love this book?

This book presents a compelling argument that exercise provides essential body-building and restoring functions.

Though our ancestors did not engage in exercise as an activity, they engaged in activities that provided all the body movements and cardiovascular boosts that are what we now call exercise. Exercise is often described as the best medicine. This book describes why that is true.

By Daniel Lieberman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Exercised as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

If exercise is healthy (so good for you!), why do many people dislike or avoid it? These engaging stories and explanations will revolutionize the way you think about exercising—not to mention sitting, sleeping, sprinting, weight lifting, playing, fighting, walking, jogging, and even dancing.

“Strikes a perfect balance of scholarship, wit, and enthusiasm.” —Bill Bryson, New York Times best-selling author of The Body

• If we are born to walk and run, why do most of us take it easy whenever possible?
• Does running ruin your knees?
• Should we do weights, cardio, or high-intensity training?
• Is sitting really…


Book cover of Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity

John B. Arden Why did I love this book?

I found this book to not only provide the current science of longevity but also lay out concrete guidelines and recommendations.

The first part of the book offers up-to-date science on metabolism, immune function, and neuroscience. He then moves on to contrast conventional assumptions about these topics with recent discoveries. The later part of the book features beliefs that he once held that are now understood as inaccurate.

Throughout the book, he uses himself as an example of someone who thought he knew about health and longevity and how he has recently discovered that some of his efforts were not helpful.   

By Peter Attia, Bill Gifford,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Outlive as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This is the ultimate manual for longevity.

For all its successes, mainstream medicine has failed to make much progress against the diseases of ageing that kill most people: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and type 2 diabetes. Too often, it intervenes with treatments too late, prolonging lifespan at the expense of quality of life. Dr Peter Attia, the world's top longevity expert, believes we must replace this outdated framework with a personalised, proactive strategy for longevity.

This isn't 'biohacking,' it's science: a well-founded strategic approach to extending lifespan while improving our physical, cognitive and emotional health, making each decade better…


Book cover of Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive

John B. Arden Why did I love this book?

This book makes the complex subject of the immune system fun to learn about.

At a time when our immune systems are taxed by the COVID epidemic, many people are confused about the role of our immune response, and this book provides an in-depth description of our body’s defenses in an entertaining and compelling way.

Critically important is that there is an immune system in the brain. When chronic inflammation occurs in the body, it also occurs in the brain, contributing to depression and cognitive deficits. 

By Philipp Dettmer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Immune as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The book from the creator of the wildly popular science YouTube channel, Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell, a gorgeously illustrated deep dive into the immune system that will change how you think about your body forever.
__________

'A truly brilliant introduction to the human body's vast system for fighting infections and other threats'
JOHN GREEN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars

'Reads as if it's a riveting sci-fi novel . . . a delightful treat for the curious'
TIM URBAN, creator of Wait But Why
__________

You wake up and feel a tickle in…


You might also like...

Rewriting Illness

By Elizabeth Benedict,

Book cover of Rewriting Illness

Elizabeth Benedict

New book alert!

What is my book about?

What happens when a novelist with a “razor-sharp wit” (Newsday), a “singular sensibility” (Huff Post), and a lifetime of fear about getting sick finds a lump where no lump should be? Months of medical mishaps, coded language, and Doctors who don't get it.

With wisdom, self-effacing wit, and the story-telling artistry of an acclaimed novelist, Elizabeth Benedict recollects her cancer diagnosis after discovering multiplying lumps in her armpit. In compact, explosive chapters, interspersed with moments of self-mocking levity, she chronicles her illness from muddled diagnosis to “natural remedies,” to debilitating treatments, as she gathers sustenance from family, an assortment of urbane friends, and a fearless “cancer guru.”

Rewriting Illness is suffused with suspense, secrets, and the unexpected solace of silence.

Rewriting Illness

By Elizabeth Benedict,

What is this book about?

By turns somber and funny but above all provocative, Elizabeth Benedict's Rewriting Illness: A View of My Own is a most unconventional memoir. With wisdom, self-effacing wit, and the story-telling skills of a seasoned novelist, she brings to life her cancer diagnosis and committed hypochondria. As she discovers multiplying lumps in her armpit, she describes her initial terror, interspersed with moments of self-mocking levity as she indulges in "natural remedies," among them chanting Tibetan mantras, drinking shots of wheat grass, and finding medicinal properties in chocolate babka. She tracks the progression of her illness from muddled diagnosis to debilitating treatment…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in immune system, sleep, and weight loss?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about immune system, sleep, and weight loss.

Immune System Explore 13 books about immune system
Sleep Explore 22 books about sleep
Weight Loss Explore 23 books about weight loss