Gym owner, fitness program director, certified health advocate and multimedia artist Stephanie D. Shorr mentors those seeking optimal health: the kind of fitness that helps prevent degenerative diseases and loss of functionality. With a wider audience in mind, the author now creates practical, actionable strategies to guide readers in taking responsibility for their own health, a holistic approach ranging from nutrition and physical activity to community involvement.

Shorr’s engaging combination of personal narrative and scientific data is designed to empower readers with a proactive approach through small but effective steps to build a robust immune system. Although much of what she says is general knowledge (eat organic fruits and vegetables, hydrate, add fiber to diet), she writes in a conversational, personal style that draws readers in through her own experiences.

Why doesn’t our brain choose the healthiest foods? Shorr attributes this to feel-good chemicals and a brain that hasn’t evolved as fast as modern food processing, as well as the siren song of sugar. She reveals her early struggles with a Twiggy-type model consciousness, including once making her entire family leave a restaurant because there were marshmallows in the salad.

Desiring to improve her health, she began to explore the workings of the microbiome (the gut) and shares her experiences: how to recognize the leptin satiety hormone and its opposite, the ghrelin hunger hormone, as well as the benefits of probiotics. Bonus recipes, including one for a high protein, gluten-free chocolate hazelnut cupcake, are included so readers can support their own microbiomes. Fitness is equally important, so she counsels yoga poses for flexibility. Other actionable steps describe intermittent fasting and how to calculate cardio heart rate.

The author’s thoroughly researched suggestions are likely to resonate with readers looking to learn more or reaffirm current knowledge. Her relaxed, self-revealing book is like chatting with your own personal trainer or nutritionist and is an appealing, practical primer for self-care protocols that can lead to a healthier life.

Also available in hardcover, ebook and audio book.