Nonfiction

The Self-Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier, and Fitter--One Month at a Time

The Self-Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier, and Fitter--One Month at a Time

  • Downloads：5048
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-01-08 05:19:12
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jennifer Ashton
  • ISBN：0062885464
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Bridget ，

Full of fatphobia and unsubstantiated claims presented as peer reviewed science， it was especially disappointing to see this coming from a physician。

Susann ，

Pretty basic 。。 but if you’re looking to make some changes has some good suggestions on where to start

Linda Hartlaub ，

Dr。 Ashton gives the reader a blueprint for twelve habits that we can incorporate into our lives from a Dry Month in January to Laughter in December， with exercise， mindfulness and diet in between。 You can choose one or two or follow her year long self-improvement module through the year。 Filled with personal anecdotes and science， this is not a quick fix for what ails you， but a long term program to help the individual live a better， healthier， happier life。

August Edwards ，

Great premise but this lady is either a nutjob or has an eating disorder or both

Dee Cook ，

Excellent！ I loved it。 I read a chapter per month and tried to keep up with each monthly challenge。 I have continued on with a few。

Anna ，

This is a positive and a lighthearted read。 I liked the concept of 30 day self-improvements which are quite relevant and healthy。 However， at times the book got a bit tedious as a lot of it dedicated to the author’s personal journey。 Being the high-achiever herself， I am not sure if the author’s constant success is helpful to a lot of her followers。I followed quite a few challenges myself， some went quite well and I felt the positive changes， some like meditation gone amiss。 Still I quite enjoye This is a positive and a lighthearted read。 I liked the concept of 30 day self-improvements which are quite relevant and healthy。 However， at times the book got a bit tedious as a lot of it dedicated to the author’s personal journey。 Being the high-achiever herself， I am not sure if the author’s constant success is helpful to a lot of her followers。I followed quite a few challenges myself， some went quite well and I felt the positive changes， some like meditation gone amiss。 Still I quite enjoyed participating。 。。。more

Elizabeth ，

Enjoyed real how to examples of self-care and the monthly commitment to highlight the quantitative and qualitative results。 I’ve tried some of the challenges。 If you need to know the why behind each challenge it covers that， too。 I think this could be a fun Bookclub book to kick off the new year and keep each other accountable all year long。

Alice Yoder ，

21 days makes a habit， so working on something for 30 days usually does the trick。 I didn't do everything in this book but I did a lot and will continue to do so。 21 days makes a habit， so working on something for 30 days usually does the trick。 I didn't do everything in this book but I did a lot and will continue to do so。 。。。more

Edlin ，

Great monthly challenges This book gave me a lot of insight on what challenges to do each month。 I liked that the author added scientific backup to the claims。 I also liked that she even admitted that she failed the sugar chills he month。 I am going to start doing These types of challenges to help me with my healthy journey。

Natalie ，

At the beginning I thought it was basically like the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin but then it was a lot more health focused with lots of scientific details， so I liked it！

Kelly Finley ，

Having read another’s experience of focusing on a habit goal once per month， I feel even more inspired to continue my monthly challenges。 The only reason I am giving this 4/5 stars is because no sources were cited。 Many references were made in each chapter about “studies show ___” in relation to a topic。 Yet， no validity or credibility was proven through cited sources。 I would have enjoyed being able to dive deeper to understand more about the why behind results。

Cathy Meyers ，

3。5*。

Jill Urie ，

I thought that the individual topics were useful。 But her tone of privilege was rather off-putting: the Constant mentions of things like her ‘division 1 athlete daughter’， and her closet of ‘tv dresses and designer shoes’ （those are direct quotations） got old real fast。 So towards the end I found myself skimming more and more。

Mary ，

I didn't live this book。 I found the author's tone self-congratulatory and pretty annoying。 However， there were some good ideas for manageable changes to improve your well being。 I didn't live this book。 I found the author's tone self-congratulatory and pretty annoying。 However， there were some good ideas for manageable changes to improve your well being。 。。。more

Mike ，

It's good to know how Jennifer battled with the challenges; however， I would have preferred to see more case studies。 She may be a superwoman with strong determination; however， some people are not， and it would be great to see how those people overcome their challenges。Apart from the above， the book is worth listening to。 It's good to know how Jennifer battled with the challenges; however， I would have preferred to see more case studies。 She may be a superwoman with strong determination; however， some people are not， and it would be great to see how those people overcome their challenges。Apart from the above， the book is worth listening to。 。。。more

Sandy ，

Solid， reasonable suggestions for most people， but may come off as a little elitist for some readers。

Julie Bestry ，

This is a perky， cheery book that ignores a lot of the toughest obstacles to tout some important （and some overlooked） methods of self-care。 I enjoyed Ashton's pandemic-related book that I read last month， and was eagerly anticipating this one， which applies the "monthly challenge" approach twelve different categories:Dry Month （abstaining from alcohol）Pushups & PlanksMeditationCardioLess Meat/More PlantsHydrationMore StepsMindful TechLess SugarStretchingSleepLaugherTo be fair， I already don't d This is a perky， cheery book that ignores a lot of the toughest obstacles to tout some important （and some overlooked） methods of self-care。 I enjoyed Ashton's pandemic-related book that I read last month， and was eagerly anticipating this one， which applies the "monthly challenge" approach twelve different categories:Dry Month （abstaining from alcohol）Pushups & PlanksMeditationCardioLess Meat/More PlantsHydrationMore StepsMindful TechLess SugarStretchingSleepLaugherTo be fair， I already don't drink， don't eat meat， walk 4。2+ miles per day， eat little sugar and am mindful about my tech usage。 But I've got serious insomnia and could still use to eat a lot more plant-based meals。Each chapter is divided into three parts: Ashton's own experience in going through the challenges （divided into sections for each week of the month）， the science behind each challenge and why the change is beneficial， and ten tips for making each challenge easier to incorporate into one's life。 So far， so good。I like Ashton's authoritative but cheerful tone。 But the fact was that even the challenges that were the hardest for her seemed barely challenging， as if your skinny-minny friend complained that she had to work really hard to only eat one bite of pie， but whew， she did it。 [Insert eye-roll。] Otherwise， she humble-brags a lot about her ability to sleep anywhere or how she works out every day。 Rather than devoting one-third of the book to Ashton's experiences， which often get repetitive within any given section， it might have been better if she included the experiences of people who: had small children， who were over 60， who had disabilities， who were economically disadvantaged， etc。。 A young mom of two living in a food dessert or a parent working two jobs， or someone who already has health issues would benefit from all of her advice， and seeing someone with more realistic challenges than an a rich， slender， attractive， TV-star doctor might help people engage more。 （I'm not saying she shouldn't have shared her experiences， just that they shouldn't have been the only ones。）In the second section， the "why this stuff is good for you，" items were compelling， but I think we could have used a little bit more of the science。 I don't just want to know that drinking more water will do X， but HOW it works。 There are no academic/medical citations at the end of the book， which surprised me。 Personally， I like to delve into the research。 The third section of each chapter focused on the "how do make it work for you" aspects。 This felt light-weight， like I was reading a magazine article。 Indeed， each chapter could have culled her personal experience and then served as an article-a-month in Oprah or Real Simple or a similar magazine。 I would have liked more depth here， as telling someone who doesn't has insomnia to get in bed earlier is a bit laughable。 And， indeed， her advice all the way through seems to amount to getting up earlier and earlier to do these things， and she buys into the disproven studies that early birds are happier。 （Nope， night owls who aren't pushed into getting up early are just as happy or unhappy as their cohorts。 But anyway。） I'm an insomniac who， while not eating meat， hates to cook and hates most produce。 You'd think there's be something to help me， but I found only platitudes for my own challenges。 Ah， well。I liked the idea， I liked the set-up， I liked how Ashton （and her cowriter， Sarah Toland， who seems to do a lot of heavy lifting for someone who gets little credit） created a positive tone。 But the tone is perhaps a bit too positive， not exploring the challenges that real （particular real， socioeconomically or physically challenged） people may face。 If the book had taken those challenges seriously， and offered more in-depth solutions， I'd probably have rated this a 5。 As is， it's a 3。5 promoted to a 4。 It's a good start if someone wants a little motivation to explore self-care; but if you want a real guide， you'll need to do more research on your own。 。。。more

Mike L ，

This was a good book。 The author （Doctor Ashton） highlights her year long quest for self improvement。 Each month Dr。 Ashton spotlighted a specific area she worked to improve upon。

Emma Barnet ，

I hated this books she made it seem like everyone could do this and that is just not ture and seems to dismiss any reason someone couldn't do this as laziness while at the same time not considering people with disabilities or illness who may already feel this way about themselves。 Not to mention the fat phobia and general diet culture of this book。 As well with the self centeredness of this book。 This book is not for me at all and would negatively review it I hated this books she made it seem like everyone could do this and that is just not ture and seems to dismiss any reason someone couldn't do this as laziness while at the same time not considering people with disabilities or illness who may already feel this way about themselves。 Not to mention the fat phobia and general diet culture of this book。 As well with the self centeredness of this book。 This book is not for me at all and would negatively review it 。。。more

Natalie ，

Highly recommended！

Seyoung ，

I decided to start running beginning next month， and I'm excited to see what changes I'll go through by doing that challenge。 Also， pretty relieved to hear that even for someone as fit and knowledgeable as the author， sugar is hard to quit。 I decided to start running beginning next month， and I'm excited to see what changes I'll go through by doing that challenge。 Also， pretty relieved to hear that even for someone as fit and knowledgeable as the author， sugar is hard to quit。 。。。more

Kate Conroy ，

Thank you Dr。 Ashton for helping me with your more-laughter challenge: this book had me cracking up， though not in the way I think she wanted。 I was actually cackling throughout the book because after every single week， she's like， "From doing X thing for 5 more days， I felt lighter on my feet， happier， more focused， my skin was glowing even more， I looked younger， I was less stressed， etc。" Girl what！ That really happened 52 weeks in a row？！ So you reached Enlightenment？？ Sorry， correction: 48 Thank you Dr。 Ashton for helping me with your more-laughter challenge: this book had me cracking up， though not in the way I think she wanted。 I was actually cackling throughout the book because after every single week， she's like， "From doing X thing for 5 more days， I felt lighter on my feet， happier， more focused， my skin was glowing even more， I looked younger， I was less stressed， etc。" Girl what！ That really happened 52 weeks in a row？！ So you reached Enlightenment？？ Sorry， correction: 48 weeks， because she did not do well at her sugar challenge and detailed how much she felt like crap at the end of those 4 weeks。 Although， then at the end of that chapter， she's like， "I was uncontrollable re: sugar for the whole month but I stayed positive and the whole next month I only ate one single bite of sugar。" And then she immediately moves to the next topic like she didn't just completely flip her worst habit。 I'm so confused。To be clear， if she really felt that positive for the vast majority of the year， I'm happy for her。 Especially after what happened with her ex-husband， she deserves some Enlightenment。 It just doesn't seem super plausible。 But to be honest， I don't really care because it was so entertaining。 Also， she really almost convinced me to try meditating， so she deserves a shout out for that。 Didn't quite get me， but came closer than anyone else。 Small annoyances include talking about being "meat-free" while detailing all the chicken and fish she was eating—girl do you need me to define "animal" for you？—and how much she talked about how helpful it can be if we get our Instagram followers in on our challenges—we don't all have 300k followers， it's not the same。Actual problems include saying that anyone can do a push up。 Do I really need to explain why this is a problem。 。。。more

Vladyslava Lazepka ，

Для книги были выбраны базовые привычки， способные улучшить самочувствие почти каждого， и результаты от внедрения их тоже ожидаемы и правдивы。Тем не менее， в книге супер-фокус на похудение， видно， у авторки это идея-фикс， и очень кринжово читать "я такая по жизни супер целеустремленная， у меня начались проблемы со спиной от планок и я заработала себе кучу болезней суставов бегом， но я такая супер целеустремленная， что продолжила делать планки， увеличив продолжительность， и возобновила бег в ново Для книги были выбраны базовые привычки， способные улучшить самочувствие почти каждого， и результаты от внедрения их тоже ожидаемы и правдивы。Тем не менее， в книге супер-фокус на похудение， видно， у авторки это идея-фикс， и очень кринжово читать "я такая по жизни супер целеустремленная， у меня начались проблемы со спиной от планок и я заработала себе кучу болезней суставов бегом， но я такая супер целеустремленная， что продолжила делать планки， увеличив продолжительность， и возобновила бег в новом вызове"。 Тщеславие авторки давно поссорилось с реальностью и здравым смыслом。 。。。more

Robyn ，

Totally dug this book。 Highly recommend。 Did the stretch challenge for 30 days。 Now trying to pick the next one。

Deidre ，

Duh

Jennifer ，

[Audiobook] What the actual。 The challenges in this book are great， but I was turned off by Ashton’s descriptions of her experiences。 Every month， within a week of a new challenge， was like “I felt great！ I have more energy！ My tummy is flatter！ Etc etc！” I mean， it doesn’t even make sense to compound these changes over 12 months unless you’re starting from a baseline of total flabby blahness， which Ashton clearly isn’t （famous， successful， rich， thin， beautiful， in shape， and so on）。 Disappoint [Audiobook] What the actual。 The challenges in this book are great， but I was turned off by Ashton’s descriptions of her experiences。 Every month， within a week of a new challenge， was like “I felt great！ I have more energy！ My tummy is flatter！ Etc etc！” I mean， it doesn’t even make sense to compound these changes over 12 months unless you’re starting from a baseline of total flabby blahness， which Ashton clearly isn’t （famous， successful， rich， thin， beautiful， in shape， and so on）。 Disappointing， since I appreciated Ashton’s authenticity in Life After Suicide。 。。。more

Judith ，

I'm big on self-help/self-improvement books so I was a sucker for this one。 The author is a gorgeous television personality/ doctor and expert in nutrition， obesity and OB/GYN。 How could she not write a book telling the rest of us losers how to improve our lives。 The book is divided into months and each month you only have to do one thing to improve your life。 Easy-peasy。 It starts in January but I started my new year in December so I could be a month ahead of the crowd。 It seemed so simple: Jan I'm big on self-help/self-improvement books so I was a sucker for this one。 The author is a gorgeous television personality/ doctor and expert in nutrition， obesity and OB/GYN。 How could she not write a book telling the rest of us losers how to improve our lives。 The book is divided into months and each month you only have to do one thing to improve your life。 Easy-peasy。 It starts in January but I started my new year in December so I could be a month ahead of the crowd。 It seemed so simple: January: dry month/February: Push-ups and planks/March: meditation/April: Cardio/May: less meat， more plants/ June: hydration/ July: more steps/ August: mindful tech/September: less sugar/October: stretching/November: sleep/December: laughter。 The problem is my brain is too old to be tricked。 YOU KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO DO BUT YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO MAKE YOURSELF DO IT。 Everything the author talks about will make you lighter， leaner， smarter， more focused， and more energetic。 Who knew？ For those of you still enjoying self-help books， this is still valid advice。 For the rest of us: just give it up。 。。。more

Anna Goldina ，

В целом неплохая книга， которая помогла мне впервые попробовать медитацию， сделать планку и растяжку частью своей рутины。Некоторые вызовы были для меня неактуальны， а некоторые， на мой взгляд， надуманные。

Didu ，

I’ve really enjoyed this little book of experiences。 It starts with plain advice， super organized and it talks you out of alcoholism and makes take up meditation， cardio and having a sugar free diet all for your well being。 And the well being comes surely。 I don’t know what more to say then you should actually read this book。 It’s motivation at it’s peak and it may help you on your own journey。

Sarah ，

4。5