Picture this ladies: it’s 3:00 in the afternoon, and you’ve hit that afternoon slump. You’re mentally and physically exhausted, overwhelmed, and stressed. You haven’t been sleeping well and you’ve been carb-loading like an Olympic gold medalist. If you drink coffee now, you’re bound to be up all night, thus perpetuating the cycle of exhaustion, sugar and caffeine intake, then crashing back to exhaustion again. You’ve tried every diet and exercise fad there is, only to discover there is no quick fix for all your problems. You’ve convinced yourself that your lack of self-control is the root of your problems. If this sounds like you, you may want to check out Sarah Fragoso and Brooke Kalanick’s new book Hangry: 5 Simple Steps to Balance Your Hormones and Restore Your Joy.
Hormones play an extremely vital part of our bodies’ functions. You can think of hormones as the messengers for bodily functions. If your hormones are unbalanced, other parts of your bodily functions could be affected. Hormone imbalance may cause you to suffer from anxiety, depression, obesity, fatigue, and a bevy of other unsavory conditions that get in the way of your day to day life. Navigating through medical jargon is difficult. Thankfully, Sarah Fragoso and Brooke Kalanick breaks everything down in an easy to understand format. Hangry is broken down into 2.5 parts. Part 1 explains why you may feel the way you do, which parts/functions in your body are affected by hormone imbalance, and that despite how you may feel, you aren’t the only one suffering in silence. Part 1 also offers suggestions on how to go from a hangry swamp monster to a happy woman, with five pillars for success, mainly focusing on customizable self-care. Part 2 of Hangry walks you through a four week reset that focuses on targeting what works for you and how to stick with the reset, offering tips for success. The last part of the book includes an exercise template with detailed photos and instructions that may help you with building up strength and endurance as well as recipes for clean eating.
I really enjoyed Sarah Fragoso & Brooke Kalanick’s new book. I especially liked the conversation style writing. Other books on the topic of healthy lifestyle changes sometimes come off as rigid, focusing on a quick fix exercise and diet program. Hangry draws focus away from rigid rules and suggests that healthy lifestyles can be achieved by being gentle and kind to ourselves. This book provides a sustainable approach to healthy lifestyle changes that take time and holds the reader accountable for their own happiness and well-being. As with anything, before you attempt a life style change such as those suggested in Hangry: 5 Simple Steps to Balance Your Hormones and Restore Your Joy talk with your health care provider.
Rating: ***** Stars (I loved it!)