Coming in third on my list of 20 books that changed my life is a collection of Dr Libby Weaver Books.
Again, a little bit cheeky lopping 5 books in as one, I know. However, these books didn't just change my life, they truly validated everything I already felt to be intuitively true about my experience with my body, my health, and as a woman experiencing a bleed (and painful one at that) each month.
These books helped me fine-tune and refine the essence of a desire I deeply held to support women in a holistic sense when it came to their health, nutrition and movement as a Strength & Conditioning Coach and Mentor.
Owning my own space mean't I could combine my own experience with the beautiful fundamentals inside Dr Libby's books, and weave them into the educational and experiential aspects of my former business, Mind & Body Performance Newcastle. I'm eternally grateful for that.
Let's explore...
1. Women's Wellness Wisdom
- What Every Woman Needs To Know
Every woman should own this book, especially if you're an athlete (but that's just my opinion).
If you could only ever buy one of Dr Libby's books, make it this one.
If you don't have it, buy it. If you do have it, you'll know exactly what I mean, and you probably buy it as a gift for the women in your life often.
This book is POWERFUL. And Dr Libby's writing is so gentle, easy to understand and fun to engage with.
Eat, Body, Mind, World - Dr Libby compartmentalises this book into sections that discuss the nuances we have all at some point experienced as women.
From food and alcohol, to how much water to drink, to emotional eating, to gut bacteria, to bloating, to sugar cravings, to hormones, to not enoughness, to time management... the list goes on.
While theres not immense detail (which I enjoy) for every topic she covers (and theres over 50), she's done such an amazing job at chunking it all down into bite-sized pieces to summarise the most important aspects.
If I had to sum up this book in one word it would be seen.
I feel seen when I read this book, and despite having been a holistic health coach and advocate for women for over 10 years, the wisdom inside these pages never gets old.
My most valuable piece of insight relative to this book is;
When you begin to understand the inner workings of the mind, body, food, spirit and world, there is a deeper reverence and honouring that naturally comes with being a woman. It is not inconvenient to be a woman (that's just what we tell ourselves before we know better).
The value for me in this book was taking the wisdom and claiming at as my own. I made massive decisions after reading this book in regards to my health and well-being.
If you let this book guide you, and you're open to that guidance on a devotional level, your life will change in ways you can't possibly imagine.
I live almost every day of my life feeling unbelievably replenished, alive, and radiant. When you realise this same opportunity exists for you too, you'll also realise what needs to change. You deserve to experience vitality at every stage of your life (especially as you age).
2. What Am I Supposed To Eat
- Making Sense of Food Confusion
'What Do You Want Your Food To Do For You?'
I'm not going to lie, one of the main reasons I enjoy Dr Libby's work so much, is because she doesn't subscribe to calorie counting (which you'll learn about in The Calorie Fallacy).
You'll either find this book incredibly powerful and educational, or deeply confronting (or perhaps both).
Like all things that really, truly matter, once you learn the truth about food, you can't unlearn it. You can only avoid it or pretend it isn't so.
I've witnessed hundreds of women pretend it isn't so, consciously and actively going against the wishes of their bodies and overriding their intuitive processes for the sake of convenience, gratification, pleasing the crowd, or perceived pleasure (all topics for another time, perhaps).
This book really puts the ball back in your court when it comes to what you choose to put in your mouth and ultimately in your body.
Dr Libby goes into beautiful detail around micronutrients, macronutrients, minerals and vitamins, gluten, dairy, food fads, supplementation and how much to eat (while busting a ton of myths and beliefs along the way like.... eating fat will make you fat).
My most valuable piece of insight relative to this book is;
What goes in, on and around your body becomes or influences you as a human. If we really truly understood this we'd reconsider every single thing we put on our plates, in our glasses, on our bodies and inside our homes.
There is a potent shift that comes with reading this book, a shift I believe most women need to really explore which is, taking food as the enemy (good/bad/right/wrong) to... food as nourishment and how I experience myself, my body, my mental state, and ultimately my reality.
3. The Beauty Guide
- Your Body, Biochemistry & Beliefs.
Timeless Beauty, Skin, Hair & Nails, Detoxification, Stress, Self-Image & Beauty Solutions.
I've always been fascinated by women who are in their 40's, 50's and beyond, who don't look a day over 35.
These women don't let their age influence their capacity to thrive, exude radiance, experience and try new things, or move their bodies. And I'm going to be one of them, mark my words.
These women aren't injecting chemicals into their faces to create a younger appearance.
They are using the power of nutrition, lifestyle, knowledge and holistic health to cultivate something entirely different... Something those injectable companies don't want you to know about.
If you often find yourself looking in the mirror, picking yourself a part, noticing the wrinkles in the corners of your eyes, and have a hyper-focus on how old you are getting (and the ways your body is changing), this book will help you neutralise much of that intensity. I wholeheartedly believe that.
But if, like me, you love to harness knowledge as a way to live your most absolute fucking best life, this book will also serve you deeply.
My most valuable piece of insight relative to this book is;
Ageing beautifully & gracefully is never going to be a byproduct of just one decision. It is always going to be a multi-faceted combination of many decisions, and it's never too late to start making aligned and powerful decisions.
Our aversion to ageing runs far deeper than we may realise. And if we are willing to confront ourselves with a deeper degree of unconditional love, then we can begin to replace the time and energy spent on resisting the inevitable with embracing it (the inevitable) and what's possible instead.
4. The Calorie Fallacy
- Stop Dieting Start Nourishing
I've spent the better part of a decade trying to convince and educate women that calorie counting is a dis-service to their heads, hearts, bodies and homes.
Calorie counting is what we do when we don't trust ourselves or our bodies. This, I fundamentally believe.
And I speak to this through the lens of (as) a former 'Fitness Model' who claimed the NSW title here in Australia (who calorie counted her way to success... and adrenal fatigue and hormonal imbalance and self-image issues), and as a current athlete with 2 Silver Medals and a Bronze to the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (who intuitively guides herself, her recovery and her output).
If you're here, you probably already know this, but for the sake of making it stick, remember this:
There are a lot of people who make a lot of money or who's entire businesses depend on the calorie counting equation. These people will sell you on the idea that they have a solution to your weight woes and body image issues, and it almost always swings in the direction of calorie counting, restrictive eating or reducing food intake and increasing physical output.
I want to be clear - there is truth to this. If you eat less and less and less, for most people, their body will change shape. But not always (you might resonate with the phrase 'no matter what I do, I can't seem to make any change'), and not always to your benefit.
And here's why: The calorie equation almost always completely (or partially) dismisses or undermines this basic fact: Not all calories are made equal, and not all foods respond or have the same impact in the body. Oh, and most bodies are dysregulated and living in a state of stress (the sympathetic nervous system is engaged), which does influence so much of the way our bodies digest food and store fat.
In fact, some foods and physical activities (like PNS breathing techniques and Yin Yoga) have incredible benefits when it comes to supporting your body to heal and lose weight.
The biggest hurdle I stumbled upon when trying to offer this information to women in my holistic gym, was that they were under the illusion that more is better. The higher the intensity, the better. The less calories, the better. A scarcity mindset, if you will. The belief was 'if I slow down or even stop, all of my hard work will be undone'. As if to say that their body is totally incapable of working with them to achieve the things they so desperately want to achieve.
Here's a personal tip from me to you: Your body will tell you. You just need to be listening. And if you don't like what it's saying, and you consciously choose to override it's message, you will forever enrol yourself in having someone else tell you what to do, how to do it, and when to do it or worse (in my opinion), you will feel completely rundown, burn't out, have repeating cold's and flu's, and your results may be unpredictable or regressive (just to name a few).
To rely on someone else to tell you when, how and what to eat is the epitome of dependence. This doesn't mean don't educate yourself, it means pay attention, listen and LEAN IN to what you hear, see and experience FOR YOURSELF, for the sake of your self-reliance.
OK, that was an unexpected tangent. I'm obviously very passionate about this.
This book will debunk the calorie counting saga once and for all. Do yourself favour, let it.
5. Rushing Woman's Syndrome
- The Impact Of A Never Ending To-Do List On Your Health.
And so we come full circle...
This book will likely be the last one you pick up because it doesn't validate your desire (need) to move so damn quickly throughout your day and life. I caution against this... As it will serve you greatly in actually achieving the things you want.
You're going to learn so much about your nervous system in this book, and the powerful ways it will help and support you, or hinder you (depending on how you're living).
I don't preach breathwork, mindfulness and meditation because I enjoy telling people how to live. I do it because of the peace, and the beautiful liberation from pressure, that I get to experience each and every day.
As if I wouldn't want that for all of us.
Here's something I find totally wild and natural all at the same time: Thought alone can trigger your sympathetic nervous system. So, even if you're not completing the tasks on your list, simply thinking about them will directly influence whether your body digests the food you ate earlier, or stores it (because you could be in danger and so might your access to food).
Your body is so fucking smart, but not smart enough to recognise perceived danger from actual life-threatening danger. So it lops it all in as the same kind of danger, and your body responds accordingly.
The ripple effects of living in a state of stress extend far beyond food. The influence on your hormones, emotions, actions (or inaction), motivation, inspiration, creativity and relationships is enormous (not to mention your bank account...).
Dr Libby shares a ton of insight in this book around managing the demands of every day life and what those demands do to your body, so that you can actually begin to support yourself as your pursue all of your hopes and dreams.
You don't need to sacrifice your health, well-being and vitality for the sake of getting more done. Personally, I get so much more done when I feel spacious and grounded, not to mention, I make a habit of enjoying exactly where I am at any given moment, even if thats simply washing the dishes.
Some of the best BJJ rolls I've ever had were off the back end of a week's rest.
Some of the best compliments I've ever received from my BJJ coaches, were off the back end of 3 week's rest.
It's impossible for me to outline how to create a balance, especially when it comes to straddling the line of peak performance, progress and overdoing it (for us athletes in particular). Just know that this is nuanced, and, you're not superhuman.
If you are willing to override your intuitive knowing for the sake of what is being demanded of you. I simply ask that you change that phrase from 'being demanded of you' to 'I'm demanding this of myself'. For the sake of your personal power and self-responsibility.
I hope these books offer you as much wisdom, validation and opportunity as they have for me.
El xo