The Joy of Well-Being: A Practical Guide to a Happy, Healthy, and Long Life

by Jason Wachob, Colleen Wachob

On your journey toward a more health-conscious life, you've likely been bombarded by an overwhelming amount of information-from the Kardashian-like wellness influencers who (unrealistically) insist upon sustainably sourced Epsom salt baths every night, to the elite longevity optimizers who measure their lactate levels after a workout. The echo chamber of the internet, and social media algorithms that favor polarizing opinions to drive views and engagement, have hijacked our understanding of health. No matter which corner of the wellness world you inhabit, our social feeds are filled with advice that presumes we all have the same amount of time, money, and resources. In this saturated landscape, how can you avoid the potential scams and dodge the doctors-turned-celebrities to find what really works for you?

Over the past decade, Colleen and Jason Wachob, co-founders of mindbodygreen, have cultivated a leading wellness lifestyle media brand for everyone seeking to cut through this noise, and live a happier, healthier, and greener lifestyle. The Joy of Well-Being is a distillation of almost fifteen years of this experience on the forefront of the well-being they've done the legwork so you don't have to. The Wachobs are a product of their mentors and years of working with hundreds of the world's most brilliant well-being minds, PhDs, MDs, therapists, movement specialists, spiritual leaders, and journalists. They've developed ways to discern meaningful points of information amidst the chaos, an act they consider both a science and an art. The Joy of Well-Being is more than a book, it's a reawakening, marking a crucial shift away from the do-this-then-do-that paradigm, to cultivating a joyful lifestyle that centers each individual, and their own health and happiness. True well-being isn't something you chase, it is something you weave together, as each new day presents an opportunity to make choices that support feeling good in your body, in your relationships, and in your life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Development

289 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 25, 2023

Reviews

[Stefan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started well with the first two chapters, and overall there is some good information in this book.

But...
The chapters on food and fitness were not very good.
The nutrition chapter was very generalised.
i.e. the recommendation from Michael Pollan on... eat mainly plants, etc. is pretty useless.
The wording in the book sounds like, eat mostly plants and occassionly have some grass fed meat.
Too general and no real information.
Protein is really where food matters, learn more about it please.

The chapter on fitness was just wrong.
Targetted at people who do not exercise and the overall gist was to...
Do some, but you don't need to do to much, that's what we do.
... complete rubbish recommendation.

Read Peter Attia's book - Longevity.
This goes into great detail on why you need to push your boundaries when it comes to fitness.
You loose fitness as you age. If you want to be fit at 70 or 80 years of age, then doing the minimum now will put you in a word of trouble as you age.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve followed mindbodygreen for a long time (OG blog follower here), this book doesn’t have anything particularly new or surprising. However, what I really love about it is how it compiles years of information into a practical summary of things you can do to bring more joy and wellbeing into your life. I am a high school teacher and what is in this book is super helpful for me to remind myself of constantly. My students also can benefit from it! It is a light read and highly recommended to anyone working on some self-improvement.

[Sophie Boslough]

Very informative, fun to read, and engaging with Collen and Jacob’s antidotes! I’d say a must for anyone trying to feel their best and be happier and healthier….aka everyone?!

[Sirenna Patapis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book made me so angry! It starts out by explaining that this book is INTENDED to be a source of information to help you live a joyful life without all the stress of the wellness worlds rules and overwhelming info and then the rest of the book proceeds to overwhelm you with a million rules and things you have to do if you want to have a joyful life. What a contradicting load of garbage.

[Kimberly Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one, as I'm working on building a more healthy and happy lifestyle. Society wants you to go, go, go, but I don't want to be in that race. I want to lead a purposeful and joyful life, and I felt like this book broke down the 8 most important intentions to focus on. It's not a book with a checklist but a guide to support you on your path. I appreciated the authors mentioning that joy must play a part in each intention. You will never stick with any new habit or intention if you hate doing it. Walked away with my own plan for a path toward my own joy of well-being.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid, generalized approach to overall wellness. I knew many of the concepts already, but the read was worth learning the new ones, such as the benefits of cold showers. Well, it’s true. I could’ve found any of this information on a blog I appreciated that it was packaged up for me. I liked their 80/20 approach where they say to do certain things and that hits 80% of the well-being benefits that you could possibly get, but they also give you options to go above and beyond to get the extra 20%.

As a former dietitian, I appreciated their holistic approach starting off of the foundation that a) nutrition scientist is a very new science, and b) it’s difficult to make specific recommendations, because environmental factors and genetics play such a huge role. I found that they contradicted themselves when saying eat high protein, but also eat only plants. That’s pretty tough to do on a plant only diet and for people who work 8 to 5 and have other obligations besides meal prepping. There was no mention of bio availability or accessibility of those foods. That aside, I appreciated them, holding the topic lightly and not being vegan-gelical about that chapter.

If you take it for a generalized approach, then you’ll be satisfied with it

[Ciara Renaud · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best wellness books I’ve ever read. As someone who is deep into wellness culture and the internet health and fitness space, this book has the most down to earth, easiest to implement wellness information that is accessible and practical to everyone, regardless of fitness level, geographic region or socioeconomic status. This book simplifies wellness and gets to the root of holistic health; I was particularly impressed by the brilliant chapter on the environment, which is so often left out of discussions of wellness despite being an integral part of human health. This is perfect for both people who are beginners to their wellness and health journeys and for people who have been in the wellness space for decades and are overwhelmed and frustrated by the abundance of conflicting information.

[Joy B]

Wonderfully written, this book is a great summary of many of the big hitting books and ideas out there succinctly packaged.

My favorites:
1. Wellness = optimization and outcome, whereas wellbeing = joy and journey. Focus on what you do that supports your wellbeing.
2. Be the “CEO” of your own health- let that be your North Star.
3. Consider at various times “what in life feels sweet and fulfilling”?
4. Connecting via phone call has tremendously more benefits than text/email 🤯
5. Build your safety net of humans - it’s a game changer

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great listen. I definitely learned a few things along the way. They focus on making suggestions for small changes that most people can make because they are either inexpensive or easily accessible and i love that. They’re not here to suggest you pay thousands of dollars to join the newest workout club. They’re here to say, hey go on a 30 minute walk outside in the afternoon when you can. Categories reviewed include breathing, sleep, food, exercise, relationships and a few others.

[Danielle Wilberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book I needed to read as I start the new year. And a healthy look at well-being - reminding us the 80/20 rule is a good way to approach health and wellness. But most of all - I liked how the authors talked about doing healthy things that bring you joy.

Not anything new, but that is probably what made me like the reminder. I will return to this book as a reminder when I get pushed to do a burpee - they do not bring me joy and I never want to do one again.

3.5 stars. Old-fashioned book with pages.

[Ajah L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A soft read dedicated to providing insight on how to cater to the mind, body and overall well-being of an individual. Key features in the book were how to learn and implement effective breathing techniques, redefining daily exercises & diets, stress management and even sleeping patterns.
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I give this a mid rating due to the knowledge being something I was aware of but if it’s something new to the naked eye or you’re looking for a lifestyle change, this is a great book to start with!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It has a lot of good info and lots of research to back it up. Many things I already knew but reading the research to back up the statements made it a good read. Inspired lots of change in me. I would recommend this book to someone starting their health journey or someone trying to get back on track.

[Cadee Wambolt · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on health and wellness I’ve read. It’s very general and avoids extreme recommendations but that is the point. They recommend various practices and suggestions that are easy, attainable, and accessible for everyone.

[Amy Bradley-Pollak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t learn a lot new in this, probably because I’ve read most of the authors referenced (both the good and the bad 😂). It is a good summary and has a nice approach of the easiest thing to do for the most benefit in 9 different areas of well being.

[Tom Niebergall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent “”self-improvement” book. Gives one pause… particularly about the role of joy in life and true purpose. Fits in all phases of life. An ever changing and process of renewal. Highly recommend.

[Caryn Tebbe]

Rec Megyn Kelly Show

[Charmaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, practical ways to change your life.

[Christine Hawkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Too much climate change propaganda for me. Chapters on exercise and food were poor IMHO.

[Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had one of my lengthier reviews written and Good Reads crashed and lost it all.

I’ll just say I loved this book.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informational and an easy read def enjoyed

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this book gives very accessible access points. And just gives you broad ideas.

[Emma Neusen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - worth the read for the second half of the book

[Rene Cuellar · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first 3 chapters are really good and interesting but the chapters after that are really boring.

[Tereza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an interesting read, the holistic approach was fantastic and I was really shocked how good this was!

[Barbara Ryba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice book to revisit chapters of well being. Titles like Breathe and Stress are revisit chapters of advice, habits and thought-provoking practices to stay healthy. Enjoyed this one!

[Kasia · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 13%

[Nicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took my time reading this book and digesting what the mindbodygreen group had to offer. I found this read incredibly informative and inspiring. The Joy of Well-Being explores what life can be like if you can give just your 80%. I found myself writing notes to promote not only change in my own life but change in the client’s lives that I see through the community mental health center where I work. This guide has information to offer for changes in 8 different aspects of your life. It is an eye-opening collection of scientifically-backed information to create a better, well-balanced, life. It is important to understand that to create lifelong changes, you must make small changes piece by piece.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listen to Jason's podcast and am a big fan of his philosophies spelled out more in this book.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay until they started in on “ climate change”- that’s when I quit reading it.