Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

How To Eat, Move And Be Healthy!

Rate this book
1st Edition - note that the 2nd edition published 2018 is now available and contains Paul Chek's 4 Doctor system. Click on the link above to see both editions and find the newer second edition.
You are unique! The way we respond to food, exercise and stress varies person-to-person just as much as our fingerprints. This book will identify YOUR individual needs and teach you how to address issues that may be preventing you from looking and feeling your best. Follow this proven four-step program that has helped thousands of people look and feel their best.
Step 1. Fill in the Questionnaires.
Step 2. Develop a Unique Eating Plan for YOU.
Step 3. Build a Personalized Exercise Program that Fits YOUR Needs. '
Step 4. Fine-tune a Healthier Lifestyle that Fits YOUR Routine.
Whether you want to lose weight, change your body shape, overcome a health challenge, or optimize an already healthy lifestyle, this book will teach you how to achieve all your goals!

255 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2004

99 people are currently reading
2265 people want to read

About the author

Paul Chek

44 books62 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
480 (54%)
4 stars
251 (28%)
3 stars
112 (12%)
2 stars
24 (2%)
1 star
21 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
Profile Image for Kate.
349 reviews84 followers
October 18, 2011
This one was a pretty decent read as well. The parts I really enjoyed and learned the most from were the nutrition and lifestyle questionnaires. Stress was the area I scored the highest on (I am not surprised), so I'm going to have to work on that.

I also learned that my metabolic type is mixed and that means I'm the easiest to feed, but the toughest to train because I'm both protein and carbs at the same time. I realized I just need to listen to my body and if it's saying protein that's what I need to feed it and if I'm craving carbs I just need to mash up some sweet potatoes and butter. I shouldn't deny myself anything, I just need to listen closer and continue to exercise three times a week. It's really making a difference in how I feel, and that's the most important part.

The final part that I liked a lot was Chapter 14: Is Your Digestive System Healthy? Here I met the Poopie Policeman and the poopie criminals. I made a photo copy of the lineup and what each one means and it now hangs loud and proud in my bathroom for anyone to read and see if they have a healthy digestive system or not.
Profile Image for Sirena.
16 reviews12 followers
December 24, 2009
If I could recommend only 1 book to better health...this would be it.
Profile Image for Michelle.
136 reviews30 followers
June 28, 2015
This book isn't meant to be read cover-to-cover. Rather it's designed so that you can jump to the sections you need to as you need them. Biggest takeaways that I'm applying to my life:

1. Figuring out your primal pattern -- the idea is that each person is different, and metabolizes carbs, fats, and proteins differently. Some people need more carbs, some need more fats/proteins, some are variable. There are quizzes that help you figure out how your body responds to these things, and then recommended diet plans centered around your metabolic type. It's common for your type to change as you get healthier and as you become more aware of how your body responds to certain foods.

2. Rotation diet -- this is a game changer for me. I've been on a rotation diet for the past month and while I'm not always perfect at following it, it's made a difference in general. I'm expanding my palate, trying tons of new things, creating recipes (easy to do when you just cook spontaneously), and shopping is more fun. I shop mostly at farmers markets and have enjoyed finding new places to shop. I eat way more fish now. The idea behind the rotation diet is to not eat the same foods over and over again. He has lists of foods to eat on each rotational day. It takes time to learn how to plan each rotation (I'm still struggling with that but it's getting better). With this diet, taxonomies of animals and plants matter -- you don't want to eat chicken one day and then turkey the next day, because to your body, they are basically the same thing. You want to give your body time in between each food family to let the food completely clear your system. So every day, the idea is to eat different foods from different taxonomies, and vary your sources (e.g. shop at different stores, markets, different cuts of meat, etc).

Following this diet isn't always easy, especially when you eat out or grab a bite to eat with friends. So I stick with the 80-20 plan. If I'm eating as best as I can 80% of the time, I'm happy.

3. Exercises and stretches. You can do these at home or at a gym.

The only thing I don't like about this book is the fat-shaming in the beginning. That was unnecessary and uncalled for. People, especially health professionals, should be less judgmental. Seriously. Sigh. Overall a great book though, and one that I will use as a guide in my never-ending journey toward optimal health.
Profile Image for Lumumba Shakur.
71 reviews63 followers
December 19, 2010
A very concise, well written, practical summary of naturopathic wisdom regarding nutrition and health. 95% of the exercises need nothing more than a ball or set of steps. Tai Chi facial exercises aside, I highly recommend the book and there is no recommendation that is not supported by traditional medicine practioners. If you are not willing to completely change your eating, shopping and overall lifestyle habits, then go buy a Men's Health magazine. If you want to feel better and take control back over your body, then take a trip to Amazon.com
3 reviews3 followers
May 26, 2012
If you want to get healthy (read:lose weight, rid yourself of disease, be more vibrant) read this book and follow it to the T. That's it.

It tells you how to eat, how to work out with plenty of exerecise programs for all fitness levels and tells you how to reduce stress and build energy back into your system if needed.

The Questionnaires are enlightening and alone are worth the price of the book.
1 review3 followers
September 18, 2008
Great book - this is the essential how to stay healthy book in a simple easy to read format. Well researched and well presented
35 reviews1 follower
May 22, 2013
Wasnt so eyeopening as I had expected and had been convinced.

Metabolic typing idea seems quite interesting. Although it is hard to tell by the test which one I am.
My energy depends somehow not only on the metabolic typing.
The fungal score was the highest on the questionaire, however, before I thought I was infected, was on antifungal diet for a month, and got terribly worse and my digestive system, especially my colons started to work improperly.

The only thing which was new for me was Tai Chi exercises for the body zones, core functions, and stress section.

He advertises organic farming, however I think that is just that.

I recently tried to experiment: vegetarian for only 3 days, and my overall mood has improved, my skin got clearer, though P. Chek states there were no singular culture which dieted only vegetarian.
Maybe on short term vegetarian is beneficial at least at my case.

Everyone is individual, for example my friend eats whatever he wants and he is not strict on exercising or etc., does not have a healthy lifestyle. However his health is probably the most brightest I have ever seen, and he has an athletic phisique.

Anyhow I would give it 6.5/10
Profile Image for Stephanie.
478 reviews9 followers
July 3, 2011
This was a recommended book from my Functional Fitness Tools course through UCSD Extension. I flipped through the copy my instructor had on hand, and thought it seemed like a good idea - since it was cheap from Amazon I decided to go for it.

I won't deny there's lots of good information (some nice stretches and exercise plans, for example) and some good recommendations (eating foods that aren't processed - no argument from me!). But it was just a touch on the woo woo side for me.
Profile Image for Patricia Hodge.
89 reviews2 followers
June 20, 2010
I would have liked it to go into more detail about what types of food to eat for each metabolic type, including examples of meal plans and maybe some recipes of things he heats or his clients eat. I really liked the basic exercises. I think they are things I can do when I am not up to a full work out but still want to get some sort of exercise. I also need to do them to increase my flexibility.
Profile Image for Jint'ar Darvek.
64 reviews43 followers
July 17, 2019
If you're looking for a holistic, integrated metaperspective on health wellness then look no further.
It's not perfect, but damn it's good, especially if you're unfamiliar with the topics discussed.
You'll get a solid foundation of relevant, well researched information that's organized in a way to make it personalized and actionable right out of the box.
Profile Image for Rachel.
51 reviews
December 7, 2010
The first chapter about what Einstein would say to you in a doctor's office was great but I was not happy with the rest of the book. Obviously, he promotes eating raw food right down to raw milk. I surely would not feed my kids this!
Profile Image for Ben Azadi.
Author 10 books29 followers
June 4, 2014
I'm convinced that Paul Chek is one of the most intelligent persons on this planet. If there was only one book I could recommend to anyone who wants to live a happier and healthier life, this would be that one book. Period.
Profile Image for mitch h.
20 reviews3 followers
November 28, 2014
Paul Chek knows his shit. Want to get healthier? This is your new bible. A "self-help" and excercise book combined into one. Develop a daily practice that includes the 4 Doctors: Dr. Happiness, Dr. Movement, Dr. Diet & Dr Quiet and improve you life now.
21 reviews2 followers
November 28, 2009
Love it -- just wish that I had the resources to buy 100% organic and free range.
Profile Image for Damon.
2 reviews1 follower
October 4, 2012
This book was highly recommended by the manager at my gym so I thought I would check it out. I love finding out more about health and exercise.
Profile Image for Jared.
67 reviews2 followers
December 14, 2015
There is some woo woo in here but a lot of the information is practical and useful. Actually found myself flipping through this a while back and there were some real gems in here.
2 reviews
May 5, 2016
Everyone should read this and anything else Paul Chek has to say!
Profile Image for Christopher Barnes.
3 reviews3 followers
May 6, 2020
The entire book is helpful and really resonates from a holistic and spiritual perspective. My favorite chapters were in the first half of the book in regards to diet were very informative and allowed me to begin implementing even greater changes with how I shop for groceries. His weighted quizzes need more possible answers instead of just "yes" vs "no" answers that can be weighed as 20 vs 0 points. In reality there's many areas that lay in the middle that we call the gray area. Therefore during his vaguely worded questions to find out what diet type you are, makes it very difficult to know if you're picking the correct diet type you actually are based on your gut biome and cellular needs to burn energy most efficiently.

The next thing for me is to do Paul Chek's online Level 1 Wellness Coaching Certification for $450. Looking forward absorbing whatever future knowledge he has to offer. I highly advise watching his YouTube videos too. He's a little quirky, and seldomly vulgar, but that makes him that much more authentic in my opinion.
Profile Image for Jack.
27 reviews4 followers
October 12, 2021
Okay, anyone that knows me, knows I LOVE Paul Chek, he is a massive force for love on this planet, an endless store of wisdom and most importantly actually practices what he preaches.

Yet this book is only getting 3 stars from me. If it was just for the pure information it would easily be a 5-star book, however, the actual practices and advice laid out in this book is quite lacking and in my opinion not as well structured as it could be. After reading the book, as someone who has a keen interest in health and wellbeing, I can't say I have really left with a huge upgrade in my physical and mental practices or any life-changing information, however, I would definitely still recommend this book to anyone unfamiliar with the type of practices and philosophy Paul Chek uses in his system, but for someone who has already taken pages of notes from Paul chek's youtube vlog, there's not an awful lot new in here.

So for me personally this is only a 3-star book, but for someone else, I could definitely see this book being a life changer.
Profile Image for Samantha.
253 reviews
June 10, 2023
I learn stretches better IRL by watching someone and doing it myself more than graphics with legs.

I'm also not in tune enough with my body and digestion to realize how I feel after eating a chicken breast vs. popcorn vs anchovies before bed to take the quiz to determine whether to have protein or carbs before bed. I can only determine that I prefer to not eat first thing in the morning and that caffeine or alcohol impact me (obviously) but noticing the nuances of chicken vs. rice and identifying with the eating types in this particular book was too vague for me.

Overall, the book offered value, but also left me in the dark. I think Paul Chek's classes and mobility videos may be a better option for understanding his insights than this particular guidebook. At least for my style of learning and retaining.
Profile Image for Emily.
133 reviews
July 4, 2022
I was recommended this book by my physiotherapist.
This book has a quiz at the start and you can choose to read it from cover to cover, or based on what the quiz tells you needs the most attention. The quiz will mark you down on things like drinking tap water instead of bottled & ever needing to use antibiotics which I have an issue with.
There are some good illustrations for stretches.
Overall this book is a waste of money in my opinion. Every piece of content useful to me or practical to implement without spending outrageous amounts of money is something I already knew. Maybe if I had read it 15 years ago it would be a source I would come back to, but not now when there is more updated and relevant information available.
Profile Image for Nick Urban.
16 reviews6 followers
September 14, 2020
Paul Chek is among the greatest modern minds. Right there with Sayer Ji, Zach Bush. He integrates health, wellness, nature, and connection (AKA spirituality) in an easily digestible manner.

"How to Eat, Move, and Be Healthy!" is the ideal foundation for his podcast with some of the world's greatest teachers.

The book appeals to the inner scientific skeptic as well as open-minded spirit. His questionnaires go beyond the typical health book and recognize the oft-missed critical concept of biochemical individuality (we're all different).

Lifestyle principles are in accordance with the 5,000+ year-old system of Ayurveda but put into modern terms.
Profile Image for Adrian Kass.
25 reviews1 follower
May 8, 2021
This is similar to a textbook and contains so much information on the human body. Lots of questionnaires to help you ascertain what fuel and exercise your body is best suited to. This book helped me immensely with food combinations and finally understanding the importance of eating meat that is pasture-raised and organic. Has the potential to really make some big shifts in your life if you are prepared to put the time and effort into answering the questions and experimenting with his suggestions.
Profile Image for Dominik.
14 reviews12 followers
March 19, 2023
Has all the basics. Hugely valuable concepts that are normally only talked about at an advanced level like the viscerosomatic reflex are already discussed here.
If you put your ego aside and actually just do exactly what is described here and work on understanding WHY it is said the way it is, you can absolutely heal 80% of health related issues people experience with just the info in this one.
Profile Image for Alexandria.
70 reviews
December 26, 2023
Really interesting information, I knew a lot of what it was talking about considering I’m a CPT but has great testing/studies for the general population. Was cool to learn some new ideas for the way to live/fix daily life. Very interested in learning more about Zone pains to exercising. Will be looking at books it referenced.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jonatāns Gurovs.
5 reviews1 follower
November 15, 2020
Diezgan laba grāmata, cilvēkiem, kas vēlas salikt savu veselību pa plauktiņiem. Vienkārši un īsi aprakstīts pats svarīgākais.
Biju uzlicis pārāk lielas ekskepktācijas šai grāmatai tādēļ, biju nedaudz vīlies, jo gaidīju detalizētākus paskaidrojumus.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.