The Pillars of Health: Your Foundations for Lifelong Wellness

by John Pierre

Have you been on every diet imaginable, yet still feel unhealthy and low on energy? Do you go to the gym religiously--for a couple of weeks at a time? Do you find yourself trying desperately to focus but unable to keep up with everything going on in your hectic life? Are you frustrated by a world that seems full of inconsiderate, unpleasant people?" The Pillars of Health" will help you build a strong foundation that supports you in every one of these areas. Health expert John Pierre has spent decades working with clients, including seniors, on building better nutrition, fitness, mental acuity, and compassion. Each one of these components, or "pillars," is necessary for constructing a happy life overflowing with well-being--and best of all, it can be fun! In this book, you'll discover how to feel your best and have a good time doing it. Being fit and staying sharp doesn't have to be a struggle, and the tools John Pierre provides are simple and enjoyable to incorporate in your everyday routine. You'll discover the "why" behind each principle he presents and learn a variety of techniques that will help you build a strong, joyous life you love!

Genres: Nonfiction, Health

241 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2013

Reviews

[Lindsay Nixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book in my office for years--I've picked it up at different points and finally read it througly this week. (In full disclosure I am friends with the author and think he's a helluva guy). If you're looking for a short, succinct, friendly-attitude about eating a plant-based diet, this is the best option. TBH, I wish JP was more "famous" in the vegan/plant-based space because he gets it and he is a feminist and helps women in tremendous ways.

Unlike other plant-based diet books by old white guys that talk down to you or talk at you, JP talks to you like a loving older brother or a very good friend. You can tell he only has your absolute best interests at heart. What I *really* love is how he focuses on more than just food--that taking care of health is not limited to what we eat. His book also talks about mental health and emotional health and caring about the whole person. His second book Strong, Savvy, Safe: Empowering Tools for Self Protection and Vibrant Health is a must-read for all women imho, and this book has a little of that.

Anyway, this is the book I wish was "popular" JP is wonderful.

[Cornelia Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can also read the review here: http://connielivingston.blogspot.com/...

This was a really fun read! Pierre has a great, holistic approach to helping individuals find their "foundation for lifelong wellness." The four sections of the book cover nutrition, mind, motion, and compassion. This is a really interesting - and different - way of approaching health. It was great to page through each section and discover new ways of supporting overall health as well as approaches that were familiar but with added tweaks.

Pierre covers, in the first section, how our culture is truly in a nutritional crisis. The author discusses the negative effects of our harried lifestyles and the negative impact it has on health and nutrition. He then discusses "real food" (so sad that this even has to be re-defined!)

In the second section, Mind is the focus. He discusses, here, how we can support brain health. He then moves on to Motion which talks about how important moving our bodies is! There are great photos in this section with recommended tools to make exercise fun and easy.

Finally, the author discusses Compassion and how we can go about cultivating that in our lives. Lots of great ideas here! These four "pillars" of health make so much sense when one takes the broad view and considers how each supports the whole body. I loved the information about how to help individuals focus on good nutrition and other positive lifestyle habits to avoid taking medicines treating ADHD and other conditions.

Pierre even went into using high-quality essential oils which I was pleased to see since I've also found them to be so helpful in my family's health and well-being!

[Andy Nieradko · Rating 3 out of 5]

In The Pillars of Health author John Pierre offers a holistic approach to health and wellness. The four pillars supporting a healthy lifestyle offered are: nutrition, mind, movement, and compassion. This book is a fairly good starting place for someone new to these ideas. If you want to make a positive change in your life, but are unsure about where to start, this book could serve as a great road map. There are many useful ideas that can be integrated into your daily routine. I personally, found the author's inflexible vegan stance in the nutrition section a little off-putting. Not that I doubt the health benefits of such a nutritional choice, but no convincing scientific evidence is offered, just opinion. The pillar of mind, is the most interesting part of the book. A lot of good info, and personal experience working with the elderly make that portion of The Pillars of Health a good read. The section on movement was great, particularly helpful if you're job entails a lot of sitting. There are some nice and easy moves to get your blood flowing, and keep your muscles flexible and healthy. The final pillar of health is compassion, and this is where the book gets a little preachy. The author spends a good portion of each section on a fault finding expose of modern life and its foibles. After spending so much time finger-pointing, the section on compassion just comes off as a kind of ironic. But that said, there are still enough positive aspects that make this book worth reading. I received this book free for review purposes from Hay House. I was not paid for my opinion, it is mine alone.

[GONZA · Rating 2 out of 5]

I keep reading these books that make it easy: go vegetarian, think positive and make a series of gymnastic exercises (both physically and mentally) every day, and you'll see that you'll be fine. The problem is that since I'm basically good even now, you gotta give me more motivation to give up mortadella ....

Continuo a leggere questi libri che la fanno facile: diventa vegetariano, pensa positivo e fai una serie di esercizi di ginnastica tutti i giorni, sia fisica che mentale e vedrai che starai bene. Il problema resta che siccome io sto tendenzialmente bene anche adesso, devi darmi una maggiore motivazione per riunciare alla mortadella....

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND HAY HOUSE FOR THE PREVIEW!

[Robin Tierney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great job of summarizing the nutrition, mind, fitness and compassion pillars of a healthy life, presented as a holistic approach. Good for families with children as well as adults. If you've read a lot of Esselstyn, Campbell, Neal Barnard, Brendan Brazier, John Robbins and others offering insight free from corporate influence, you'll be familiar with the nutritional insights. But most people will find plenty of fresh insight they can put right into practice.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the holistic approach this book takes to health. According to Pierre, the 4 pillars of health are good nutrition (WFPB), the mind (includes tips for exercising the brain), motion (exercise for the physical body), and compassion (have charity towards others, and expel negativity from your life). I really enjoyed the author's Christ-like example towards others. I liked the book enough that I look forward to any other books Pierre writes in the future.

[Roland · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. If you had not read many books on health it would be a fine read. I have read many, so it was repetitive.

[Bernadette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. Highly recommend. John Pierre is quite knowledgeable and experienced in using plant based nutrition and exercise to improve health.