Fun, informative, and somewhat controversial, “Wellness Toolbox” by Don Roberts identifies some 60+ theories about fitness and nutrition, labels each as either “fact” or “myth,” and then proceeds to vigorously defend those positions.
Here’s just a tiny sampling of the “myth or fact” topics:
* Lifting free weights is safer and more effective than using weight machines. – Fact
* It is not possible to be fat and fit. – Myth
* Weight gain and weight loss is all about calories in and calories out. – Myth
* Consuming saturated fat is healthy. – Fact
But wait, there’s more. This book is also a memoir. Scattered throughout the “fact or myth” topics are little “Don Stories,” humorous episodes from Don’s life as he transitioned from bodybuilder to fitness/nutrition consultant, and finally to proud owner of his own gym.
The book is an easy read, written in a casual, friendly tone even when dealing with technical issues like how various substances affect different parts of the brain, how a particular muscle is connected to other body parts, or precisely how a certain weight machine should be used. Health-related cartoons, scattered throughout the text, provide relief from the more serious bits.
"Wellness Toolbox" is suitable for many different audiences. A person with experience in fitness and nutrition would find it thought provoking; a beginner could learn from it; and a reader with only a faint interest in health could be entertained by the memoir portions, the cartoons, and the pictures, and possibly be seduced into starting a fitness program as well.