As someone who is not at the peak of physical health but feels great mentally, I feel as though this is not the book for me. I'm not interested in hearing all the things that are wrong with my lifestyle and the subjective things that make my lifestyle worthy of being vibrant. If I feel vibrant in the way I'm living right now and am confident in the way I am choosing to improve my health, that do not coincide with what this author is telling me, then I can still be and feel vibrant.

As a therapist, I was excited to read this book. I love the idea of vibrancy, energy, and vitality as markers of health. There is some solid information here to explore while other parts might miss the mark a bit. Thank you to BenBella Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Stacie Stephenson (the author of the book) is a pioneer of functional and integrative medicine.She dedicated her life’s work to helping people with healthy living, eating, moving, and believing.

In her work Vibrant: A Groundbreaking Program to Get Energized, Own Your Health, and Glow she gives practical tips and guides a reader  to better his/her health and change his/her lifestyle.  It challenges you to rethink your relationship with health and your perspective of the world around you. It makes you think deeper into your physical and mental health and how you can heal your body from the inside out.

The book comes with a useful meal plan. recipes, self-assessment tools to aid in listening to your body and first steps to building your health habits.

Thank you to BenBella Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my review.
I always see terrific value in books that remind you of common sense self-care that you might forget while going through a pressured time. This book provided excellent 'basics' on nutrition and healthy choices, tapping into the insights we might already have tucked away in our self-care arsenals. At the same time, the author embeds gems of fresh insight for us to discover. This is a book for your journaling, capturing those reminders and fresh thoughts for when you need them most.

This book is fantastic, as somebody who is I’m very much in the health and wellness industry this book is a great purchase. This book is for anyone who is wanting to makeRealistic improvements in their life. Dr. Stacy gives the best advice that is very attainable to everyone. The wonderful pictures, recipes and a wonderful way to check into your mental health is wonderful and this book is a must have. There is so much info in here that you will not want to put this book down. If you are into the holistic approach in health, is this book is most definitely for you and I highly recommend it.

This book is a practical guide to taking ownership of your health and feeling your best. I found it to be well laid out and full of useful plans. I like the straightforward, holistic approach that is given.

This is your typical "self help" book. I found it to be well laid out and full of useful tips, tricks, recipes, and plans. The author can get a little "preachy" at times, however, that sort of goes with the territory with this type of book. I am excited to try out some recipes and the meal plan. The extra pages at the end of the book were also a delightful addition!

A absolutely love this book. It’s full of advice and ideas to try to feel more vibrant, from how you move and rest to how you eat and think. I thought the 30 day sheets at the end of the book for trying out her ideas is a useful addition. I came away feeling that there’s something for everyone in the book. Start small, feel increasingly better. A book to revisit often. 5/5 stars from me and gratitude to Netgalley, BenBella and author for the digital copy in exchange for my review.

I was really looking forward to reading this, but it was a DNF for me unfortunately. I feel there was a lot of prompts to self diagnosis. I feel it would help more if this was a physical copy for the tasks in the book. Also I am one who believes in all medicines, not just natural medicines. I believe natural meds aren't always suitable for every kind of illness. I just feel this book wasn't for me and I was arguing with what I did read.

A practical guide on how to take control of your health and live your best life.

Dr Stacie Stephenson offers you a step by step guide on how to improve your overall health and wellbeing and prevent disease in your body using a straightforward holistic approach. Full of useful tips, tools and plans that are easy to follow. This book is a must read for anyone wanting to dive a little deeper into both their physical and mental health and heal their body from the inside out.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you #netgallery. I actually plan to buy this book when it is released to keep on hand. I normally don't like books that focused on health but this one didn't offend me, gave options and was very upbeat. Great book.

Though nothing new is presented here in this book, I like the self-assessments for readers to see what their “vibrancy” or health levels are at. I also like that she backs up her information with some studies and research that are listed near the back of the book.

The author is a gifted writer and writes with a warm, convincing and encouraging tone. I made some notes and reminded myself to take some action for better health.

I do wish that she kept things secular instead of advocating practices like yoga and certain forms of meditation that I stay away from. She also takes a swipe at people who say that eat less, exercise more is a lie, saying that they are the liars. So if you are into the keto and low carb lifestyle, this book may not be for you.

This book offers an encyclopedia of knowledge in how to live a vibrant life, but not by giving you tried and true methods many of us know. I learned a lot of new things, (ear crease for instance, how interesting!) I was inspired. Although I mostly try to live healthy, many setbacks lately have made it seem daunting. This book makes it much easier and gives you starting goals. It also offers an eating plan with recipes. I absolutely loved her sharing her personal story, with a chapter on love and relationships and how she escaped an abusive marriage. The end has you evaluating goals you set and in realizing it's always a work in progress. This book makes living vibrantly seem much easier than our minds would sometimes tell us!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. I LOVED it and I feel like I got so much out of it. As much as I am attempting to make healthy eating choices for myself, sometimes I fall back into my old ways. This book does an amazing job at pointing out why certain food choices could be better than others. My next step is to make some notes for myself about the topics in this book and to give a try to cutting out some possible triggering foods from my diet.

The chapter about mental health and the food you eat was especially fascinating. I loved that the author included recipes and a meal plan, and each chapter has "to-do" items related to the topics that she talked about. This is most like a workbook than just a book to read.

I feel like I'll be using some of the ideas and plans from this book moving forward to think about some different choices to make. Loved this book!

This is a very interesting book that still has me thinking. I'm interested in incorporating some on the things in my life...recipies sound yummy.

I loved this holistic approach to health and wellness. I appreciate a program that is realistic and still comprehensive! Many of the recipes sounded amazing, so I can't wait to get into he kitchen and start my plan. This is one of those rare wellness books that doesn't shame and berate the reader for needing its advice.

A BIG THANK YOU to BenBella Books and NetGalley for the ARC of Vibrant: A Groundbreaking Program to Get Energized, Own Your Health, and Glow by Dr. Stacie Stephenson. Vibrant offers a refreshing and relaxed step-by-step guide for optimizing overall health, maintaining health, and preventing disease. Parting with the "name-it, blame-it, give-it-a-pill" philosophy of Western medicine, this guide delves into deep breathing techniques, gentle yogic postures, principles of Ayurveda, and proper hydration and diet. The "diet" proposed is not trendy or extreme and essentially boils down to a low-carb Mediterranean selection of organic whole foods, paired with a short list of suggested supplements. The author repeatedly encourages independent research. Although much of this information is widely available online through independent research, having a plan for better health mapped out in advance and itemized into sections of self-assessment certainly makes the process that much more simple and rewarding. I love testing out new recipes and look forward to trying all 40 recipes included, along with the two-week meal plan. Although there seem to be many budget-friendly recipes listed, there are others with ingredients that are not budget-friendly or easily sourced from local markets. An updated version with more budget-friendly alternatives would certainly be a welcome addition in the future, but Vibrant provides an excellent starting point for any wellness journey. ★★★★★

From the publisher: Today's view of wellness is far too often fragmented, focusing on specific symptoms rather than the whole person. In Vibrant, Dr. Stacie Stephenson introduces readers to a new and empowering way of looking at health. A recognized leader in functional and integrative medicine, Stephenson has helped thousands by focusing not on treating disease, but on creating health-by giving individuals the knowledge, confidence, and inspiration they need to do so for themselves.

By the end of this life-changing book, readers will have the tools to transform their energy, weight, fitness, and general wellness, tackling everything from enhancing sleep quality to building an iron-clad immune system. Beginning with basics such as the truth about the best diet, the critical role of exercise in vitality and longevity, and the importance of human connection, Vibrant also dives deeper to give a holistic picture of health and how to achieve it. With helpful breakdowns on supplements, detoxification, and how to think about disease, this is much more than just another wellness book.

It's also packed with practical, useful features, including:

- Self-assessment tools to aid you in listening to your body
- A foolproof two-week meal plan
- 40 delicious, healthful chef-created recipes
- 30 days of baby steps to start building the habit of health

With Stephenson's candid and conversational voice, Vibrant is like having a friend who also happens to be a leading health authority take you under her wing. Along with practical advice, she shares powerful insights that will change the way you think about everything from exercise to relationships, and sends readers off with an inspirational chapter on how health has a ripple effect that can change your family, your community, and help to create a more vibrant world.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

5 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 23 Mar 2021
#Vibrant #NetGalley

Dr. Stacie Stephehnson's Vibrant is a practical guide for taking ownership of your health to feel your best. To, as she constantly reminds us in the text, to live your most "vibrant" life. Vibrancy is something we can immediately recognize in a person: her skin glows, her hair is lush and glossy, her body moves fluidly, unencumbered by extra weight and muscle aches.

While I generally enjoyed this book, I'm of two minds about it.

The pros: Dr. Stephenson gives practical, easy tips for being more aware of your heath, with simple checklists for self-assessment and a clear guide for changing your lifestyle. I love the recipes she includes and am eager to try them. I liked her easy tone/voice, which usually didn't shame anyone for their current choices and didn't give off a vibe of "you must make these enormous changes immediately." Likewise, she challenges you to be an active participant in your medical life, to stop viewing your "best self" as something out of your control, and to stop being defined by any medical diagnoses.

The text also makes sense. She doesn't really being anything new to the table per se, but reiterates what we know to be healthy habits: exercise, eat healthy, get good sleep, practice mindfulness.

The cons: Though on the whole I liked the tone of the book, there were parts that came across as very privileged/preachy. This mostly came out during food discussions, in particular the section about obstacles to eating healthy/organic foods being due largely to a lack of educating oneself. Yes, stores like Walmart and Trader Joe's have made this option more wallet friendly, but there are still barriers for people who are food insecure, even after they've "done their research." You cannot preach that people just need to do their homework to find cheap healthy foods and then provide recipes that call for things like grass fed organic elk (a protein I have never seen in any of my local grocery stores, never mind people who live in food deserts) and butterfly pea powder (looks great! But as the books notes, you have to find it online and it's going to cost you about twenty dollars). So while I did like the overall message, be careful to take it with a grain of salt: the author is married to the multimillionaire founder of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. It's very easy to put the suggested practices into play when you have every financial resource to do so.

Thank you to NetGalley and BenBella Books for making this advance copy available for review.

Vibrant follows the advice and information of Dr. Stacie Stephenson to maximize the health and comfort of individuals to pursue a happy life. The book covers dietary, mental health, physical health, recipes, sleep, and habits to pursue healthier habits to make a more vibrant you.

This book was an interesting look at how to approach health in a way that incorporates many different aspects that could be improved to improve overall life satisfaction. I liked the concept of looking at a person's health as vibrancy, I think the focus on happiness and comfort over body image is important for books like this.

Other than the vibrancy component, this book did not bring much new information to the table when it comes to pursuing a healthier lifestyle. I didn't necessarily mind that however, I think the unique presentation made up for that. It was a refreshing read and I think I would incorporate some aspects into my life.

"To be vibrant is to have the motivation to do whatever it is you want to do everyday, as unencumbered by fatigue and pain as you can possibly be. It means waking up ready to embrace whatever's coming with passion and optimism."

This review I'll admit may be an injustice to the depth of information and action points in this book. The author takes an in-depth look into health and wellness going beyond what we eat, and how we eat to why we eat and what happens to our bodies at all these times- yes, very few books delve into hormones and which ones are affected by which foods and which emotions coupled with inactivity.

I love something explored here in trying to lose bad habits: Rule of halves which advises that you cut your habit in half and I am trying it when it comes to dairy and dairy products. Instead of 4 cups of milk tea a day, I had only 2 today and it's something I want to embrace until I am comfortable having black tea as much as I am with black coffee.

Thanks Netgalley for the eARC. This is a holitic action based approach to health, vitality and wellness and would recommend it to anyone who wants to be healthy, uphold energy and eat well.