Healthy Mind and Body All-in-One For Dummies, UK Edition E-Book

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 986

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2009

Beschreibung

You're sluggish, unhappy, and unfit. You want to change your ways but don’t know where to start. Sound like you?

With a little bit of motivation, it's possible to revamp your health starting right now – and this time-conscious mind and body bible contains all the tools and advice you need to get you started. Combining the best bits of eight top Dummies self-help titles, Healthy Mind & Body All-In-One For Dummies has got kick-starting your health covered: from eating better and improving your nutrition, to finding your nearest pilates class, being more active day-to-day, and dealing with stresses at work or anxiety at home. You’ll have bags more energy and a positive mental attitude to match.

So what are you waiting for?!

Healthy Mind & Body All-In-One For Dummies includes excerpts from the titles:

Nutrition FD
The GL Diet FD
Fitness FD
Yoga FD
Pilates FD
Stress Management FD
Overcoming Anxiety FD
Overcoming Depression FD

Healthy Mind & Body All-In-One For Dummies covers:

Book I: The Importance of Your Health
Chapter 1: Understanding the Elements of Healthy Nutrition
Chapter 2: Exploring an Active Lifestyle to Boost Your Health
Chapter 3: Examining Your State of Mind

Book II: Food and Nutrition
Chapter 1: The Key Facts About Healthy Nutrition
Chapter 2: Knowing What to Eat and What Not to Eat
Chapter 3: Exploring How Food Affects Your Health
Chapter 4: Taking a Look Inside the GL Diet
Chapter 5: Incorporating the GL Diet into your Daily Life

Book III: Physical Health
Chapter 1: Understanding the Benefits of Being Physically Active
Chapter 2: Taking an Active Approach to Fitness
Chapter 3: Exploring Types of Exercise to Suit Your Lifestyle
Chapter 4: Why Yoga Can Help You
Chapter 5: Stretching your Body Through Some Yoga Postures
Chapter 6: Seeing What Pilates Can Give You
Chapter 7: Giving Yourself the All Body Pilates Workout

Book IV: Mental Health
Chapter 1: Acknowledging the Importance of Personal Well-Being
Chapter 2: Taking a Positive Approach to Depression
Chapter 3: Discovering Techniques to Overcome Depression
Chapter 4: Examining Anxiety in its Different Guises
Chapter 5: Exploring How to Conquer Anxiety
Chapter 6: Delving Into Stress
Chapter 7: Managing Stress Proactively

Leseprobe

Healthy Mind & Body All-in-One For Dummies®

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organised

Book I: The Importance of Your Health

Book II: Food and Nutrition

Book III: Physical Health: Achieving Fitness

Book IV: Exploring Yoga and Pilates

Book V: Mental Health

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Book I: The Importance of Your Health

Chapter 1: Understanding the Elements of Healthy Nutrition

Why Nutrition Matters

You are what you eat

Energy from food

Introducing the Digestive System

The digestive organs

Digestion: A performance in two acts

Combating digestive problems

Understanding the Difference between Hunger and Appetite

Refuelling: The cycle of hunger and satiety

Responding to Your Environment on a Gut Level

In the bleak midwinter

Exercising more than your mouth

Tackling Taste: How Your Brain and Tongue Work Together

The four (or five) basic flavours

Your health and your taste buds

Tricking your taste buds

Determining Deliciousness

Listening to your body

Turning up your nose to tastes

Making Wise Food Choices

Introducing the Balance of Good Health

Going deeper into the Balance of Good Health

Tailoring the Balance of Good Health to your needs

Healthy shopping

Healthy meal planning

Healthy snacking

Chapter 2: Exploring an Active Lifestyle to Boost Your Health

Seeing Some of the Benefits from an Active Lifestyle

Knowing where to begin

Cardio workouts for a healthy heart

Resistance training for strength

Improving your balance

Stretching and yoga for flexibility

Seeing the Benefits from Pilates and Yoga

A firmer bottom

Longer and leaner musculature

Better posture

A flatter tummy

Less back pain

More flexibility

Better sex

More awareness

Better balance

Greater strength

Staying Safe

Chapter 3: Examining Your State of Mind

Tuning Into Your Mind

Detecting depression

Recognising the damage of depression

Dwelling on dark thoughts

Dragging your feet: Depressed behaviour

Struggling with relationships

Feeling foul: The physical signs of depression

Analysing Anxiety

Anxiety: You can’t escape it

Sorting out what’s normal from what’s not

Recognising the symptoms of anxiety

Thinking anxiously

Finding anxiety in your body

Behaving anxiously

Assessing Your Stressors

Just how stressed are you?

Finding Your Stress Balance

Step 1: Rate your stress level

Step 2: Rate the relative importance of the stress

Step 3: Evaluate your stress balance

Take the triple-A approach

Book II : Food and Nutrition

Chapter 1: The Key Facts about Healthy Nutrition

Introducing the Guidelines for a Healthy Diet

Stepping Out towards a Healthier Lifestyle

Eat a variety of foods

Eat the right amount for a healthy weight

A few words about activity

Eat plenty of food rich in starch and fibre

Let the Balance of Good Health guide your food choices

Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables

Walking Away from Unhealthy Food

Don’t eat too many fatty foods

Don’t have sugary foods and drinks too often

If you drink alcohol, drink sensibly

Choose and prepare foods with less salt

Relaxing Once in a While

Investigating the Many Ways Your Body Uses Water

Maintaining the right amount of water in your body

Getting the water you need

Taking in extra water and electrolytes as needed

Ten Superfoods

Bananas

Apples

Broccoli

Brazil nuts

Olive oil

Salmon

Tea

Whole-grain seeded bread

Yoghurt

Baked beans

Chapter 2: Knowing What and What Not to Eat

Powerful Protein

How your body uses protein

Complete proteins and incomplete proteins

Deciding how much protein you need

The Lowdown on Fat and Cholesterol

Finding the facts about fat

Cholesterol: The misunderstood nutrient

Carbohydrates: A Complex Story

Considering carbohydrates

Dietary fibre

Vigorous Vitamins

Taking a look at the vitamins your body needs

Special circumstances: Taking extra vitamins as needed

Mighty Minerals

Taking stock of the minerals you need

Munching more minerals: People who need extra

Phabulous Phytochemicals

Phytochemicals are everywhere

Perusing the different kinds of phytochemicals

Chapter 3: Exploring How Food Affects Your Health

Food and Medicine

Using Food to Prevent Disease

Eating to reduce the risk of cancer

DASHing to healthy blood pressure

Easing symptoms of the common cold

Food as the Fountain of Youth

Looking after your skin

Keeping your mind young

Finding Out About Food and Allergies

Alerting you to a food allergy

Investigating allergies and intolerances

Understanding how a reaction occurs

It’s all in the family: Inheriting food allergies

Being aware of the dangers of food allergies

Considering foods most likely to cause allergic reactions

Testing, testing: Identifying food allergies

Coping with food allergies and intolerances

How Food Affects Mood

Alcohol

Caffeine

Carbohydrate and protein

Using Food to Manage Mood

Calories: The Energisers

Counting the calories in food

How many calories do you need?

So how much should you weigh?

Losing weight by controlling calories

Looking to the Future: New Research into Food and Mood

Essential fatty acids

Selenium and folate

Chocolate

Chapter 4: Taking a Look Inside the GL Diet

Introducing the Glycaemic Load Diet

Checking Out the Science Behind GL

Medical Benefits of the GL Diet

Looking at GL and diabetes

Low GL and high blood pressure

Reducing the risk of heart disease with low-GL

Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman: Female health and the GL diet

Hey, wake up at the back!

Reasons for Eating the Low-GL Way

Stabilise your blood sugars

Get a handle on your food cravings

Control your weight

Level your moods

Balance your hormones

No food is banned

Getting You Started with Some Tasty Delights

Starting your day with a low-GL breakfast

Doing lunch: A selection of low-GL lunches

Delectable dinners: Low-GL suppers

Just desserts: Virtuous low-GL puddings

Smart snacks: Low-GL quick bites and healthy nibbles

Chapter 5: Incorporating the GL Diet into Your Daily Life

Starting Your Low-GL Plan

Changing Your Diet the Simple and Successful Way

Setting SMART goals

Planning action

Overcoming barriers to change

Seeking support

Dealing with relapse

A Day in the Life of Low-GL: Sample Meal Plans

Case study one

Case study two

Finding Balance: How the GL Diet Fits into Healthy Eating

Facing the fats

Fitting in the fruit and vegetables

Daily dairy

Don’t forget fibre

Water, water everywhere

A word about salt

Cruising with Confidence: Low-GL Shopping and Eating on the Run

Filling up on fruit and vegetables

Choosing meat, fish and alternatives

Opting for milk and dairy foods

Buying bread, cereals and potatoes

Building a store cupboard of low-GL ingredients

Choosing GL-friendly fast food

Replacing Common Ingredients with GL-Friendly Alternatives

Breaking your potato habit

Baking cakes

Controlling portion sizes

Book III: Physical Health: Achieving Fitness

Chapter 1: Enjoying the Benefits of Being Physically Active

Knowing Why You Need to Bother

Decreasing Your Risk of Medical Problems

Controlling your weight

Improving your body shape and your looks

Exploring the psychological benefits

Unlocking social benefits

Enjoying life more

Considering Why Stretching is a Good Place to Start

Before, after, during? Knowing when to stretch

Following a few rules of stretching

A simple stretching routine

Chapter 2: Setting Goals and Giving Rewards

Establishing Your Plan of Attack

Setting goals

Finding ways to reward yourself

Writing everything down

Making Exercise a Habit

Expect to feel uncomfortable at first

Pace yourself

Work out with friends or join a club

Mix it up

Buy the right gear and equipment

Cut yourself some slack

Chapter 3: Taking an Active Approach to Fitness

Cardio Crash Course

Two cardio rules that you can’t break

How hard do you need to push?

Following a cardio plan for good health

Following a cardio plan for weight loss

Following a cardio plan to maximise your fitness

Giving it a rest

Knowing why drinking lots of fluids is important

Chapter 4: Exploring Types of Exercise to Suit Your Lifestyle

Walking (Those Boots were Made for It)

Essential walking gear

Walking the right way

Fitness walking tips for novices

Increasing the Pace with Running

Essential running gear

Running the right way

Running tips for novices

Cycling: Road and Mountain

Essential cycling gear

Cycling the right way

Cycling tips for novices

Diving Into Swimming

Swimming the right way

Swimming tips for novices

Circuit Training for Fitness and Fun

Setting up stations and knowing which exercises to do

Moving through sample stations

Putting the Stations Together into a Circuit

Why Lifting Some Weights is Good for You

Five important reasons to pick up a dumbbell

Building muscle: Some ideas to keep you going

Book IV: Exploring Yoga and Pilates

Chapter 1: Understanding the Basics of Yoga and Pilates

Yoga: What You Need to Know

Finding your niche: Five basic approaches to Yoga

Understanding the many different types of Yoga

The Basics on Pilates

The eight great principles of Pilates

What you need to get started

Keeping your eyes on the prize: How you benefit from Pilates

Looking good: Pilates and the body beautiful

Chapter 2: Integrating Breathing and Movement

Breath and Movement Simplified

Breathe your way to good health

Taking high-quality breaths

Relaxing with a couple of deep breaths

Practising safe yogic breathing

Reaping the benefits of yogic breathing

Breathing through your nose

What if I can’t breathe through my nose?

The Mechanics of Yogic Breathing

Appreciating the complete yogic breath

Belly breathing

Belly-to-chest breathing

Taking a pause

Partners in Yoga: Breath and Postural Movement

Breathing in four directions

Understanding the roles of movement and holding in Yoga postures

How do I start combining breath with movement?

Sounding off: Yogic breathing

Practising breath control the traditional way

Alternate nostril breathing

Meditation and the Higher Reaches of Yoga

Following a few guidelines for successful meditation

Breathing mindfully

Chapter 3: Getting Ready for Your Yoga Practice

Empowering Yourself with Yoga

Maintaining health and happiness

Taking an active role in your own health

Following your bliss

Balancing your life with Yoga

Preparing Yourself for a Yoga Session

Making time for Yoga

Eating before Yoga practice

Enjoying a Safe and Sound Yoga Practice

Making sense of the perfect posture myth

Listening to your body

Moving slowly but surely

Understanding the Philosophy of Postures

Getting Ready for Exercise with Warm-Ups

Reclining postures

Standing postures

Sitting postures

Introducing the Sun Salutation

Travelling through the 7-step kneeling salutation

Embarking on the 12-step sun salutation

Incorporating some props into your Yoga practice

Chapter 4: Stretching Your Body through Some Yoga Postures

Go Back to the Start with Compensation Exercises

Compensation postures

Rest and relaxation

Sitting Made Easy

The easy posture – sukhasana

The thunderbolt posture – vajrasana

The perfect posture – siddhasana

Standing Tall

Mountain posture (tadasana) – building block for other stances

Standing forward bend – uttanasana

Asymmetrical forward bend – parshva uttanasana

Triangle posture – utthita trikonasana

Reverse triangle posture – parivritta trikonasana

Warrior posture – vira bhadrasana

Standing spread leg forward bend – prasarita pada uttanasana

Half chair posture – ardha utkatasana

Balancing Postures for Graceful Strength

Balancing cat

The tree – vrikshasana

The standing tree

Scorpion

Exercising Those Abs

Exploring push-downs

Trying yogi sit-ups

Strengthening with yogi sit-backs

Working with extended leg slide-ups

Arching while drawing in your stomach

Chapter 5: Exploring Different Yoga Postures for Health

Turning Attention to the Inversion Postures

Legs up against the wall

The dying beetle

A couple of shoulder stands to get you going

Bending Over Backwards

Cobra 1

Cobra 2 – bhujangasana

Cobra 3

Bending from Side to Side

Seated side bend

All-fours side bend

Bending Forward

Seated forward bend – pashcimottanasana

Head-to-knee posture – janushirshasana

Volcano – mahamudra

Spread-leg forward bend – upavishta konasana

Putting a Positive Spin on Twisting

Easy chair twist

Easy sitting twist

The sage twist

Bent leg supine twist

Chapter 6: Following the Classic Yoga Formula

Introducing the Classic Yoga Formula

Attunement

Warm-up

Standing postures

Balancing postures (optional)

Abdominals

Compensation and preparation

Inversion (optional)

Compensation for inversions and preparation for back bends

Back bends

Compensation for back bends

Preparation for forward bends

Forward bends

Compensation for forward bends

Preparation for twists

Twists

Relaxation

Chapter 7: Seeing What Pilates Can Give You

Seeing Is Believing: Some Pilates Images

Getting on a Mat and Learning the Pilates Principles

Deciding Whether Mat Exercises Are Right for You

Learning Some Pilates Principles

Neutral Spine

Abdominal Scoop

Spine Curl

C Curve

Balance Point

Stacking the Spine

Pre-Pilates: The Fundamentals

A word of caution

Breathing in Neutral Spine

Shoulder Shrugs

Shoulder Slaps

Arm Reaches/Arm Circles

Coccyx Curls

Upper Abdominal Curls

C Curve Roll Down Prep

Balance Point/Teaser Prep

Rolling Like a Ball, Modified

Chapter 8: Giving Yourself the All-Body Pilates Workout

The Beginning Mat Series

Hundred, Beginning Level

Single Leg Stretch

Rising Swan

Roll Downs

Spine Stretch Forward

Side Kicks

Feeling Stronger Every Day: Intermediate Mat Exercises

Hundred, Intermediate Level

Roll Up

Rolling Like a Ball

Single Leg Stretch

Double Leg Stretch

Crisscross

Scissors

Open Leg Rocker

Single Leg Kick

Double Leg Kick

Side Kicks

The Seal

Chapter 9: Challenging Yourself with Advanced Pilates Exercises

More Than a Washboard: The Advanced Mat Series

Hundred, Advanced Version

The Saw

Single Leg Kick

Double Leg Kick and Rest

Hip Flexor Stretch

Swimming

Pilates Push-Up

Extra Help for the Bottom and Thighs with the Side Kick series

Side Kicks (Beginning)

Bicycle (Beginning)

Up/Down in Parallel (Beginning)

Bottom Cruncher (Beginning)

Inner Thigh Pulses (Beginning)

Meow! Stretching the Spine

Basic Cat (Beginning)

The Mermaid (Intermediate)

Plastic Foam Never Felt So Good: The Roller

Shoulder Slaps

Arm Reaches/Arm Circles

Chicken Wings

Angels in the Snow

Tiny Steps

Book V : Mental Health

Chapter 1: Acknowledging the Importance of Personal Well-Being

Understanding Your Level of Well-Being

Making the Case for Being Happy

Stress and Health

Understanding how cortisol works

Preparing for fight or flight

Homing in on anxiety-related disorders

Using Eating, Exercise and Sleep to Enhance Your Well-Being

Eating to enhance your health

Feeding your brain

Choosing low-stress foods

Stop feeding your stress

Mastering the art of anti-stress snacking

Exercise and Activity to Boost Your Health

Calming your brain naturally

Think activity, rather than exercise

Getting a Good Night’s Sleep

Getting quality sleep

Dealing with bedtime worries

Chapter 2: Recognising How Depression Can Affect You

Understanding and Overcoming Depression

Feeling blue, or depressed?

The many faces of depression

Getting to the root of depression

Personal costs of depression

Detailing depression’s physical toll

Examining the Six Types of Depression

Major depressive disorder: Can’t even get out of bed

Dysthymic disorder: Chronic, low-level depression

Adjustment disorder with depressed mood: Reactive depression

Bipolar disorder: Ups and downs

Seasonal affective disorder: Dark depression

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder and postnatal depression: Horrible hormones?

Linking Drugs, Diseases and Depression

Drugs with depressive side effects

Depression-inducing illnesses

Discovering the Distorting Perceptions Behind Depression

Introducing the problematic life-lenses

Seeing the world through cracked life-lenses

Finding self-forgiveness

Separating then from now

Carrying out a cost/benefit analysis

Seeing clearly: Replacing the distorting lenses

Chapter 3: Discovering Techniques to Overcome Depression

Feeling Good Again

Seeing Things More Clearly: Cognitive Therapy

Monitoring thoughts and feelings, and relating them to life events

Unearthing distortions in thinking

Amending Your Memory

Depressing disruptions

Forgiving forgetfulness

Assisting your ailing memory

Exercising to Lift Depression

Introducing endorphins into your life

Easing into exercise

Handling Life’s Headaches

Identifying activities you enjoy

Devising life’s problem-solving game plan – CRICKET

Selecting the Best Weapons to Fight Depression

Reducing the Risk of Relapse

Getting the lowdown on relapse rates

Equipping yourself to prevent relapse

Overcoming Depression with Mindfulness

Getting playful

Letting go of negative thoughts

Connecting with experience: Life’s no spectator sport

Chapter 4: Examining Anxiety in Its Different Guises

Understanding the Symptoms of Anxiety

Sorting out what’s normal from what’s not

Matching symptoms and therapies

Presenting the Seven Main Types of Anxiety

Generalised anxiety disorder: The common cold of anxiety

Social phobia – avoiding people

Feeling panicky

The panic companion – agoraphobia

Specific phobias – spiders, snakes, lightning, planes and other scary things

Post-traumatic stress disorder: Feeling the aftermath

Obsessive-compulsive disorder – over and over and over again

Unearthing the Roots of Anxiety

Separating nature from nurture

It’s my parents’ fault!

It’s the world’s fault!

Distinguishing Thoughts from Feelings

Getting in touch with your feelings

Getting in touch with your thoughts

Tapping into your triggers

Thought-catching

Tackling your thoughts: Thought therapy

Chapter 5: Exploring How to Conquer Anxiety

Cultivating Calm Thinking

Being your own best friend

Creating calm

Using CBT to Overcome Anxiety

Watching Out for Worry Words

Getting to grips with worry words

Refuting and replacing your worry words

Facing Fear One Step at a Time

Exposure: Coming to grips with your fears

Simply Simplifying Your Life

Delegating tasks to free up extra time

Just saying no

Sleep, Sweet Sleep

The ABC of getting your Zs

Following a few relaxing routines

Relaxation: The Five-Minute Solution

Blowing anxiety away

Creating Calm in Your Imagination

Letting your imagination roam

Chapter 6: Delving into Stress

How this Whole Stress Thing got Started

Imagining you are a cave person

Seeing how your body reacts

Surviving the modern jungle

Panicking on the podium

Understanding stress is as simple as ABC

Managing stress: A three-pronged approach

Tuning your strings: Finding the right balance

Stressed-Out? Welcome to the Club!

Understanding where all this stress is coming from

Looking at the Signs and Symptoms of Stress

Understanding how stress can make you ill

Chapter 7: Managing Stress Proactively

Letting Go of Tension

Breathing away your tension

The yawn that refreshes

Quietening Your Mind

Distract yourself

Imagine this

Make things move

Stop your thoughts

Strike up the band (or better yet, a string quartet)

Do nothing: Meditation is good for you

Overcoming Your Anger

Examining the downside of anger

Tempering your temper

Modifying your mindset

Worrying Less

Get off your worry-cycle

Maintaining a Stress-Resilient Lifestyle

Make an appointment with yourself

Finding your oasis (sand optional)

Accentuate the positive(s)

Connecting with others

Do something, anything, and have fun

Healthy Mind & Body For Dummies®

By Sue Baic, Nigel Denby, Allen Elkin, Charles Elliott, Georg Feuerstein, Ellie Herman, Elaine Iljon Foreman, Liz Neporent, Larry Payne, Carol Ann Rinzler, Suzanne Schlosberg and Laura Smith

Edited by Gillian Burn

Healthy Mind & Body For Dummies®

Published byJohn Wiley & Sons, LtdThe AtriumSouthern GateChichesterWest SussexPO19 8SQEngland

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About the Authors

Sue Baic is a Lecturer in Nutrition and Public Health in the Department of Exercise and Health Sciences at Bristol University. She has a first degree from Bristol University followed by a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from London University. Sue is a Registered Dietitian (RD) with over 15 years’ experience in the field of nutrition and health in the NHS and as a freelance consultant. She feels strongly about providing nutrition information to the public that is evidence-based, up to date, unbiased and reliable.

As a member of the public relations committee of the British Dietetic Association she has written for the media on a variety of nutrition-related health issues. Sue lives in Bristol and spends her spare time running up and down hills in the Cotswolds in an attempt to get fit.

Sue is the co-author of Nutrition For Dummies and The GL Diet For Dummies.

Gillian Burn has been working in the field of mind and body health for over 25 years. Her background covers nursing, midwifery and health visiting, including experience with the Flying Doctor Service in the Australian outback.

Gillian has an MSc in Exercise and Health and is a qualified master practitioner in Neuro-Linguistic Programming, time line therapy and in creating healthy environments. She is a licensed instructor for Mind Mapping techniques and speed reading with Tony Buzan, and a licensed instructor in Body Control Pilates with the Body Control Pilates Academy.

Gillian is the Director of Health Circles Ltd (www.healthcircles.co.uk), providing training programmes and consultancy services focusing on improving health and quality of life for individuals and companies. Her workshops focus on training people to use their minds and bodies to increase energy and performance. This includes nutrition and exercise advice, understanding the mind and body connection, creating balance and techniques to increase creativity and effectiveness.

Gillian also provides life coaching to help clients create a compelling future to reach their full potential and peak performance. She teaches Pilates classes each week. Gillian aims to practice what she preaches! She rows on the river and enjoys walking, cooking and Pilates while bringing up her young daughter with her partner, John.

Gillian is the Editor of Personal Development All-in-One For Dummies published in 2007, and the author of Motivation For Dummies published in 2008, both by Wiley. She writes regularly on health related topics.

Nigel Denby trained as a dietitian at Glasgow Caledonian University, following an established career in the catering industry. He is also a qualified chef and previously owned his own restaurant.

His dietetic career began as a Research Dietitian at the Human Nutrition Research Centre in Newcastle upon Tyne. After a period working as a Community Dietitian, Nigel left the NHS to join Boots Health and Beauty Experience where he led the delivery and training of Nutrition and Weight Management services.

In 2003 Nigel set up his own Nutrition Consultancy, delivering a clinical service to Hammersmith and Queen Charlotte’s Hospital Women’s Health Clinic and the International Eating Disorders Centre in Buckinghamshire as well as acting as Nutrition Consultant for the Childbase Children’s Nursery Group.

Nigel also runs his own private practice in Harley Street, specialising in weight management, PMS, menopause and irritable bowel syndrome.

Nigel works extensively with the media, writing for the Sunday Telegraph Magazine, Zest, Essentials and various other consumer magazines. His work in radio and television includes BBC and ITN news programmes, Channel 4’s Fit Farm, BBC Breakfast and BBC Real Story.

He is the co-author of Nutrition For Dummies and The GL Diet For Dummies.

Allen Elkin, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, a certified sex therapist, and the director of The Stress Management & Counseling Center in New York City and is known for his expertise in the field of stress and emotional disorders. Dr Elkin holds workshops and presentations for professional organisations and corporations, including the American Society of Contemporary Medicine and Surgery, the Drug Enforcement Agency, Morgan Stanley, IBM, PepsiCo and the New York Stock Exchange.

His first book, Urban Ease: Stress-Free Living in the Big City, was published by Penguin Putnam (Plume, 1999). He is also the author of Stress Management For Dummies.

Charles H. Elliott, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and a member of the faculty at the Fielding Graduate Institute. He has a part-time private practice in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that specialises in the treatment of anxiety and depression. He is a Founding Fellow in the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, an internationally recognised organisation that certifies cognitive therapists for treating depression, anxiety, panic attacks and other emotional disorders. He has made numerous presentations nationally and internationally on new developments in assessment and therapy of emotional disorders. He is co-author of Overcoming Depression For Dummies (Wiley), Overcoming Anxiety For Dummies (Wiley), Anxiety & Depression Workbook For Dummies (Wiley), Why Can’t I Get What I Want? (Davies-Black, 1998; A Behavioral Science Book Club Selection), Why Can’t I Be the Parent I Want to Be? (New Harbinger Publications, 1999), and Hollow Kids: Recapturing the Soul of a Generation Lost to the Self-Esteem Myth (Prima, 2001).

Georg Feuerstein, PhD, has been studying and practicing Yoga since his early teens. He is internationally respected for his contribution to Yoga research and the history of consciousness and has been featured in many national magazines both in the United States and abroad. He has authored over 30 books, including The Yoga Tradition, The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga, Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy, and Lucid Waking. In the early ’70s, he taught Hatha Yoga (physical exercises) to the British women’s Olympic ski team for one season, but his main focus is on Jnana Yoga (the path of wisdom) and Raja Yoga (the royal path of meditation).

Georg is founder-director of the Yoga Research Center in Northern California, a coeditor of Yoga World, a patron of the British Wheel of Yoga, a fellow of the Indian Academy of Yoga, a contributing editor of Yoga Journal and Intuition magazine, and he also serves on the advisory board of the Integral Health Network. He’s the co-author of Yoga For Dummies.

Ellie Herman, MS, Lac, runs two thriving Pilates studios, one in San Francisco and one in Oakland. The Ellie Herman Studios offer annual teacher training intensives in Northern California. Ellie has certified instructors locally, nationally and internationally. She has taught Pilates for over ten years and has developed a unique language to communicate the essence of the Pilates method. She was first introduced to Pilates in 1988 as a rehabilitation patient at Saint Francis Hospital Dance Medicine in San Francisco. She received her formal Pilates training in 1991 in New York City, where she studied with two of the original Pilates protégés, Romana Kryzanowska and Kathy Grant.

Formerly a professional dancer and choreographer with her own dance company, Ellie has a background that includes contemporary dance techniques, yoga, gymnastics, kinesiology and anatomy. She is a licensed acupuncturist with a Master of Science degree in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. In her studios, Ellie combines Pilates with acupuncture and body work to offer a complete rehabilitation and wellness environment. Ellie strives to integrate her studies and continually expand her approach to bring balance back to the body.

She is the author of Pilates For Dummies.

Elaine Iljon Foreman MSc, AFPBSs is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. She specialises in the treatment of fear of flying plus other anxiety and depression related problems. Elaine is a Consultant Specialist in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, accredited with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, a Fellow of the Institute of Travel and Tourism, and chairs the UKCP Ethics Committee. Her highly specialised Freedom to Fly Treatment Programme for the fear of flying (www.freedomtofly.biz), and the Freedom from Fear approach for other depression and anxiety-based problems have been developed from over thirty years of clinical experience. Elaine co-ordinates international research into the field of treatment for fear of flying. Her presentations and workshops are given both nationally and internationally to professional and self-help audiences.

Elaine’s most recent publications are Overcoming Anxiety For Dummies, Overcoming Depression For Dummies, Anxiety & Depression Workbook For Dummies, and Fly Away Fear, A Self-Help Guide to Overcoming Fear of Flying co-authored with Lucas Van Gerwen, and published by Karnac in May 2008.

Liz Neporent is a certified trainer and president of Plus One Health Management, a fitness consulting company in New York City. Her job is to make sure the members of more than a dozen fitness centres in hotels and corporations throughout New York are happy, motivated and exercising on a regular basis.

Liz holds a Master’s degree in exercise physiology and is certified by the American Council on Exercise, the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is co-author of Abs of Steel, Buns of Steel: Total Body Workout, Weight Training For Dummies, Fitness Walking For Dummies and Fitness For Dummies. Additionally, she is the Gear Editor for Shape magazine and a regular contributor to The New York Times. She appears regularly on TV and radio as an authority on fitness and exercise.

Liz is an avid runner and has competed in more than two dozen marathons and ultra-marathons. She’s also a devoted sports climber, walker, hiker, and weight trainer. She lives in New York City with her husband, Jay Shafran, and her greyhound, Zoomer.

Larry Payne, PhD, is an internationally prominent Yoga teacher and workshop leader. He used Yoga to overcome his own serious back problems which he developed during his previous career as an advertising sales executive. Larry regards his own early injuries from numerous competitive sports, his experience in a high-stress profession, and a previously inflexible body as invaluable preparation for helping others.

In Los Angeles, Larry is the founder of the corporate Yoga programme at the J. Paul Getty Museum, cofounder of the Yoga program at the UCLA School of Medicine, and also founded similar programs for Rancho La Puerta Fitness Spa, The Ritz Carlton and Lowes Hotels, and numerous corporations. Larry is chairman of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and has received Outstanding Achievement Awards for Yoga in Europe, South America and the United States. Larry has appeared on national television, syndicated radio and has been featured in numerous international magazines, as well as The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. He’s the co-author of Yoga For Dummies. His website is www.samata.com.

Carol Ann Rinzler is a noted authority on health and nutrition and holds an MA from Columbia University. She writes a weekly nutrition column for The New York Daily News and is the author of more than 20 health-related books, including Nutrition For Dummies,Controlling Cholesterol For Dummies,Weight Loss Kit For Dummies and the highly acclaimed Estrogen and Breast Cancer: A Warning for Women. Carol Ann lives in New York with her husband, wine writer Perry Luntz, and their amiable cat, Kat.

Suzanne Schlosberg is a magazine writer known for her humorous approach to health and fitness. She is a contributing editor to Shape and Health magazines and co-author of Weight Training For Dummies, Fitness For Dummies and Kathy Smith’s Fitness Makeover. She is also the author of The Ultimate Workout Log, Second Edition, and an instructor in UCLA Extension’s Certificate in Journalism Program.

Suzanne writes frequently about her fitness adventures – from her failed tryout for The American Gladiators to her record-setting victory in Nevada’s Great American Sack Race, a quadrennial event in which competitors run 5 miles while carrying a 50-pound sack of chicken feed on their shoulders. Suzanne chronicled her two bicycle treks across the United States. She never travels without her weight-lifting gloves and has put them to good use at gyms in Zimbabwe, Morocco, Guam and the Micronesian island of Yap.

Laura L. Smith, PhD, is a clinical psychologist at Presbyterian Behavioral Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico. At Presbyterian, she specialises in the assessment and treatment of both adults and children with anxiety and other mood disorders. She is an adjunct faculty member at the Fielding Graduate Institute. Formerly, she was the clinical supervisor for a regional educa-tional cooperative. In addition, she has presented on new developments in cognitive therapy to both national and international audiences. Dr Smith is co-author of Hollow Kids (Prima, 2001) and Why Can’t I Be the Parent I Want to Be? (New Harbinger Publications, 1999). She is the co-author of Overcoming Anxiety For Dummies, Overcoming Depression For Dummies and Anxiety & Depression Workbook For Dummies.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

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Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

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Cover Photos: Front cover: © JLP/Corbis. Back cover (vegetables): © The Daniel Heighton Food Collection / Alamy; back cover (yoga): © Radius Images/Corbis

Cartoons: Ed McLachlan

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