The best (and most groundbreaking) books to upgrade your health and vitality

Why am I passionate about this?

I personally have struggled with weight, blood sugar, and blood pressure challenges while I was in my teens and twenties. It was through functional medicine and many of the strategies I share in my book that I was able to create a positive shift in my own health and support the health of my clients. In my education and subsequent research, the Vagus nerve always stuck out to me as a unique and underrepresented component of the health journey. My curiosity regarding human anatomy and physiology led me to this important and missing answer: enabling our bodies to enter a healing state and initiate the recovery of our health.


I wrote...

Upgrade Your Vagus Nerve: Control Inflammation, Boost Immune Response, and Improve Heart Rate Variability with New Science-Backed Therapies

By Navaz Habib,

Book cover of Upgrade Your Vagus Nerve: Control Inflammation, Boost Immune Response, and Improve Heart Rate Variability with New Science-Backed Therapies

What is my book about?

Unlock the full potential of your Vagus Nerve with this transformational guide, including practical strategies to treat headaches, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and more. Harness the power of vagus nerve (VN) function and heart rate variability (HRV) in the long-awaited follow-up to bestseller Activate Your Vagus Nerve. This entirely new book goes beyond activation alone to explore stressors, measurement techniques, and practical protocols to create a roadmap to a healthier, happier life.

This book offers an approachable overview of recent research, easy-to-implement strategies, and more. You’ll learn how to understand the impact of psychological and physical stressors, such as traumatic incidents and nutritional deficiencies, as well as find balance, become resilient, and embark on a journey toward improved well-being with the help of the vagus nerve.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Oxygen Advantage: Simple, Scientifically Proven Breathing Techniques to Help You Become Healthier, Slimmer, Faster, and Fitter

Navaz Habib Why did I love this book?

This book opened my eyes to the importance of learning to breathe correctly and the fact that very few people actually understand how to breathe.

I learned that the breath is the primary tool that we have conscious control over, which allows us to impact our physiology and the overall function of our cells. The impact that our breath has led me to understand how important it is in supporting brain health, weight loss, autonomic control, and immune system function. 

I have used this information personally to significantly improve my workouts and bike rides and optimize my recovery days.

By Patrick McKeown,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Oxygen Advantage as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A simple yet revolutionary approach to weight loss, fitness, and wellness lies in the most basic and most overlooked function of your body—how you breathe. Improve your body’s oxygen use and increase your health, weight loss, and sports performance—whether you’re a recovering couch potato or an Ironman triathlon champion. With a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Dr. Joseph Mercola.

One of the biggest obstacles to better health and fitness is a rarely identified problem: chronic over-breathing. We often take many more breaths than we need—without realizing it—contributing to poor health and fitness, including a host of disorders, from…


Book cover of Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

Navaz Habib Why did I love this book?

I was shocked to learn about the amazing things that happen in our bodies while we sleep.

This book clarified and significantly improved how I sleep and my routine prior to bedtime. This book helped me to figure out what I was previously doing incorrectly and helped me to feel my best after a great night of sleep.

By Matthew Walker,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Why We Sleep as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
TLS, OBSERVER, SUNDAY TIMES, FT, GUARDIAN, DAILY MAIL AND EVENING STANDARD BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2017

'Vital ... a life-raft' Guardian
'A top sleep scientist argues that sleep is more important for our health than diet or exercise' The Times
'It had a powerful effect on me' Observer
'I urge you all to read this book' Times Higher Education

Sleep is one of the most important aspects of our life, health and longevity and yet it is increasingly neglected in twenty-first-century society, with devastating consequences: every major disease in the developed world - Alzheimer's,…


Book cover of Forever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well

Navaz Habib Why did I love this book?

From this book, I learned how important muscle tissue is to overall health. It was quite eye-opening to learn about the effects of poor muscle quality on our longevity and healthspan.

I really appreciated the practical aspects of this book, which helped me come up with a strategic plan for myself and my clients to improve their muscle health for their overall health!

By Gabrielle Lyon,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Forever Strong as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Learn how to reboot your metabolism, build strength, and extend your life with this accessible new book that demonstrates the importance of muscle for health and longevity from the founder of the Institute for Muscle-Centric Medicine (R).

After years of watching patients cycle through her practice, Dr Gabrielle Lyon noticed a pattern. While her patients struggled with a wide range of conditions, they all suffered from the same core problem: they had too little muscle rather than too much fat.

When we think about muscle, we tend to think about strength or aesthetics, but…


Book cover of Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy

Navaz Habib Why did I love this book?

A major part of upgrading your health involves upgrading your thinking, and that is what I learned from this book. My eyes were opened to common thought patterns that were holding me back and provided significant boosts to my mindset and ability to remain objective in the face of stress and emotion.

I truly loved this book and the deep insights.

By Sadhguru,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Inner Engineering as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The practice of what is commonly known as hatha yoga is but one of eight branches of the body of knowledge that is yoga. Yoga is a sophisticated system of self-empowerment that is capable of harnessing and activating inner energies in such a way that your body and mind function at their optimal capacity. It is a means to create inner situations exactly the way you want them, turning you into the architect of your own joy. A yogi lives life in this expansive state, and in this transformative book Sadhguru tells the story of his own awakening from a…


Book cover of Own the Day, Own Your Life: Optimized Practices for Waking, Working, Learning, Eating, Training, Playing, Sleeping, and Sex

Navaz Habib Why did I love this book?

I loved that this book was full of practical tips and tools to support optimal performance and physiology. I have personally implemented many of these tools and continue to share many of them with my clients.

In my opinion, this is the most succinct and practical book for those who are looking to biohack or boost their productivity and show up daily to live a full and wonderful life.

By Aubrey Marcus,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Own the Day, Own Your Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The founder and CEO of Onnit, the mega lifestyle brand and one of the fastest growing companies in the country, teaches us how one single day of positive choices leads to a lifetime of concrete strategies for better living, optimal performance, and a stronger mind, body, and spirit.

Human optimization thought leader Aubrey Marcus's personal and professional mission rests on a single question: How can we get the most out of our body and mind on a daily basis?

Marcus answers that question in Own the Day, Own Your Life an empowering handbook that guides readers to optimize every moment…


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Blood of the White Bear

By Marcia Calhoun Forecki, Gerald Schnitzer,

Book cover of Blood of the White Bear

Marcia Calhoun Forecki Author Of Blood of the White Bear

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author History hound Polyglot Bookworm Neatness averse Yoga beginner

Marcia's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Virologist Dr. Rachel Bisette sees visions of a Kachina and remembers the plane crash that killed her parents and the Dine medicine woman who saved her life. Rachel is investigating a new and lethal hantavirus spreading through the Four Corners, and believes the Kachina is calling her to join the work against the spreading pandemic.

She finds Eva Yellow Horn, a medicine woman with the key to fighting the pandemic. When Eva demonstrates ancient healing powers beyond science, Rachel recognizes her as the medicine woman who saved her life years before. Eva reveals that Rachel’s father was investigating the 1979 nuclear disaster in Church Rock, when his plane crashed, killing her parents. Now, Rachel undertakes a new investigation, but she is not alone.

Blood of the White Bear

By Marcia Calhoun Forecki, Gerald Schnitzer,

What is this book about?

“Visions of kachinas guide doctor to spiritual healing in pandemic.”

2014 Finalist in the Willa Literary Award

This is a book that once closed and last line read, my mind wandered to explore certain character motivations and potential follow-up responses. I don’t think an author has to answer every possibility, art comes into play best when the reader’s own imagination can wander within the story.

Dr. Rachel Bisette is drawn to the Four Corners to lead the search for a vaccine against a lethal pandemic. One elusive indigenous woman, Eva Yellow Horn, carries the gift of immunity. In her search…


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