Nowadays everyone appears to be stressed – at home and at work. Families, friends, coworkers, bosses, health, and finances often seem to add stress to our lives that stops us from enjoying what we have. Stress affects not only our emotions and thought processes, but also our physical health and general well-being. Depression and anxiety are on the rise and half of all Americans are projected to suffer mental illness at some point in their lives. For many decades, medication and psychotherapy have been the way to go to treat psychological issues. If we look deeper we will see that we are treating symptoms rather than the cause of the problem, which seems to be the norm in Western medicine.
An increasing number of studies and health care providers point out the importance of nutrition and exercise, for our physical as well as mental health. There is a strong body-brain connection, and if we do not feed our bodies well, we also starve our brains. If we do not take care of our physical health, our mental health is going to suffer just the same. This book offers an overview of how our modern American diet affects our physical and mental health, how to reduce feelings of stress, how to improve relationships, how to improve our thought processes, and how to achieve more happiness by establishing balance in our lives, embracing a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual approach to health and well-being.
Change your life. Make happiness a choice, learn how to:
1. Make healthy, yet simple food choices.
2. Improve your self-care.
3. Deal with stress in your life.
4. Control your thoughts and feelings.
5. ENJOY YOUR LIFE by creating balance and finding happiness.
Balanced Bodies on barnesandnoble.com
Reviews
Reviewed by Erica Goldsmith
As someone who suffers from severe anxiety disorder, panic attacks, ADHD and mild PTSD, I can honestly say that Alexandra’s book is one of very few that I could tolerate. Everyone wants to follow the same old system, and I don’t have the attention or patience to read through some science lesson. Instead, she takes a new and different route and approaches the problems at hand from a unique angle that speaks to her understanding of certain diseases and illnesses. Her break down of foods, what they contain (as far as vitamins and minerals), and what these can do to heal a body are so thorough that I literally want to print them out and hang them in my kitchen. This book is a perfect compilation of tools and information that Alexandra has organized so well so that anyone can use it.
Reviewed by Danielle Silbernagel
As an Integrative Health Coach, I have come to realize that there is an overwhelming amount of contradicting information surrounding health and wellness, which makes it incredibly hard for people to even know where to begin and then you lose focus on what you really want/need. “balanced Bodies” provided me with incredible valuable information and put me on the “straight and arrow,” giving me the ability to focus on my four bodies and not only understand how they work, but also provide extremely useful and simple tools on how to effectively work towards balancing them. Walking away from reading this book made me feel like I actually have a guideline to follow in life, this book gives direction! Thank you Alexandra for this beautiful life-changing gift!
Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers’ Favorite
Long before I heard the word ‘holistic,’ I knew it made sense to have
a system of health and care that takes in every aspect of health
and fitness. I intuitively combined several different health systems
when I was a young man. I started first by learning Korean
Taekwondo. I also used transcendental meditation so that both
mental and physical health were taken care of. I did this as a young
man. I’m fifty-eight years old now and the holistic approach that is
the premise of Balanced Bodies: A Holistic Approach to Happiness
by Alexandra M. Asirvadam just makes sense to me. Put it all
together in a package or program that takes care of everything. Not
anyone could do it, but Alexandra M. Asirvadam has done the
research, and has the writing skills that can launch this new way to
do things.
Balanced Bodies: A Holistic Approach to Happiness is based on a
great idea. That is one reason it is such a great book. Another
reason is the writing style of Alexandra M. Asirvadam. This is a
cozy, intimate style that is both comforting and enlightening at the
same time. Balanced Bodies: A Holistic Approach to Happiness is
very well written and, just as importantly, it is a well-organized
work. The content makes sense and all the parts are in the right
places. I enjoyed the writing but again just as importantly, I enjoyed
the concept that I could put these ideas into practice and take my
physical and mental health to another level. A great, useful book
whether you are young or old.
Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers’ Favorite
Balanced Bodies: A Holistic Approach to Happiness by Alexandra M
Asirvadam is an uplifting and insightful book that gives a holistic
and practical approach to mental health. The book creates more
awareness of how nutrition and lack of self-care affect mental
health. The author shares simple coping skills and ways to improve
daily lives, thereby enabling one to have a balanced life with
increased happiness. The book follows the Eastern concept that
speaks about the four dimensions – physical, emotional, mental,
and spiritual – and how a proper alignment of these dimensions will
enable fine tuning to living a fulfilling and enriched life. The book
adopts a holistic approach to treating mental health and achieving
a complete healing in all areas of life.
The author’s approach to the topic is different and that makes the
book unique and original. The author handles a relevant topic in a
simple manner, making it easy to understand and practice. She
handles the topic extensively and methodically. It is a good book to
help readers to understand the connection between mental and
physical health and how emotional disturbances can manifest as ill
health. It is a good guide for readers on how to take care of
themselves, have happy thoughts, eat simple and healthy food, and
lead a simple life. Books that help to explore relationships in life
and healthy boundaries are good as these help readers to adopt a
holistic perspective so that they can live healthier and longer lives.
This is definitely a book to have in one’s personal collection as it
can be read again whenever there is a need to create a self-care
routine.
Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers’ Favorite
Balanced Bodies: A Holistic Approach to Happiness is a non-fiction
motivational self-help book written by Alexandra M Asirvadam. The
author is a licensed professional counselor as well as a health
coach, who is certified by the Institute of Integrative Nutrition.
While Asirvadam recognizes the traditional counseling approaches
which focus on past experiences and other mental health issues,
she prefers to approach her counseling in a more holistic way,
taking a whole body approach to optimal mental health. A major
cornerstone of that approach has to do with nutrition and the foods
we eat. Outside stressors can affect one’s life, but establishing and
maintaining a healthy core can assist in maintaining one’s
equilibrium, despite the inevitable stresses and strains of life.
Asirvadam shares her outlook on the four bodies each of us
possess: the spiritual, mental, emotional and spiritual, and she
shows how maintaining their proper balance can lead to a happier
existence. She includes an extensive list of resources in her
appendices.
Alexandra M Asirvadam’s non-fiction motivational self-help book,
Balanced Bodies: A Holistic Approach to Happiness, is a well-written
and persuasive guide to understanding the mind-body connection
and how behavioral modifications can make a big difference in how
one reacts to situations and one’s general outlook on life. Her
discussions on balancing the four bodies are well-presented and
easy to follow, and her suggestions on how to make changes in
one’s nutritional choices make sense. Asirvadam also approaches
ways for parents to help their children adapt to lifestyle changes
that may be at odds with those of their peers, i.e. eating whole
grain foods and fruits instead of sugary snacks. I was particularly
interested in her promotion of healthcare approaches that treat
physical conditions rather than masking them by treating
symptoms or relieving pain. Some of her suggestions may seem
challenging, but all are definitely worthwhile. Balanced Bodies: A
Holistic Approach to Happiness is highly recommended.
Reviewed by Maria Beltran for Readers’ Favorite
Balanced Bodies: A Holistic Approach to Happiness by Alexandra M.
Asirvadam is an inspirational and motivational book that should be
read by everyone. With a Master’s degree in Professional
Counseling from the Argosy University in Dallas, a private practice,
and work experience in a mental health hospital and a foster care
agency, the author has been exposed to a number of approaches in
healing mental illness. She has come up with a book that discusses
just how much mental health is affected by the very food that we
eat. Composed of seven chapters, Balanced Bodies certainly moves
mental healing to another level. Entire chapters are devoted to the
physical body, the emotional body, the mental body, and the
spiritual body respectively. Understanding this health concept is
significant to achieving balance in our bodies, and ultimately
happiness, and this is exactly what the book is all about.
Alexandra M. Asirvadam’s Balanced Bodies: A Holistic Approach to
Happiness is a little book that can help people lead happy lives.
What is really great about this book is that it is written in layman’s
terms and in a conversational style, in spite of the fact that its main
topic is physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. Asirvadam
is obviously an expert on her subject, but what is most striking is
that her heart is obviously in it. She puts forth a novel concept that
to be truly healthy, one has to have a balanced body; physically,
emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. And in a world where suicide
is a common occurrence and depression a prevailing condition,
Balanced Bodies: A Holistic Approach to Happiness is a must-read!