The Healthy Deviant (A Rule Breaker's Guide to Being Healthy in an Unhealthy World)

Learn to achieve optimal mental, emotional, and physical health by thinking like a social renegade, challenging the status quo, and defying cultural norms

For decades we've been told of the importance of right eating, getting the right amount of sleep, doing the right exercises, and developing the right habits. It seems as if we are constantly being flooded by advice, only to have that advice refuted and replaced by something new. This book is about cultivating the renegade thinking and unorthodox behaviors required to break through the noise. Award-winning journalist Pilar Gerasimo teaches us to take on a radical mindset by identifying and resisting the social norms and habits that are at the root of our unhealthy lives. With insight and expertise, Gerasimo discusses the importance of developing socially "deviant" skills such as brain exercises that improve attention, or instituting morning rituals that tap into the mind's innate healing power. Learn to avoid the allure of excessive screen time, compulsive eating, oblivion seeking, and other draining habits. Drawing on medical, psychological, and brain science research, this book provides practical advice for enhancing the efficacy of any health regimen, whether it be for sleep, exercise, mood, motivation, or diet. For those who have ever felt stuck and frustrated in making healthy changes, or who are determined to find a better way of living, The Healthy Deviant offers fresh hope, motivation, and an invigorating experience.