OPG Christmas Guide: Wellness

Share Power

By Merryn Somerset Webb

Should companies care about climate change? Should they be vanquishing the gender pay gap and advancing human rights in their supply chains? And if we think they should – can we, as ordinary people, bring out these sorts of changes?

The answer is, technically, yes. In the UK, the majority of us now own shares in listed companies – whether that be through a stock and share ISA, a self-made investment or a work pension scheme. What few people know is that every share comes with a vote in company decisions, over everything from executive pay to corporate strategy. The technology exists to allow us to vote – all we need to do is learn how to use it.

In Share Power, Merryn Somerset Webb, Editor in Chief of MoneyWeek, takes us deep into the world of corporate capitalism – from the privatisation of state-owned companies in the 1980s to the financial crash of 2008 and the growth of the modern multinational – to show us how capitalism went wrong and how, with six simple recommendations, every one of us now has the power to make it work for us. *****

Merryn Somerset Webb is editor-in-chief of MoneyWeek, the UK’s best-selling financial magazine. She is also a columnist for the Financial Times and Saga magazine. Last year she was co-presenter of Channel 4's personal finance series Superscrimpers, and has previously published a book on personal finance, Love Is Not Enough: A Smart Woman's Guide to Money.

A vivid exploration, through a psychoanalytic lens, of the ghosts and buried traumas that hold us back and interfere with our lives.

Publication 03/02/2022

£14.99 Hardback 256 pages Demy

ISBN: 9781780725406

Emotional Inheritance

Moving beyond the legacy of trauma

By Galit Atlas

'Galit Atlas deftly shows why the hurts and stuckness that can plague us can be faced and, yes, dissolved. Contemporary psychoanalysis at its best.' – Susie Orbach, author of Fat Is a Feminist Issue

Dr. Galit Atlas, an internationally renowned psychoanalyst, draws on the emotional power of her patients' stories and her own life experiences to shed light on the extraordinary ways in which inherited family trauma affects our lives. The people we love and those who raised us live inside us; we experience their emotional pain, we dream their memories, and these things shape our lives in ways we don’t always recognise. Emotional Inheritance is about family secrets that haunst us and keep us from living to our full potential.

Through 11 remarkable case studies, Galit Atlas shows how it is only by engaging in delicate therapeutic detective work collecting reminiscences of childhood, following the traces that those ghosts leave, and identifying the links between our life struggles and the emotional inheritance we carry – that we can break the cycle and change our destiny. *****

Galit Atlas is a psychoanalyst and clinical supervisor in Manhattan. She is a faculty member of the New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis. As an essayist and author, Atlas has published numerous articles and book chapters that focus primarily on gender and sexuality. Atlas served on the board of directors of the Division of Psychoanalysis of the American Psychological Association. She is the recipient of the Andre Francois Research Award and the NADT Research Award.

A Sense of Belonging

How to find your place in a fractured world

By Dr Holan Liang

A sense of belonging – being liked, understood, accepted for who you are is vital for our mental health. Whether it is fitting in at school, struggling to connect with colleagues in a new job, or just feeling out of place in your own family, we all, at various stages in our lives, find ourselves questioning our identity.

For Dr Holan Liang, one of the UK's foremost psychiatrists, this crisis of identity cuts right to the heart of the modern epidemic of anxiety and depression.

In this ground breaking book, she draws on her own experience as an immigrant to the UK, and on 20 years of caring for patients suffering from a range of mental health conditions, from eating disorders to OCD, to explore a radical new perspective on mental health.

Warm, wise and full of humanity, A Sense of Belonging will help you to: understand the causes of loneliness, reprioritise the people and things that matter, stop people-pleasing, and learn how to accept yourself in order to find genuine connection.

A consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, Dr Holan Liang treats children with severe mental health issues from across the country. Born in Taiwan, she moved to the UK as a child and studied medicine and experimental psychology at Cambridge, before training in psychiatry at The Maudsley Hospital. As well as lecturing and teaching, Liang has written multiple peer-reviewed research papers and articles for the national press. A mother of two, she published Inside Out Parenting in 2017.

A revelatory book about death and mourning by a psychotherapist faced with sudden bereavement.

Publication

The State of Disbelief

By Juliet Rosenfeld

'A beautifully written, profoundly moving and immersive account of grief that will bring solace.' - Louise France, The Times

When Juliet Rosenfeld's husband dies of lung cancer only seven months into their marriage, everything she has learnt about death as a psychotherapist is turned on its head.

As she attempts to navigate her way through her own devastating experience of loss, Rosenfeld turns to her battered copy of Freud's seminal essay 'Mourning and Melancholia'. Inspired by the distinction Freud draws between the savage trauma of loss that occurs at the moment of death grief and the longer, unpredictable evolution of that loss into something that we call mourning, Rosenfeld finds herself dramatically rethinking the commonly held therapeutic idea of 'working through stages of grief'.

This is a beautifully written meditation on what the investment of love means and how to find your own path after bereavement in order for life to continue. *****

Juliet Rosenfeld read French and Italian at Oxford before working in advertising and briefly in the civil service. She began to retrain as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist 15 years ago. She works in London in private practice and has two sons. This is her first book.

The

Light to Life

miracle of photosynthesis and how it can save the planet

By Raffael Jovine

'A book about the magic of photosynthesis and how plants and algae turn sunlight into energy to make life on this planet possible. Read it!'

PAUL NURSE, Nobel Prize winner and author of What is Life?

Biologist Raffael Jovine takes us on a journey of discovery into the intricate, beautiful and often surprising processes that convert energy from the sun into life. Despite the unprecedented challenges the Earth faces from global warming, habitat loss and population growth, Jovine shows us that there is hope to be found. Photosynthesis is the very source of life: it has the power not just to produce food, but to reshape continents, drive biogeochemical cycles, stabilise the climate and regulate weather.

In this exciting, revelatory book, Jovine unveils a blueprint for the future: greening the desert, bringing the ocean on land, planting mangrove forests and growing algae for food and soil carbon... He demonstrates how, by harnessing photosynthesis, we can regenerate the planet and revise the way we interact with it.

Light to Life will help you to see the world in a different way, in all its wonderful detail – through the photosynthetic pigments in your eyes.

Raffael Jovine was born and raised in Munich, and educated in Britain and the US. He trained in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale, did his PdD in Marine Sciences, then researched the photosynthetic strategies that enable algae to outcompete other organisms at MIT. He is the founder and chief scientist for a company that uses seawater, sunlight and wind to grow food in coastal deserts, replicating algal blooms. He is married with five children and lives in London.

A collection of thoughts and reflections on how to face the enormity of death from the world’s greatest writers, poets and thinkers, from Seneca to Tolstoy.

Publication 10/03/2022 £12.99 Hardback 208 pages B Format ISBN: 9781780724805

On Grief

Voices through the ages on how to manage death and loss

By Peter J. Conradi

How do you ‘prepare’ for bereavement? Religious faith can help, as can ritualised codes of dress and behaviour that recognise different stages of mourning. But many of us feel singularly unprepared when we lose someone. No one ‘theory’ can sooth the bereaved, precisely because grief so strips us naked and profoundly wounds us. Nothing pre-cooked helps. No quick fix, no one-shot deal.

In this inspirational book, Peter J Conradi draws on literature, history and philosophy to present a broad array of different voices and perspectives on grief. His carefully chosen stories, excerpts and poems offer wisdom and consolation, but they also make us think, break down taboos and sometimes even find humour and light amidst the painful, bewildering reality of death.

Everyone's experience of grief is different, but reading about the myriad different ways in which others have approached it can, while not necessarily easing our grief, certainly help us feel less alone. *****

Peter J. Conradi is the author of many books, including Iris Murdoch: A Life, the critically lauded biography of Iris Murdoch, and more recently of Going Buddhist and A Dictionary of Interesting and Important Dogs (Short Books) and At the Bright Hem of God: Radnorshire Pastoral.

A book that explains why glucose is the key to almost every aspect of our health, from our weight to our mood, and how to keep our glucose levels steady in order to feel amazing.

Publication 25/03/2022 £12.99

Trade Paperback 288 pages Demy

ISBN: 9781780725239

Glucose Revolution

The life-changing power of balancing your blood sugar

By Jessie Inchauspé

'This book is going to change the way we all eat.' Daily Mail

Dietary science is on the move. For decades, people were wrongly focused on reducing fat and calories, whereas we now know that the real trouble makers are the foods that deregulate our blood sugar levels.

In writing both clear and empathetic, biochemist Jessie Inchauspé explains why blood sugar spikes are so bad for us and how to flatten those spikes to transform our health.

By analysing decades of research and running thousands of original experiments on herself wearing a continuous glucose monitor, she has distilled 10 simple and surprising hacks that can be easily incorporated into everyday life.

By the end of this book, you'll be aware of how food impacts your biology. You'll know which breakfast choices may be causing your cravings, in which order you should eat the food on your plate, what not to do on an empty stomach, which foods lead to mood swings, and how to avoid being sleepy at 3pm. You'll evolve the way you eat, take control of your health, and your life will flourish. *****

Jessie Inchauspé was born in the Basque country, and grew up in Paris. After graduating in Mathematics from King's College London, she joined a research team at the University of Pennsylvania, and went on to complete an MA in Biochemistry and Molecular & Cell Biology at Georgetown University. She then spent four years working at the genetics startup 23andMe in California, and while there was featured as one of Grace Hopper Conference's Women in Tech. In 2019 she started the Glucose Goddess Instagram, which rapidly grew into a movement.

I Bought a Mountain

By Thomas Firbank

WITH A FOREWORD

BY PATRICK BARKHAM

And an essay by Welsh hill farmer, Dafydd Morris-Jones

‘I first saw Dyffryn in a November gale... the old house was quivering under the thrusts of the wind, and the wild, remote setting had already captured my fancy, and I will hold it till I die.’

So begins the remarkable story of a 21-year-old man who, with no experience in agriculture, visited a sheep farm on a near barren Welsh mountainside in 1931 and that same day bought all 2,400 acres along with its 3000 sheep for £5,000.

Set amidst the rugged grandeur of Snowdonia, I Bought a Mountain follows the struggles and triumphs of this impulsive but hard-working man and his every-bit-as-tough wife, Esme, as they fight to build the farm into prosperity.

Firbank’s writing is guileless and immediate and ruthlessly honest. His paean to the traditional, Welsh hill-farming way of life transports you to a disappearing world, one ruled by the age-old rhythms of work, weather, livestock and a love of the land, and offers precious insights into conservation and sustainability.

Thomas Firbank (1910 2000) was a Canadian/Welsh author, farmer, soldier and engineer. He enlisted during the Second World War and was awarded a Military Cross. After his marriage to Esme Cummins ended, he gave her the Dyffryn farm. He only returned to Snowdonia in 1993 after a spell living in the Far East, and died in Llarnwst, North Wales.

Don't Put Yourself on Toast

By Freddy Taylor

'An utterly fresh, unconventional memoir about realising what is important in life – and seizing it while it is still there.'

Iona McLaren, The Telegraph

When Freddy was 21 years old, his dad, a larger than life, successful TV producer, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a particularly aggressive type of brain cancer.

Collected and expanded from Freddy’s journal at the time and interspersed with entries from his stepmother’s medical notes, Don’t Put Yourself on Toast is a record of the last two years of his father’s life and Freddy’s attempt to hold his family together using all the fun he can muster.

In startlingly vivid snapshots Freddy takes us from the entertaining antics of ‘the most inappropriate wine gum toss competition ever attempted in a hospital ward’; to the comic-tragic deciphering of his father’s muddled riddles as his speech disintegrates; to painful moments of regret and self-loathing, as he squanders precious time.

This heartrending portrayal of a world turned upside down offers a reminder of the power of humour and laughter to provide, even in our darkest moments, sustenance, comfort and hope.

Freddy Taylor was brought up next to the ugly, white roundabout in Wandsworth, London. Now 31, he is living in Dorset and working as a copywriter for an advertising agency. This is his first book. http://freddytaylor.co.uk/

The Power of Women

By Dr Denis Mukwege

Nobel laureate, world renowned doctor and human rights activist, Dr Mukwege has dedicated his life to caring for victims of sexual violence. Over the past two decades living and working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he has stood up to soldiers and warlords, survived multiple assassination attempts, never swaying from his mission.

In this book, Dr Mukwege interweaves his own dramatic story with the experiences of a range of extraordinary characters: the women he has treated – many of whom, after suffering unspeakable brutality, have had the strength to heal and rebuild their lives as well as the people he has worked with, and survivors of sexual violence whom he has met during his years of advocating for women’s rights on the international stage.

Sexual violence is the most common, under-reported and least prosecuted crime in the world. It does not occur in a vacuum. We are all implicated – whether the violence occurs in war-torn countries, or on college campuses in the West.

The Power of Women is a rallying cry to rid our societies of violence against women, and to better learn from their strength and resilience. It challenges us to think about our own experiences and how all of us have a part to play in bringing about change.

Dr Denis Mukwege was born in the Belgian Congo in 1955. As a child and young man, he was a first hand witness to racial prejudices, as well as to the economic and moral decay of the Democratic Republic of Congo under dictatorship. Now a world renowned gynaecological surgeon, he is recognised as the world's leading expert on treating rape injuries, and his holistic approach to healing has inspired other initiatives around the world. In 2014, he was invited to the White House by Barack Obama. In Europe, he was awarded the prestigious Sakharov human rights prize award. In 2018, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Yazidi human rights activist and sexual violence survivor, Nadia Murad.

Fear Less Live More

By Aimee Fuller

Harness your fears and supercharge your life with this inspirational guide.

As someone who has lived outside her comfort zone, Aimee Fuller has a lot to say about fear. A former professional snowboarder who spent years riding on the fine edge of progression at the top of her sport, Aimee made history as the first woman to land a double backflip in competition and competed in two Winter Olympics. In 2019, she fronted the documentary Running in North Korea, which shows her running her first-ever marathon in one of the most isolated countries in the world. Through testing her own resilience, she has discovered that while it is scary to step outside your comfort zone, it can also be a prerequisite for growth.

In this bright and insightful book, Aimee gives an honest account of her experiences with fear and how, when the worst happens, she manages to pick herself back up again with purpose and an even greater thirst for life. Encouraging you to get up close and personal with your fears, Aimee shows you:

-What fear is, both physically and mentally

-How to recognise it in yourself

How to be mindful of fear without letting it take control

-How to reframe fear and build a healthy relationship with it

-What to do when things go wrong

Drawing on her training as a professional athlete, Aimee provides confidence building tools that can be applied to any aspect of life, like goal-setting, maintaining consistency, celebrating your strengths, learning from failure, taking comfort in choice, owning your decisions and visualising success.

Aimee Fuller is a two-time Olympian, broadcaster, and sport and media personality. She is a qualified yoga instructor and loves to share her passion for movement.

Instagram: @aimee_fuller

Happy Healthy Strong

By Krissy Cela

FEEL-GOOD FOOD AND FITNESS. UNBELIEVABLE RESULTS.

Krissy Cela went from being terrified of the gym to becoming a world class personal trainer and fitness entrepreneur. Now she wants to transform your life with her 360degree approach to health and fitness.

Happy Healthy Strong is a simple and sustainable plan, presented in three sections:

- Train Your Brain helps to build your mental strength

- Fuel Your Life has more than 80 easy and energising recipes

Move Move Move has over 45 at home exercises complete with build your own workout guides

Looking after yourself, in both body and mind, is the most important thing you can do for happiness and wellbeing. It means so much more than reaching a number on the scales. Through Krissy's expert advice, you will learn how to build your mental resilience, discover the joy of eating well and make a habit of moving your body.

With this book you can finally say goodbye to yo-yo dieting and live a life that truly empowers you.

Krissy Cela first turned to fitness during a particularly challenging time in her life and started posting her workouts on social media while studying for a law degree. Her following quickly grew, and she now has a loyal and devoted community of more than 3.5 million followers on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. In January 2019 she launched the smash hit app, Tone & Sculpt, comprising over 500 workouts, a community forum and a meal planner fully customisable for each users' dietary needs. The app achieved more than 250,000 downloads in its first six months alone.

Instagram: @Krissycela

YouTube: KrissyCelaa

See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love

By Valarie Kaur

'Stunning, timely and timeless.' - Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love

Celebrated activist, filmmaker and civil rights lawyer Valarie Kaur made headlines when her 'Breathe and Push' speech on how to survive in a time of rage went viral with 30 million views worldwide. In this inspiring and timely debut, she shows you how to reclaim love as a force for justice.

When we practise love in the face of fear or rage, it has the ability to transform an encounter, a relationship, a community, a culture, even a country. Love becomes revolutionary.

Revolutionary love is the call of our time. A radical, joyful practice that extends in three directions: to others, to our opponents and to ourselves. It invites you to see no stranger but instead look at others and say: You are part of me I do not yet know.

Grounded in Valarie's own personal experience of practising love in the face of political oppression, sexual assault, wrongful arrest, detention, racism and murder, See No Stranger is an important and urgent manifesto that shows us a way to build movements that leave no one behind. You will learn to love others without prejudice or judgement, love your opponents through empathy and forgiveness, and ultimately to love yourself.

Valarie Kaur is a civil rights activist, lawyer, filmmaker, innovator and founder of the Revolutionary Love Project. She has won national acclaim for her story-based advocacy, helping to win policy change on issues ranging from hate crimes to digital freedom. Her speeches have reached millions worldwide and inspired a movement to reclaim love as a force for justice. A daughter of Sikh farmers in California, she earned degrees from Stanford University, Harvard Divinity School and Yale Law School, and holds an honorary doctorate. She lives in Los Angeles, USA, with her husband, son and daughter.

Website: Valariekaur.com

Instagram: @valariekaur

Twitter: @valariekaur

Sensitive

By Hannah Walker

Hannah Walker is a very sensitive person, along with at least a fifth of the population. Like many, she was conditioned to believe this was a weakness and a trait that she should try and overcome.

When she had her first child and realised that her little girl was sensitive too, Hannah decided to find out whether sensitivity might in fact be a positive trait. Her question led to some fascinating answers and ongoing research that suggests survival and thriving is not only limited to the fittest, but to the sensitive.

If you are someone, or know someone who sat at the edge of the party as a child, or waits to be sure about what you want to say only to never get a word in, or jumps at loud noises, or worries that you cry so easily at a beautiful piece of art, or that you just seem to feel so much (too much), this book reveals the strengths in these traits and also how we need to embrace them rather than be embarrassed by them. People who are highly sensitive are highly caring, they are observant and notice new ways of doing things in difficult circumstances, they are able to follow their gut instincts (a real, scientific thing), they bring teams together, they listen well and are far more resilient than we've often been led to believe. The problem is that in today's noisy world, they often suffer from lower self esteem and confidence levels.

Like Quiet, which showed the power of introverts in an extrovert world, Sensitive overturns old cliches and stereotypes and suggests a new way of looking at a trait that people so often feel ashamed of but that has so much untapped potential.

Hannah Jane Walker is a poet, broadcaster and playwright from Essex. She is currently an artist in residence at Cambridge Biomedical Campus, collaborating with scientists on outdoor poetic visual art installations. With playwright Chris Thorpe she has written, performed and toured around the world The Oh Fuck Moment and I Wish I Was Lonely. Solo, she has made This is Just to Say and Highly Sensitive. As a performance poet, she has gigged in theatres, bars, boats and festivals. Most recently she has begun working in broadcasting with BBC Radio 4 and now with her own theatre poetry podcast Human Resources.

Website: Hannahjanewalker.co.uk

Instagram: @hannahjanster

Twitter: @hannahjanster

Sit to Get Fit

By Suzy Reading

Sit up, sit better and reap the benefits.

We live increasingly sedentary lives and our lifestyle has radically changed in terms of how we work and naturally move throughout our day.

While we all know about the benefits of exercise for mental and physical health, what we're not so attuned to are the damaging effects of just how we sit at our desks, scrolling on our phones, in the car or even on our bicycles.

But it doesn't have to be this way. By making small changes to our everyday sitting behaviour, we can experience increased energy, confidence, optimism and openness.

Featuring a practical 28 day plan to transform your relationship with sitting, how long you sit at a time, how to add simple breath work and movement into your day and restorative moves for the end of the day.

Suzy Reading is a chartered psychologist (B. Psych (Hons), M.Psych (Org)) and qualified yoga teacher from Australia, specialising in wellbeing. Her offerings include face to face coaching, walk & talk sessions, private and group yoga, mummy and baby yoga courses, Skype coaching, workshop presentations on selfcare and other topics such as sleep, rest and relaxation, and how to make sustainable lifestyle changes. Suzy is also the Neom Organics Psychology expert and a contributing editor at Psychologies magazine and has contributed to a number of journals on the subject of self-care. She is also the author of The Little Book of Self-Care, The Self-Care Revolution, Stand Tall Like A Mountain, Selfcare for Tough Times and And Breathe.

Website: Suzyreading.co.uk

Instagram: @suzyreading

Twitter: @suzyreading

By Dr Norman Swan

The no. 1 international bestseller.

For over thirty years, Dr Norman Swan has been delivering straight, honest, common-sense health information as both a physician and much-loved broadcaster. After many years of listening, Norman Swan knows what medical issues people are curious and concerned about. Drawing on the questions he hears time and again, from millennials to baby boomers and all the generations between, So You Think You Know What's Good For You? is a one-stop handbook that will settle fruitless anxieties and allow people to focus on what matters to them. Replace medical myths, half truths and misconceptions with the information you need to make better decisions about how to eat and how to live to put your mind at ease and ensure your and your family's health is the best it can be.

So You Think You Know What's Good For You? is the new authoritative must have manual for everyone who cares about for their health and wants to cut through the myths and fads.

Born in Glasgow, Dr Norman Swan trained in paediatrics before becoming one of the first medically qualified journalists in Australia. With a broadcast career spanning more than 30 years, he currently hosts Radio National's The Health Report and co hosts Coronacast as well as appearing on many other TV and radio shows. He was also the co-founder of Tonic Media Network, a health channel that plays in GPs' waiting rooms.

So you think you know what's good for you?

SOLO

By Jenny Tough

'I had a big cry - then I kept going'

Growing up in the Canadian Rockies, the mountains have always been home for Jenny Tough. Travelling the world, she's always discovered commonalities with mountains - and mountain people. Her major project is to run solo and unsupported across a mountain range on every continent where indigenous mountain people live isolated from the outside, urban world. Running solo and unsupported comes with obvious logistical as well as physical challenges, but running is also a common language - all people around the world do it - and it has always helped build connections across barriers of language and nationality.

SOLO is the account of one woman's mission to run solo and unsupported across mountain ranges on six continents - overcoming obstacles, conquering fears and finding the joy in achieving her goals absolutely alone.

CHAPTERS INCLUDE:

Too Close to the Edge - details of my 25 day run across Kyrgyzstan

Running Sucks - a history of my bumpy start into running

I Don't Believe it Myself achieving my goal to run across Kyrgyzstan and returning home to adjust to the new me

Running Home - my 930km journey across the Canadian Rockies *****

Jenny Tough is an adventure traveller originally from Canada. She enjoys writing about her solo mountain expeditions and tales of world travel as a solo female. When she's not exploring the mountains of the world, she lives in Scotland, and occasionally wherever she parks her adventure van.

Website: JennyTough.com

Instagram: @jennytough

Twitter: @jennytough

Lose Weight 4 Life

By Tom Watson

A guide to losing weight – and keeping it off – as well as improving health, from someone who has done both

A guide to changing the habits of a lifetime to achieve long-term weight loss and better health, Lose Weight 4 Life outlines the programme Tom Watson followed for his own remarkable 8-stone (50kg) weight loss.

Divided into 4 sections - Motivation, Movement, Measurement and Maintenanceit includes relatable examples of Tom's own, often bumpy, journey to better health. A journey that saw him transform from someone who mindlessly hoovered up entire packets of Hobnobs at one go and had to rummage in the XXXL bin for exercise gear into someone fit enough to row the length of the UK.

Packed with practical advice backed up by the latest research, Lose Weight 4 Life demonstrates that it is never too late to turn things around, even if you are someone who has failed several times before. *****

At the age of 50, Tom Watson was a Westminster heavyweight in both senses of the word. Elected Deputy Leader of the Labour Party in 2015, he tipped the scales at almost 22 stone (140kg). For 30 years he had tried everything to lose weight, but it was only when he committed to finding the time that things changed. Over the next two years, 'Tommy Two Dinners' shed a whopping 8 stone (50kg) and reversed his diabetes. Having left Parliament, Tom has become the go-to person when TV and radio want to discuss weight loss and diabetes and has filmed two documentary slots on the subject for ITV's News at Ten.

@tom_watson

Pilates Express

By Lynne Robinson

'The Queen of Pilates' - The Times

'Lynne is the undisputed First Lady of Pilates' - Observer

Including 40 quick-fix Pilates workouts to fit into your daily schedule. Suitable for all fitness levels, these 10-minute mini workouts are each designed for a different part of your day - morning, noon and evening.

Starting with The New Fundamentals, Lynne Robinson's programme features more than 100 illustrated step-by-step exercises, many of which are brand new to Pilates. As well as increasing your strength and flexibility, there are dedicated exercises to boost your immune system and improve the efficiency of your breathing. You'll also discover how Pilates can benefit both your mental and physical health, helping you to reset your lifestyle, cope with stress and restore balance in your body.

Whether you want to lose weight, improve your fitness or tone up, this essential guide will help you integrate Pilates into your daily life and achieve your goals.

Lynne Robinson is one of the world's most respected Pilates teachers. She is the founder of Body Control Pilates, which is seen as an international benchmark for safe and effective teaching. Her bestselling books include The Pilates Bible, Pilates for Life and Pilates for Pregnancy. She has also produced highly popular DVDs. In demand internationally, she frequently lectures at conferences throughout the world and has taught Pilates in countries as varied as the US, Japan, South Africa, Thailand and Australia.

www.bodycontrolpilates.com

My Crystal Journal

By Judy Hall

Crystals have been used for millennia to help promote healing and wellbeing, but with so many crystals outthere it can be hard to know where to start.

My Crystal Journal is your personal guide to incorporating the power of crystals into your everyday life. Taking 20 essential crystals, this book will teach you how to work with their unique qualities and characteristics in order to harness their valuable and life changing energy. The guided journaling space throughout this book will provide you with the chance to reflect on how each crystal can work for you, helping you to feel their resonance and allowing you to use them to their full potential to change your life. With advice on choosing your crystals, how to take care of them and getting started, this journal is your ultimate guide to working with the healing power of crystals in your everyday life.

This beautiful crystal journal will teach you how to work with essential crystals such as:

• Amethyst for a sense of calm, spiritual wisdomand guided decision making

• Rose quartz for friendship,self loveand inner healing

• Topaz for joy, generosity and good health

Judy Hall was an internationally known author, astrologer, crystal expert, psychic and healer. A leading authority on spiritual development, Judy had more than 45 years of experience in karmic astrology, crystal healing and past life therapy. She was the author of over 45 books including the bestselling The Crystal Bible, which has sold more than 1 million copies worldwide and her writing has been translated into 16 languages. Judy has four times been named as one of the 100 most spiritually influential people in the world in the Watkins Review.

Judyhall.co.uk

Facebook.com/officialcrystaljudyhall

The Little Book of Palm Reading

By Kitty Guilsborough

Discover the history of palm reading and learn what your hands have to say about your destiny, or read someone's character and fortune in the details of their palms.

The ancient art of palm reading has been practiced around the world for thousands of years. From diverse practices in ancient India, China, Persia and Mesopotamia, to its development in ancient Greece and Medieval Europe and its rebirths in the Renaissance and 17th century, the study of hands has fascinated people across cultures throughout the ages.

Learn how the proportions of each part of the hand, the mounts of the palm and the famous heart, mind, fate and life lines work together to paint a picture of a person's character and reveal what their future has in store.

This little book will teach you everything you need to know to start practicing the ancient artof palmistry and read fortunes for yourself and others.

The Little Book of Pilates

By Una L. Tudor

With a strong focus on core strength, Pilates aims to improve general fitness and wellbeing and is known to improve posture, muscletone, balanceand joint mobility.

Explore the history of Pilates, how it has evolved over the years and why it's a brilliant practicefor mindfulness.

Find out which type of pilates is right for you, experience the effects of pilates breathing techniques and learn simple daily practices that will make you feel strong, calm and focused.

In this beautiful little book, an expert practitioner will show you how to integrate pilates into your life, simply,every day.

The Little Box of Self-care

By Suzy Reading

Daily self care is necessary for helping us replenish our energy, restore our connection to our inner selves and heal ourselves when we are hurt. Central to self care is the idea that taking careof yourself is not selfish itis essential to your health and wellbeing.

In our fast moving modern world it's easy to become so stressed and frazzled that we lose sight of what we can do to recuperate and ground ourselves in the here and now. But we all need to take time to sit with our emotions, heal ourselves and recharge our batteries.

In this handy deck, Suzy Reading offers practical and inspiring ways to stress proof your body and mind, with 50 self care practices to choose from. Flick through the cards to find a practice that fits your needs in the current moment, or take a card or two with you as you go about your day, to help reconnect with yourself and find a mindful moment wherever you are.

With a short introduction to Suzy's framework of self-care, The Vitality Wheel, the deck will guide you to identify exactly what you need to nourish yourself just when you need it the most. The cards includepractices for: The cards includepractices for:

• Rest & relaxation

• Energy boosters

• Mind management

• Emotional firstaid

Suzy Reading is a Chartered Psychologist, a qualified yoga teacher and personal trainer, specialising in wellbeing. Her offerings include coaching, walk & talk sessions, private and group yoga, workshop presentations on self care and other topics such as sleep, rest and relaxation, and how to make sustainable lifestyle changes. Suzy is the Neom Organics Psychology expert, a founding member of The Nourish App and is on the editorial board for Motherdom Magazine. She is also the author of The Little Book of Self Care, The Self Care Revolution, Stand Tall Like A Mountain, Self care for Tough Times and And Breathe. Suzyreading.co.uk

Five Minutesin the Morning: A Focus Deck

Every morning offers an opportunity for a fresh start. It's so easy to start your day by hitting the snooze button or getting sucked into your phone or to do list, but what if there was a gentle, soothing and easy alternative?

As we sleep, our brains record what we've experienced over the course of the day, making the first few minutes of your morning the best time to fully absorb what you've learned and connect with your needs and aspirations, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Take five minutes in the morning for yourself with this beautiful 50-card deck, featuring prompts to help you decide what's important to you today, advice on how to write effective to do lists, body meditations,energy flow exercises and more.

Whether you pull a card from the deck at random, shuffle through shuffle through the cards to find one that fits your morning best, or select a card for yourself the night before, the Five Minutes in the Morning Focus Deck helps you to set an intention for your day with prompts and short creativeexercises to get the most out of your mornings

Frankie

GROW

By Frankie Bridge

'I absolutely love it it doesn't matter who you are, what you've been through and how much you've changed - there is always roomfor growth'. - Ant Middleton

'This book will become your bible.' Gaby Roslin, Virgin Radio

'Open, honest, straight talking on mental health and motherhood.' Tik Tok's Dr Julie

In GROW, Sunday Times bestselling author Frankie Bridge opens up about her journey with her maternal mental health. Part narrative exploration, part first aid manual for mothers this book will discuss the hidden growing pains which take place when you become a parent.

Its chapters cover the HOW TOs, WHAT IFs?, WILL Is? and WHY DOs? anxious questions all mothers ask themselves when they believe they are doing it wrong whilst also offering a brutally honest account of how hard it can be to grow a baby and raise a child whilst you are still growing into yourself.

The book will combine Frankie's mental health journey into motherhood with the notes of psychologist, Maleha Khan, who will unpack the problems she experienced as she became a mother. It will also include additional guidance and parental advice from the UK's leading paediatrician Dr Ed Abrahamson.

Frankie Bridge is an ambassador for MIND after opening up about her experiences of anxiety, depression and panic attacks, after her hospitalisation in May 2012. Having initially dealt with these issues in silence, Frankie has been keen to support MIND in making sure no one has to face a mental health problem alone. Recently, she's been a key player in helping to launch the MIND partnership with Heads Together, as well as lending her support to Time to Talk Day. Frankie launched her first podcast series OPEN MIND focussing on mental health in 2019 and which debuted in the top ten podcasts upon release. She is also a Sunday Times bestselling author with her first book OPEN: why asking for help can save your life.

One Thousand Days and One Cup of Tea

By Vanessa Moore

'Dr Moore's 1000 day plus journey evocatively and beautifully describes the mental devastation that personal loss can leave in its wake and offers us the remarkable combination of expert commentary and an intensely personal captivating narrative.'

Peter Fonagy OBE, Professor of Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Head of Division of Psychology and Language Sciences,UCL

Vanessa's husband Paul dies suddenly and tragically on their regular Sunday morning swim. How will she cope with her dilapidated house, her teenage children, the patients who depend on her? Will therapy help? Why do mysterious white feathers start appearing in unexpected places?

As a clinical psychologist, Vanessa Moore is used to providing therapy and guidance for her patients. But as she tries to work out how to survive the trauma that has derailed her life, she begins to understand her profession from the other side. Like her, many of her patients were faced with life events they hadn't been expecting a child born with a disability or life limiting illness, a sudden bereavement, divorce, failure and it is their struggles and stories of resilience and bravery that begin to help her process her own personal loss. Taking us through her journey towards recovery as she navigates the world of dating and tries to seek the right therapy, Vanessa uses her professional skills to explore the many questions posed by unanticipated death and find a way forwards. Beautifully written and honestly relayed, One Thousand Days and One Cup of Tea is a heartbreaking grief memoir of the process of healing experienced as both a bereaved wife and clinical psychologist.

Thirteen Ways to Smell a Tree: Getting to know trees through the language of scent

By Dr David George Haskell

'This is a book for literary connoisseurs, fact-lovers and environmentalists. In short, it is a book about trees and people, for everyone.' - BBC Countryfile

Thirteen Ways to Smell a Tree takes you on a journey to connect with trees through the sense most aligned to our emotions and memories. Thirteen essays are included that explore the evocative scents of trees, from the smell of a book just printed as you first open its pages, to the calming scent of Linden blossom, to the ingredients of a particularly good gin & tonic.

In your hand: a highball glass, beaded with cool moisture. In your nose: the aromatic embodiment of globalized trade. The spikey, herbal odour of European juniper berries. A tang of lime juice from a tree descended from wild progenitors in the foothills of the Himalayas. Bitter quinine, from the bark of the South American cinchona tree, spritzed into your nostrils by the pop of sparkling tonic water. Take a sip, feel the aroma and taste three continents converge. Each essay also contains a practice the reader is invited to experience. For example, taking a tree inventory of your own home, appreciating just how many things around us came from trees. And if you've ever hugged a tree when no one was looking, try breathing in the scents of different trees that live near you, the smell of pine after the rain, the refreshing, mindclearing scentof a eucalyptus leaf crushed in your hand.

British born biologist, award winning author and celebrated academic David George Haskell's work integrates scientific, literary and contemplative studies of the natural world. Haskell holds degrees from the University of Oxford (BA) and from Cornell University (PhD). He is Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of the South, where he served as Chair of Biology. His scientific research on animal ecology, evolution and conservation has been sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the World Wildlife Fund among others. He serves on the boards and advisory committees of local and national land conservation groups. His previous books include The Songs of Trees: Stories from Nature's Great Connectors and The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature.

Dghaskell.com Instagram.com/davidgeorgehaskell Twitter.com/dghaskell

Crystals for Beginners Deck

By Judy Hall

Crystals have been used to improve our wellbeing through meditation, manifestation and crystal healing for millennia. The Crystals for Beginners deck is your introduction to exploring crystals and familiarising yourself with their various properties in order to create lasting changein all areas of your life.

This beautifully illustrated 50 card deck will introduce you to the most popular crystals, such as Amethyst, Blue Lace Agate and Jade. Each card features an image of a crystal along with the associated key words and properties so that you can start to identify and explore which crystals you are drawn to. Once you have learnt the basics, the cards can be turned over to delve further into the healing properties of the crystal, with a focus on either Body, Mind or Spirit. Along with the deck is a short introductory guide to essential crystal basics, how to meditate with crystals, using affirmations and exploring physical healing.

Working with the Crystals for Beginners deck can help you to discover which crystals suit your needs and resonate with you most, before you start a crystal collection. Discover how crystals can help you focus, live a more mindful life, banish dis ease, protect you from negativity and improve your wellbeing.

Judy Hall was an internationally known author, astrologer, crystal expert, psychic and healer. A leading authority on spiritual development, Judy had more than 45 years of experience in karmic astrology, crystal healing and past life therapy. She was the author of over 45 books including the bestselling The Crystal Bible, which has sold more than 1 million copies worldwide - and her writing has been translated into 16 languages. Judy has four times been named as one of the 100 most spiritually influential people in the world in the Watkins Review.

Judyhall.co.uk Facebook.com/officialcrystaljudyhall

Just One Thing

By Dr Michael Mosley

We all want quick and easy ways to improve our health, but when it comes to diet, fitness and wellbeing it can be hard to sift the fads from the facts. Harder still is finding things that fit into our day.

So what if you were told that eating chocolate helps your heart, that sunbathing boosts your immune system, singing can reduce inflammation, and your fanatical obsession of collecting houseplants is actually helping your productivity and brain power?

In Just One Thing, Dr Michael Mosley tells you all this and many more scientifically proven facts that will make you say, ‘No way!’ He chats to experts, road tests all his tips and even enlists the help of some special guests to help you find that one small thing that could really makea difference to how you feel every day. ------------------------------

Michael Mosley trained as a doctor before becoming a journalist and television presenter. He is the author of The Fast Diet, The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet, The Clever Guts Diet, The Fast 800 and The Fast 800 Keto. He is married with four children.

Picture This

By Nina Grunfeld

with Annie Lionnet and illustrations

by Michael Thomas

You can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking that created them. Albert Einstein

Picture This – 41 images that will change your life is a 21st century concept that draws on the ancient practices of bibliomancy, Tarot and the I Ching.

Using seven simple questions and 41 pictures, you work with your imagination to find insights, new perspectives and solutions that will help you develop your awareness and identify what you want – and don’t want – from life. It’s like learning a new language, but a languagethat you can become fluent in almost immediately.

Use Picture This on your own or have fun with friends and discover an inspirational and engaging way to startchanging your life.

Nina Grunfeld founded LifeClubs in 2004, and has had a career as a graphic designer, author and creator of BBC TV series, Nanny knows best. Nina has written over 15 books and had columns in The Daily Telegraph, HR and Psychologies Magazines. She has enjoyed reading the I Ching regularly sinceshewas a teenager.

Annie Lionnet is an astrologer and life coach with many years’ experience in the field of personal development. Her mission is to help others find the keys to self empowerment that lie within and live a life of joyful authenticity. Annie has written five best selling books on astrology,tarotand lifecoaching.

Illustrator Michael Thomas was Nina Grunfeld’s inspirational graphic design teacher at Harrow College of Art. Together they wrote Spot Check, a stain removal guide, that sold over a million copies and was translated into many different languages. Under another name Michael is an award winning illustrator and best selling author of more than a dozen books as well as the creator of several YA fantasy titles.

Rest is Resistance

By Tricia Hersey

By founder and creator of The Nap Ministry, Rest is Resistance is a call to action for anyone suffering from the toxic urgency of modern day life. It centres around the systemic issues that cause us to overwork, and ultimately burn out, and offers us liberation through rest. In its simplest form, rest becomes an act of resistance and a reclaiming of power because it disrupts and pushes back against capitalism and white supremacy. Slowing down moves us away from trying to operate at machine levels of productivity, to make us all morehuman.

In this fierce and tender manifesto, Tricia Hersey, aka The Nap Bishop, elevates rest as a divine right, and paves the way towards a more well rested life that empowers imagination, invention and healing. Divided into four sections, Rest is Resistance will explain Tricia’s philosophy and methods, and will include both storytelling and practical advice. It will offer you the guidance and context to craft a rest practice for long term health, both within yourself and society as a whole.

Rest Is Resistance is not self care: it is the urgent wake up call you need to nap, rest and, most importantly, dream once more.

Tricia Hersey is an artist, academic, theatre maker, spiritual director, theologian and community organiser from Chicago, living in Atlanta. She is the founder of The Nap Ministry, an organisation that examines rest as a form of resistance by curating safe spaces for the community to rest via Collective Napping Experiences, immersive workshops, performance art installations and social media. The Nap Ministry is the only organisation thathas led over one hundred in-person CollectiveNapping Events.

Tricia Hersey’s research interests include Black liberation theology, womanism, somatic and cultural trauma. Tricia’s work has been seen with Chicago Public Schools, School of the Art Institute Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, United States Peace Corps, Google Global, and universities and organisations globally.

MoonYoga

By Lisa Hood

Whether we realise it or not, everyone and everything, from the rolling of the tides to the balance of emotions in our bodies, is influenced by the moon. Moon Yoga is your guide to harnessing the moon's energy to lift and balance your life through mindful movement.

Yoga is both a physical practice and a spiritual one. Expert yoga instructor Lisa Hood provides insightful guidance on how to shape a spiritual practice that channels the moon's energy to stimulate vitality, creativity, productivity and relaxation. Whether you work through a whole flow, focus on one pose, or just work through a breathing exercise, aligning your body and your mind in a moment of spiritual connection with the moon can help you centre yourself, even if justfor a few moments in the middleof a busy day.

• Learn about how each phaseof the moon brings a different energy into your life.

• Move with the moon with yoga positions and flows that draw on the energy of each of the nine lunar phases.

• Adjust your practice seasonally with practices for each of the full moons of the year, such as the Wolf Moon, Flower Moon and Corn Moon.

• Find rituals to carry you through the cycles of the moon.

With uplifting mantras and rituals to provide grounding, strengthened intuition and mindfulness beyond your physical practice, Moon Yoga gives you all the tools you need to move in sync with the moon.

Lisa Hood has been working with bodies for over 16 years. She trained and performed as a professional dancer and has been teaching yoga for 5 years.

For the last 5 years she has found herself being more and more drawn to other methods of mindfulness. Watching the moon, and understanding its energy and having the freedom to be bold enough to manifest with conviction, has given her the opportunity to make decisive exciting decisions in her life and she brings these gifts from Mama Earth into her teaching.

'You

Awaken Your Power Within

By Gerry Hussey

From leading health and performance coach, Gerry Hussey, comes a powerful guide to transforming your mind, body and soul.

In Awaken Your Power Within, Gerry tells an open, honest and mind blowing story of self discovery that takes us inside the heart and mind of a young boy who dared to ask deeper questions about the mind and soul. Bringing together insights from psychology, neuroscience, gut health, quantum physics, mindfulness and philosophy, the book shows you how to break free from limiting and self destructive habits and reclaim your inner world, so that you can liveas your truest and most powerful self.

From letting go of the fear of not being enough to opening up a deeper level of consciousness, Awaken Your Power Within is a life changing introduction to the limitless possibilities of which you arecapable.

Gerry Hussey is a performance psychologist who has been working in the fields of health and performance for almost twenty years. He is the co founder of Soul Space, an empowering movement that focuses on integrative mind, body and soul programs, speaking engagements and events. Gerry brings an unrivalled wealth of honesty, experience and infectious passion to everything he does, and has the ability to awaken, unlock and connect people in a truly powerful manner.

Find Gerry on Instagram@gerry_hussey or @soulspace_the_experience

Sunshine Warm Sober: Unexpected Sober Joy That Lasts

By Catherine Gray

'Exquisite'

'Stone cold sober.’

Sounds horrible, doesn't it? Hard, icy. Brrrrr. No bloody ta. However, as the millions who choose to stay sober now know, the propaganda around drinking and sobriety is wonky. Sober doesn't feel stony, or cold.

Retired wreckhead Catherine Gray, author of surprise bestseller The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober, is now in her eighth sober year and has learnt a damn sightmore.

This hotly anticipated sequel enlists the help of experts and case studies, turning a curious, playful gaze onto provocative questions. Is alcohol a parenting aid? Why are booze and cocaine such a horse and carriage? Once an addict, always an addict? How do you feel safe from alcohol, others and yourself in sobriety?

Whether you're a dedicated boozehound, flirting with teetotalling, or already sober, this witty, gritty read may justchange how you think about alcohol forever.

Catherine Gray is a Sunday Times Bestselling author of five books, including The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober. She's sold over a quarter of a million books in English speaking territories, her work has been published in the likes of Stylist, Marie Claire, The Lancet Psychiatry and the Guardian, and her books have been translated into nine languages. In 2018, Catherine founded charitable campaign Sober Spring, a three-month sabbatical from alcohol, and she now runs it with Alcohol Change UK, for whom she is an ambassador. She's been sober since 2013. Catherine lives in Hove and when not writing she enjoys falling off a paddleboard, giving her plants names like 'Cassandra' and 'Miguel', and spamming Instagramwith pictures of dogs.

Instagram.com/unexpectedjoyof Twitter.com/cathgraywrites