This ended up being skim city for me. I didn't gain any really new information from this and didn't really enjoy the writing. I finished it and it had good reminders of the reasons why I exercise and stay active.

3.5 stars

Move the Body, Heal the Mind explains how exercise can be advantageous to a number of aspects of health, such as depression, anxiety, sleep, and cognitive function. Author Jennifer Heisz intersperses her own personal fitness journey in each chapter as she describes the connection between these various benefits.

I listened to the audiobook version read by the author, and she does a good job with the narration. She references a pdf that is available on the publisher’s website, which was extremely helpful to view the various exercises.

I was aware of much of the information in the book already, having read about it in other sources, and that is why I did not rate it higher. This would be a great introductory book for someone who is just beginning their fitness journey and not familiar with how exercise influences the body. The book is conversational in tone and is easy to read and understand.

This book is an easy to follow introduction to the ways the physical activity and physical health directly impact our mental health and vice versa. While there are some necessary medical terms thrown in, overall Heisz has written this book so that anyone can follow the science and learn why physical activity is so important to our brain's health. One thing that I appreciate is that she has not only given sample workout guides but also an entire appendix of exercises complete with photographs and explanations of how to do the exercises correctly. This was an interesting and engaging read for me and definitely a book I'll be recommending.

Move the Body, Heal the Mind was just the book I needed to read to reestablish an exercise routine this year. We’ are all aware of the need to move your bodies and particularly the physical benefits of exercise. Here, Jennifer Heisz outlines the benefits of exercise, and its importance for our minds also.

The information provided in her book is accessible to everyone and provides numerous reasons why we must all incorporate movement into our daily routines to provide our minds with the best chance of staying strong, healthy and resilient throughout life.
This book really clicked with me and I highly recommend it.

Thank you Mariner Books and Netgalley for this ARC.

A great book for anyone who has struggled with mental health issues (and haven't we all over the last few years).

We live in a society which finds ways to pressure us to move more, do more, be more. Yet this book is different. This book is a great read. It is well written and structured. It encouraged me to find a different why behind my reasons to exercise.

I no longer shame myself into getting to the gym or going for a run. I savour that I get to choose how to nurture my body and I actually want to, for my mental health, my immune system and for encouraging good quality sleep,

This book was well researched with references to studies of the brain and theory on mental health and exercise but not in a heavy or boring way. It also included the author's personal story which was inspiring. I recommend this book and look forward to reading more of Jennifer's books in the future!

This one is a really great book. It's a shame it expired before I had the chance to completely read it, but I'm going to review it based on how much I read it. This book is about healing your mental health with the help of exercise, ie, moving your body. Generally, I do not go for nonfiction much here, but when I picked this book, I was going through extreme stress and had faced something tragic. I read how exercise helps your mental health here and I decided to give it a try. It really worked! Although not instantly, but little by little. The book is backed by a lot of science and research. I went about taking proper notes while reading it, and I suggest you do the same.

What a fantastic resource! I already believed in the power of moving my body but this book went far beyond convincing me to continue...it made me excited to challenge myself and proud of my accomplishments so far!

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

The author shares her own story and also presents the science but in a way that is easy to understand. There are suggestions of steps to take, and the book builds on info. There are.also stories from her patients. Each chapter starts with a motivational quote. I enjoyed how each chapter ended with suggestions of exercises, and there is a whole section in the back of the book that explains and shows with a photo how to do those moves. The book made it easy to recognize how the reader is stuck where they are and what to do to move forward.

If you're in an exercise slump, or just need motivation to get moving, read 'Move the Body, Heal the Mind'. Jennifer Heisz makes the case, through her personal story, as well as others' stories and scientific evidence how important physical exercise is for the human body and mind. Highly recommend to anyone interested in why we need to move, as well as for those are looking for relief from anxiety and depression.

Thanks to Net-Galley for the free e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

I love how this book gives you enough scientific knowledge that you can connect the dots. While this is information that you have likely heard in some capacity previously, it is presented in a way to help you find nuggets that work for you or supports you along with your doctors help on a new path.

Thank you for the ability to review this book.

Did you know the mind can only perform one task at a time? This is how attention to breath can calm down an anxious mind. If you're focused on counting and breathing, your mind can’t also be busy freaking out on you. Mind. Blown. (Pun intended)

There is a lot of content packed into this little book!

As someone who suffers from anxiety and sometimes depression. As someone with adult ADD. As someone with concerns for mental strength and memory loss as I get older, this book was screaming at me to be read.

I am an avid exerciser, so I would say that the exercises recommended would be for first timers or those getting back into a regular routine. However there is so much more to take away from this book than a workout or five. It’s all about he application.

Learning how and when to push yourself, as well as when to reel it back a bit depending on your stressors are invaluable.

Learning to move and breathe to negate things like dementia and anxiety.

Exercise as an anti-depressant. Exercise as a means to get your creative juices flowing or focus dialed in. There is just so much to learn and practice from Dr Heisz, I cannot wait to put it into practice.

A helpful, and inspiring read. This book makes it all understood, and can be lifechanging. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Great book!! Inspires me to stay committed to walking and the gym for more reasons than simply burning calories! And at my age sleep can be a challenge- and who doesn’t want to try to prevent dementia - this explains an easy to understand way how to do just that! A timely read for those who dealt with extra stress on mental health due to the pandemic and quarantines. Highly recommend!!

This would be a great book for the person that's just started working out. For me, who has been on a health journey for a lot of years now, the information wasn't really new and I didn't gain a whole lot of new insight.

A good book on how important movement is to our minds and bodies, and why. The author shares her own stories, which offered a nice, personal touch to what can sometimes be a repetitive topic. Exercise is important, and as much as we should all know this, sometimes it's reminders like these, in-depth examples and stories, that truly inspire us.

Very helpful and thought provoking! Always looking for help when it comes to health and mind. Liked to be armed with many tools to ensure a healthy life.

I cannot explain how much I needed this book. I have had quite a bit of traumatic things happen in the past few years and literally feel like I crawled in a hole. After reading this book I have felt myself coming out of this hole. I attribute this to therapy and things I've learned in this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ability to read this book in advance.

Overall, I think the author meets her objective. Her bottom line goal seems to share how exercise has mental and emotional benefits, beyond the simple physiologic effects.
I appreciate the author sharing her personal story to grab readers!
My main concerns are:

1)The writing is extremely verbose. I can’t help but wonder if the author could share her sentiments in a more concise way.

2)As a medical profession, I do challenge some of the granular details of the anatomy and physiology discussed. The intent of sharing these details is productive and I understand the intent.

3)I do struggle with the overall identity of this writing. It seems one part narrative, one part motivational, and one part exercise-directed writing. I understand the concept, but the overall target and intention of each section seems to vary.

4) I question the validity of some of the references used.

Because of the concerns I noted above, I have downgraded to 3 stars. Despite these concerns, I did learn a lot from this read, and it did motivate me to be more active!