Sometimes there’s nothing like a good book to get you feeling motivated and inspired. This is especially true when it comes to exercise. Reading a great sports or fitness book can be just the thing to lift our spirits and push us to work harder for our goals.
So today we thought we’d share 20 books all about fitness, sports, and (of course) swimming. We hope you find these titles as enjoyable and inspiring as we do!
Please note that none of the links below are affiliated. We haven’t been paid to advertise the titles listed here, and we don’t receive any money from sales generated through the provided links.
Michael Phelps is regarded as one of the greatest swimmers ever, and is the most decorated Olympian of all time, with a total of 28 medals to his name. No Limits is Phelp’s inspiring account of his preparation for the 2008 Olympics and beyond. It’s a motivating advocation of striving for your goals the good old fashioned way: with hard work and determination.
This book follows a group of budding California-Based Olympians, chronicling their journey to compete in the 2000 Olympic games. Gold in the Water centres around four swimmers and their coach, and shines a light on the highs and lows of the swimming life. A must read for competitive swimmers!
Much like Michael Phelps, Ian Thorpe is swimmer of legend. His achievements (11 World Championship titles; 10 Commonwealth Games gold medals; 22 world records; and 5 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze Olympic medals) are nothing short of extraordinary. This Is Me focusses more on Thorpe’s 2012 comeback as opposed to his early career. But it’s an honest account of the life and struggles (especially those outside the pool) of a world class athlete.
This one’s for anyone who thinks they’re too old. It’s a story of stepping up to the challenge, despite your age and the age of your competitors, and following your dreams. It sends a wonderful and inspiring message for us to continue competing and staying active in older age.
You don’t need to be a swimmer to be inspired by this story of unfaltering motivation. By the age of 16, Lynne Cox had broken all records for swimming the English Channel. She then went on to become the first person to swim the Strait of Magellan — and that hardly scratches the surface of her achievements. This is the story of a passionate, determined, and daring individual, and one that should strike a chord with all readers.
In short, Born to Run isthe story of a journalist who sets out to Mexico to discover how Tarahumara Indians can run hundreds of miles without needing rest or injury. But it goes much deeper than that. It’s a fascinating journey into the heart and science of long-distance running.
Non-runners, don’t be skeptical. You don’t need to enter ultra marathons to benefit from these pages. There’s something here for everyone — but who knows, it might just inspire you to dust off those old running shoes!
Known as “the bible of bodybuilding” and written by one of the most famous bodybuilders of all time. Not much more needs to be said about this one, except that it’s an invaluable resource for weight trainers of all levels and abilities.
It’s true that this book will naturally appeal more to bodybuilders. But it’s worth noting that it does go into detail about aerobic training for fat loss too, which may be beneficial for exercisers with different goals.
A pop science book all about the science behind exercise. Simplistic, informative, and presented in a Q&A style, Which Come First dispels lots of fitness myths, and calls on reliable scientific evidence to provide information, insight, and advice on all things exercise.
Men’s Health is an online fitness juggernaut, and this volume is a brilliant resource for gym enthusiasts. It explores lots of different exercises, detailing how to perform them and their benefits. You’ll also find nutritional information and training session examples.
There’s a strong focus here on building functional strength, as well. Which makes it perfect reading for everyone, from pro athletes to furniture lifters!
An honest and inspirational account of Sharapova’s rise to international tennis stardom. It documents everything from her humble Siberian roots to her first Wimbledon win, and everything in-between and beyond.
For tennis players, athletes, fitness enthusiasts, or anyone who simply enjoys an interesting life story, Unstoppable is an absolute must read.
Eniola Aluko has achieved some incredible things in her life. First class honours law degree, 102 appearances for England women’s national football team, UN Women UK ambassador to name but a few.
The book deals with themes of dual nationality and identity, race and institutional prejudice, success, failure and faith, and aims to inspire confidence in a new generation of women.
This is an excellent book for anyone with an interest in (but not necessarily an understanding of) sports psychology.
The core message of the book is wrapped inside a fable, and is designed to build the reader’s self-confidence and mental resilience. Great for anyone with lofty goals!
Tim Grover has worked with some of the world’s greatest athletes, including Michael Jordan Kobe Bryant, and shares his thoughts on how to achieve mental and physical dominance.
This is a book designed to show you what it takes to reach your goals and achieve your dreams.
This book is a must-read for anyone looking to improve their mental performance. In a nutshell, it’s a mind training book with the goal of boosting your athletic potential beyond the realm of the purely physical.
Providing a window into the minds of champions, and offering science-backed tips and techniques, Jim Afremow’sbook is there to help you excel to new heights.
A book that does exactly what it says on the tin. If you’ve ever found yourself frozen on the sofa with indecision, straining over whether or not to get up and go to the gym, then consider giving this one a read.
It’s the perfect companion for anyone who, from time to time, needs a firm push in the right direction, just to keep themselves on track.
Neila Ray, who is involved with Darebee (an amazing free online workout database), has authored a very practical book, filled to the brim with great workouts that can be performed pretty much anywhere.
Another book that delivers exactly what the title promises, this is an excellent option for those who are less worried about theory and personal stories and more interested in bare bones workouts.
In this book Martin Gibala, one of the world’s leading HIIT (high-intensity interval training) researchers, shows us that getting fit and strong doesn’t necessarily require hours of daily commitment. Instead, Gibala offers strategies for achieving our fitness goals in much smaller time intervals. This one’s essential reading for fitness buffs on a tight schedule.
Whether you’re a longtime runner or complete beginner, this book is an essential companion. Starrett focuses on helping runners avoid and navigate obstacles common to the sport. Notably, you’ll find guidance on how to stay injury free through proper conditioning.
What’s special about this book is that it approaches fitness from the other side of the treadmill. Focussing on the science of sports recovery, Christie Aschwanden shows us how to best utilise our time outside of the gym. From “ice baths and cryogenic freezing chambers to the science behind Usain Bolt’s love of chicken nuggets”, this book demonstrates the importance of recovery, and why it might be one of the most essential elements of an effective fitness regime.
Motivation is one of the biggest obstacles to effective exercise. But what are the methods for overcoming lethargy, impatience, and demotivation, and how can we apply them?
In this post we’re going to look at some simple and effective tools that anyone can use for maintaining motivation and keeping up a sustained workout routine.
Keep an exercise journal
This can be as basic or as in-depth as you’d like, but the key is to alwaysrecord how you feel before and after an exercise session. It could be a page-long diary entry, or it could be a simple smiley-face sketch of your current emotions.
The secret here is that it’s almost guaranteed you’ll feel better after exercising. And by keeping a journal of these emotional changes, you can refer back to them whenever you’re not in the mood for exercising. By doing that you’ll be reminded of how your mood always changes for the better after working out. So you can say to yourself, “Even though I’m feeling down now, I’ll feel great afterwards.”
Set small goals
If your lack of motivation is arising because you can’t bear the thought of 30 minutes on the treadmill, shrink your goal. Bring it down from 30 minutes to 10 minutes. Chances are that after the 10-minute-mark you’ll keep going, but setting the smaller goal is what will get you exercising in the first place.
Often we feel demotivated simply because we’re daunted by the task at hand. We might feel tired, or too busy, or just plain lazy, and our regular goals can seem too much — in these situations it’s important that we respond to our unwillingness by altering the goal instead of simply foregoing the exercise. By making the workout session as easy as possible to complete, there’s more incentive to actually get up and do it.
Set big goals
Contrary to the above, big, overarching, long-term goals can also work wonders for our motivation. The trick here, however, is not to make them too big. And don’t be confused, these aren’t big daily goals, they’re big long-term goals.
A great example of an effective, larger goal would be a 30-day challenge. With a 30-day challenge, the time commitment is enough to keep you going, but not too much to be off-putting. So on those days when you aren’t feeling up to it, you can simply remind yourself that it’s only for a month, and you only have X-days left to go, so you might as well just do it.
By setting goals like this, where the finish line is reasonably far away but close enough to be within touching distance, you’re more likely to keep up with a daily routine. Just the knowing that you haven’t got long left to go can be enough to get you through.
Listen to audiobooks or podcasts
This is a great way to pass the time. Audiobooks and podcasts are excellent tools for making tough workouts more bearable. They help to shift your attention away from your current physical circumstances, thus lightening the burden of difficult exercise. And by focussing on something other than your own pain, the time will fly by much quicker.
A good trick is to set aside certain podcasts/audiobooks that you’re only allowed to listen to whilst exercising. That way, if you don’twant to work out, but you dowant to listen to your podcast, there’s only one solution. . . . The reason this method works so well because it provides indirect motivation to exercise. It’s a way through the back door.
Get inspired by the success stories of others
Want a super-fuel injection of motivation? Read the success stories of fellow exercisers! Research people who have achieved the same goals you’re aiming for. Read about their experiences and listen to their advice. Or talk to people who are at a similar stage in their fitness journey to you. Talking with others, seeking encouragement, looking at before-and-after pictures — all these things can help keep you motivated!
Get dressed for exercise
Basic but highly effective. Whatever we do in life, wearing the right clothes for the job can help to get us into the proper frame of mind. The opposite is also true. Just think about pyjamas – how motivated do you feel to do anything whilst wearing pyjamas?
In the same way, putting on workout gear before exercising is a perfect way to get your mind and body ready for what’s to come.
Remember your intentions
Whenever you’re feeling particularly uninspired and demotivated, it can be extremely helpful to recall all the reasons why you started exercising in the first place. This is often crucial for maintaining long-term motivation.
Whether you’re trying to lose weight, gain muscle, or simply stay healthy, remembering why you workout is essential. Visualising your end goal, or recalling how things were before you started exercising in the first place, can often be enough be keep you moving.
The important thing is to simply remember why you’re doing what you’re doing, and to remind yourself what it’s all for.
Use your workouts for the good of others
One of the most effective ways to motivate yourself to do anything is to do it for others. This could mean running a marathon for charity, doing a sponsored walk, or taking part in a charity sporting event. You could even raise money yourself by throwing a bit of loose change into a jar every time you workout and then donating it at the end of each year.
Whatever the case, doing something for a cause is a powerful source of motivation. It allows you to push through difficult times in the name of selflessness. And it’s a fantastic way of holding yourself accountable for doing the work. If you’re training for a marathon, for example, it’s probably far more likely that you’ll see it through to the end if you’re doing it to raise money for a good cause.
More motivation!
If you’d like to keep reading about motivation, take a look at our posts on personal trainers and beating the workout blues. Otherwise, hopefully this post has given you something to work with. Happy exercising, and keep focussed!
According to On Your Feet Britain, 45% of women and 30% of men spend less than 30 minutes a day on their feet at work. In the long term, this level of workplace inactivity can lead to a host of physical and mental health problems.
To begin with the bad stuff, and to learn a little bit more about the negative impacts of sitting, here’s an excellent Ted Talk on the subject:
But desk dwellers need not despair. The positive news is that, according to studies, regular physical exercise may help to alleviate the negative impacts of sedentary working environments.
And exercise could do more than simply offset the risks of sitting at a desk all day. In fact, it may contribute to an altogether more rewarding and effective work life.
Here’s why exercise is so important for desk workers (or anyone who sits down a lot).
When we exercise, blood flow to the brain increases which gives us the mental boost necessary for tackling a hard day’s work. It’s also widely acknowledged that regular exercise can help keep our mental health in check. Which is especially useful for office workers, considering that one of the major contributors to modern mental health issues is work-related stress.
So by exercising regularly we stand to improve both our mental and emotional wellbeing. Which, in turn, may increase our motivation and enthusiasm to work!
It also improves concentrationand memory
We’ve all experienced the mid-afternoon slump. Reading an email four times in a row, completely unable to focus our attention on account of our post-lunch fatigue. But exercise may help us see the end of that problem.
In one interesting study from HEC Montreal, researchers found that workers who walked on a treadmill whilst reading text and emails not only perceived themselves to be more attentive, but actually demonstrated increased levels of memory and attention.
Another study, this one by UCI researchers, showed that a single burst of moderately intense exercise improves all-round memory function.
It enhances cognition
Other research has shown that regular aerobic exercise actually increases the size of the hippocampus. That’s the part of the brain associated with learning and verbal memory.
Investigators have found that irisin (a molecule believed to have neuroprotective effects) is elevated in the brain though endurance exercise. Experimenting on mice, they “found that raising levels of irisin in the circulation caused the molecule to cross the blood brain barrier, which then increased the expression of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and activated genes involved in cognition.”
The results of these investigations suggest that increasing BDNF improves cognition and prevents the brain from degeneration. And it seems like one way to encourage this increase is by exercising.
Also, of course, improvements in cognition means improvements in work!
Small changes can make a big difference
Get Britain Standing says that just a few tweaks to our workday can make a big difference to our health. Here are some minor things we can do around the office for positive change:
Standing for phone calls.
Using the stairs instead of elevators and escalators.
Taking a standing break from your desk every 30 minutes.
Conducting standing/walking meetings.
Stepping away from the desk to eat lunch.
Walking to colleagues’s desks instead of phoning/email them.
Get up and get moving
There’s nothing like exercise to keep us feeling healthy, happy, and productive. If you work at a desk, or spend a lot of time sitting down, then it’s important to move and exercise as much as possible. And if you’re struggling for time, then take a look at these 15 exercise routines that can be performed in less than 10 minutes.
Last week we discussed the many health benefits of walking. So this week we thought we’d share some great walking routes in and around the city of Newcastle Upon Tyne to get you feeling inspired to explore the great outdoors!
Ranging from easy to medium difficulty, and covering areas from Jesmond Dene to High Heaton, we’re sure there’s a walk in here to suit everyone’s taste. Enjoy!
Of course, when you’re out on a walk (especially when it’s hot) it’s always important to talk something to drink. For all the reasons why, take a look at our post on the importance of hydration.
The myriad positive effects of exercise on general health and wellbeing have been well and widely documented over the years. From higher levels of happiness to lowered risk of disease, it’s no secret that exercise is one of the keys to a healthier life. And researchers are now finding positive links between exercise and memory function.
The best bit? According to studies, even relativelyshort, moderate bursts of exercise may improve memory function in the long run.
A study by UCI researchers Sabrina Segal, Carl Cotman, and Lawrence Cahill, shows promising results for the short-term impact of exercise on memory. The study took a group of 50-80 year olds, consisting of people with and without memory deficits, and presented them with a series of pleasant images. The participants then spent 6 minutes exercising on stationary bikes at 70% of their maximum capacity. An hour later the group was asked, without prior warning, to recall the images they’d seen earlier. The results displayed a “striking enhancement” of memory in both healthy and cognitively impaired participants.
Sabrina Segal said of the study, “We found that a single, short instance of moderately intense exercise particularly improved memory in individuals with memory deficits.”
These results are consolidated by more recent findings from researchers at UCI and the University of Tsukuba in Japan (https://news.uci.edu/2018/09/24/now-you-just-need-to-remember-to-exercise/). The good news is that their work indicates that it could be even easier for usto reap the cognitive rewards of exercise. According to the study, which consisted of 36 healthy young participants, just ten minutes of mild exertion can be beneficial to brain health. The researchers observed that shortly after exercising, there was greater connectivity between the hippocampal dentate gyrus and cortical areas (linked to detailed memory processing) of participants’ brains.
The project co-leader, Michael Yassa of UCI, said, “The hippocampus is critical for the creation of new memories; it’s one of the first regions of the brain to deteriorate as we get older – and much more severely in Alzheimer’s disease [. . .] Improving the function of the hippocampus holds much promise for improving memory in everyday settings.”
According to Yassa, even short walks may be effective in improving memory and cognition. And other forms of light exercise, such as yoga and tai chi, may also fit the bill for memory enhancement.
One study in particular, conducted by researchers of the University of Columbia, compared the cognitive effects of exercise in two groups of mice. The difference between the two groups was that one was given access to running wheels whilst the other wasn’t. The mice with the running wheels (as you can probably imagine) ran, whereas the others didn’t. The results were that after several weeks the brains of the running mice showed more evidence of new brain cells and increased blood flow in the memory-related brain area.
Studies like these are very encouraging, empowering us to take control of our health and wellbeing and keep ourselves in good shape well into old age.
Yoga offers the best of many worlds, providing a little bit of something for everyone. It’s a mindful, stress-relieving, flexibility-enhancing, strength-building workout that anyone can participate in.
But why should you be doing it? Well, if you don’t already know your down dog from your cobra, here are 8 reasons to consider yoga for your next exercise pursuit!
1 – Yoga can decrease stress
All forms of physical exercise can help to lower stress levels. But yoga is particularlyeffective. Its combination of physical exertion, concentration, and focus on deep rhythmic breathing gives it myriad stress-busting properties.
The mental effort that goes into holding and perfecting each yoga pose also helps clear the mind. It’s a mindful activity which requires an active awareness of body and breath. And the focus you’ll put into maintaining this awareness can help to eliminate all other thoughts from your mind.
2 – It can also relieve anxiety
Studies have shown that yoga may contribute to relieving symptoms of anxiety. One particular study which focussed on woman suffering from anxiety revealed that those who participated in yoga classes showed a “significant decrease” in state anxiety and trait anxiety. The study’s conclusion suggested that “yoga can be considered as a complementary therapy or an alternative method for medical therapy in the treatment of anxiety disorders”.
3 – Improves flexibility
Age, inactivity, and extended periods of sitting all contribute to poor flexibility. As we get older, our bodies naturally become less supple. And in day-to-day life we’re rarely required to perform feats of extreme flexibility. So, over time, our joints become stiff and rigid.
Yoga, however, exposes us to movements that work underused areas of our bodies. This, in the long term, will help to loosen our joints, elongate our spines, make us more mobile, and increase our overall flexibility.
4 – Builds strength
Yoga is an amazing tool for building core strength. And core strength is important because it’s functional. Not only does it improve balance, but it helps us in performing daily tasks. From walking stairs to lifting boxes.
During yoga practise, many of the poses are held for extended periods of time. So we’re essentially performing a bodyweight exercise and an enduranceexercise at the same time. In this way, practising yoga on a regular basis can help to improve our core strength.
Because yoga elongates the spine, a natural side-effect is that it also improves posture. This is understandable considering that our spine is what keeps us upright. So fixing the spine = fixing posture.
In this way, yoga could be especially beneficial for office workers, or anyone who sits down for extended periods of time. This is because it can help to reverse the effects of slouching and sitting, and as a result relieve back and neck pains.
6 – Teaches better breathing
Proper breathing is such an important, yet often overlooked, component of good health and wellbeing. The problem is that many of us develop poor breathing patterns as a result of being stressed and overworked. When negative emotions abound, our breathing can become shallow and constricted. And if we experience lots of stress, all the time, our bodies will become accustomed to that kind of breathing.
Yoga, thankfully, encourages us to focus on our breath. And by focussing on the breath we can become more aware of bad habits and restrictive breathing patterns.
Yoga teaches us to take deep breaths and synchronise our inhalations and exhalations with our body movements. The benefits of proper breathing are manifold, and include pain relief, increased immunity, and detoxification. And regular yoga practise has been linked to improved lung function.
By learning to breathe properly, we can become more relaxed, healthier, and happier in our day-to-day lives.
You can take a look at some yogic breathing techniques here.
7 – Can improve quality of life
Yoga is also believed to improve overall life quality in those who practise it regularly. This could be particularly noticeable in senior citizens.
One study assigned 135 generally healthy seniors to one of three groups. One group participated in 6 months of yoga, one did 6 months of walking exercise, and one was a control group. The quality-of-life measures that the study focussed on related to sense of well-being, energy, and fatigue. And it concluded that the seniors “in the yoga group showed significant improvement in quality-of-life and physical measures compared to exercise and wait-list control groups”.
8 – Encourages better sleep
Yoga can offer an excellent path to better sleep. There are, of course, particular types of yoga that might be more suited to an evening routine (such as yin). But as a general practise, yoga is widely believed to promote healthier sleep.
When done with the specific intention of preparing for sleep, yoga can help us to slow down, focus on our breath, and enter a state of deep relaxation.
So, is it time to get into the studio and onto the mat? Why not come along to Jesmond Pool, where we offer 2 classes a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays. For more information, visit our yoga class page.
