If you’ve been looking for some books in the arenas of body image, faith, wellness, and mindful connection, I have created a list of books* I have read and enjoyed throughout the years. I’ll continue adding to it as I go, so save this page for reference.

Please note that not all of these are faith-based, only the ones in the Christian Wellness Books category. But since all truth is God’s truth, I hope you can find some helpful truths in the books below.

*the following list contains Amazon affiliate links

Body Image Books

Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein; opened my eyes to the consumerism targeted towards my daughter
Compared to Who? by Heather Creekmore; Heather is witty, wise, and fun to read. If you want a body image book that will make you laugh and point you to God’s love at the same time, this is the book.
Love Beyond Looks: A 5-Week Bible Study on Body Image: A quick Bible study by yours truly that covers the basics of how we see ourselves, God, others, how God sees us, and how we can love others well from a place of being loved. Great for groups!
Love Thy Body by Nancy Pearcy; her research is both hauntingly convicting and heartbreakingly horrifying. She uncovers how the dismemberment of body and spirit affects culture at its deepest and most subliminal levels, from abortion to transgenderism
Shameful Bodies: Religion and The Culture of Physical Improvement by Michelle Mary Lelwica; in-depth readable research about the history and facts surrounding modern ideals of body image

Christian Wellness Books

Embracing the Body: Finding God in Our Flesh and Bone by Tara Owens; helped me meet with the Lord and treat my body with more grace
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made and In His Image by Paul Brand and Philip Yancey; these books combine miraculous stories in the medical field with theology of the body
Fulfilled: Let go of Shame, Embrace Your Body, and Eat the Food You Love by Alexandra McKillop; a pioneer in her field of functional medicine, Alexandra lays the foundation for intuitive eating by sharing her own relatable life experiences, paired with a strong science-backed understanding of how God designed our bodies to eat and be nourished
Grace, Food, and Everything In Between by Aubrey Golbek; Aubrey teaches readers how to start with soul health and let God’s love stream through our eating patterns for inutitive nourishment instead of restriction through diets
Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food by Lysa TerKeurst; Lysa's down-to-earth writing about her relationship with food was so relatable for me
Move for Joy: An Intuitive Training Approach to Pursue God in Fitness and Find Happiness by yours truly; this book will help you see exercise as a joy and inspire you to want to do something that feels fun for you, and if you aren’t sure what that is, take the quiz and get connected with your unique motivator and its Biblical precedent
The Wellness Revelation: Lose What Weighs You Down So You Can Love God, Yourself, and Others by Alisa Keeton; Alisa compels me to love God with all my strength, and I greatly benefited from the written exercises and free workout calendar
What Your Body Says About God: How We Are Designed to Connect, Serve, and Thrive by Rob Moll; I came away with a greater appreciation of God's design through Rob's mix of research, science, and real-life applications

Mind-Body Books

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.; my number-one resource on how we hold trauma and stress in the body
Muscular Retraining for Pain-Free Living: A Practical Approach to Eliminating Chronic Pain, Tendonitis, Neck and Shoulder Tension, and Repetitive Stress Injuries by Craig Williamson; easy-to-understand science of how kinesthesic dysfunction, or the damaged awareness of our body, inflicts pain and exercises to increase awareness and release pain

Health and Fitness Books

10% Human: How Your Body's Microbes Hold the Key to Health and Happiness by Alanna Collen; eye-opening book about how we are 90% microbes and how this relationship affects our health
Becoming a Supple Leopard 2nd Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance by Kelly Starrett and Glen Cordoza; excellent mobility resource for fitness professionals and aficionados
Diastasis Recti: The Whole-Body Solution to Abdominal Weakness and Separation by Katy Bowman; best written resource I've found on diastasis recti
Dynamic Aging: Simple Exercises for Whole-Body Mobility by Katy Bowman; education and programming to get anyone, at any age, moving better for life (has large text and more space for more seasoned readers)
Move Your DNA: Restore Your Health Through Natural Movement by Katy Bowman; convinced me to focus more on movement throughout the day rather than one workout a day
No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness by Michelle Segar; simple program to break the high expectations of fitness and find happiness in movement
Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John Ratey inspired me to move by citing all the research-backed benefits of exercise, like improved test scores at school, exercise being as effective as an anti-depressant, and how not exercising shrinks your brain
The Athlete's Way: Training Your Mind and Body to Enjoy Exercise by Christopher Bergland; this author is pretty extreme and he often repeats himself, but there is a treasure trove of knowledge and practical tips for experiencing the joy of fitness shared by athletes
The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein; helped answer some questions behind the nature/nurture question of athletic gifts, while leaving me with even more questions!
Whole Body Barefoot: Transitioning Well to Minimal Footwear by Katy Bowman; great resource for the importance of the foundation of feet and how caring for them impacts the rest of the kinetic chain