cover image 52 Simple Steps to Natural Health

52 Simple Steps to Natural Health

Mark Mayell. Pocket Books, $14 (464pp) ISBN 978-0-671-88061-3

Mom's right: You should eat your vegetables, get enough sleep and use a rake instead of one of those noisy leafblowers. Mayell et al. elaborate on timeless wisdom in simple, commonsense terms that should goad even deeply ensconced, chip-popping couch potatoes to reform. Rather than change your whole life at once, the authors suggest, do something differently each week, such as eating less fat, improving your driving posture or acting more assertively. Following a calendar theme, the 52 bite-size chapters are grouped into 12 sections that cover almost every facet of physical, spiritual and mental health. Tips under the subheading ``Everyday Steps to Natural Health'' offer concrete ideas for action, while short bibliographies cap off each chapter. To be sure, there isn't much information here that won't be found in magazines, but having it neatly packaged in a single volume is both convenient and inspiring. (July)