Living SMART: Five Essential Skills to Change Your Health Habits Forever [Paperback]

Joshua C. Klapow (Author), Ph.D. Sheri D. Pruitt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2007

The myriad of books and programs that encourage people to stop smoking, get organized, spend less, or exercise more tend to focus on what or why to change, but rarely explain how to change. Living SMART provides this missing piece. Developed by two behavioral psychologists, the program offers a set of practical tools drawn from science, not faddish ideas, that help readers successfully change any unhealthy behavior. Composed of five essential behavioral initiatives — Set a goal, Monitor your progress, Arrange your world for success, Recruit a support team, Treat yourself — the program is built on the idea that successful change takes more than mere motivation. Containing helpful tips, checklists, exercises, and progress charts, this simple, step-by-step book enables readers to take control of their lives and make positive, permanent changes. A companion website provides additional information, tips, and downloadable forms.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...an easy to read and easy to follow guide to healthier living...a gateway to improving the health of all." -- -- Robert Pearl, MD, Executive Director and CEO, The Permanente Medical Group

"...helps readers achieve significant and lasting change in health-related habits...a long overdue contribution that readers will find informative and empowering." -- -- George S. Everly, Jr, PhD, The Johns Hopkins Center forPublic Health Preparedness, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, TheJohns Hopkins School of Medicine

"The book provides guidance for anyone who decides they want to change...[it] provides guidance on how to handle tough situations." -- -- Robert G. Frank, Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: DiaMedica; 1 edition (October 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979356407
• ISBN-13: 978-0979356407
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #600,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Steps to healthy habits, quick and easy, November 8, 2007

By 

E. Withers (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Living SMART: Five Essential Skills to Change Your Health Habits Forever (Paperback)

When I first started reading this book, I must confess that I was somewhat skeptical. Being middle-aged and overweight, I've read so many books on losing weight and eating right, etc. This book, however, is delightfully different. First, it's simple. The SMART skills are easy to remember, and they apply to any healthy habit the reader might want to begin. Second, the charts and questionnaires are informative and useful. Having them available on the website is an added bonus. Third, this book reads quickly and doesn't overwhelm the reader with a bunch of scientific research that I could frankly care less about. Just tell me what I need to do, and that's what this book does.
Halfway through the book, I found a small notebook and recorded three positive things that happened today. I then proceeded to clean off my treadmill and get on it for the first time in months. After that, I settled back with an apple to read the rest of the book. Those are positive changes already! With the motivators in the book and the advice on what to do when drifting from the goal, I just may be able to keep up these healthy habits.

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Your Typical Smart Goals, February 22, 2008

By 

TC Fields (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living SMART: Five Essential Skills to Change Your Health Habits Forever (Paperback)

Overall, this book is as interesting and as motivating as a book can be about health behavior modification. In graduate school I took a required course in health behavior and health education, which I found to be dreadfully boring and for the most part, unhelpful. In the class I learned the traditional SMART acronym (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely) for setting goals. Hands down, I believe this SMART system (Set a goal, Monitor your progress, Arrange your world for success, Recruit a support team, and Treat yourself) will be more effective at motivating individuals to make changes in their health than traditional SMART goals. I only wish I had used this book in the course I took in graduate school - it would have made the class so much more interesting and useful in my everyday life!

4.0 out of 5 stars Made Me Stop and Think, February 15, 2008

By 

A. Kim - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Living SMART: Five Essential Skills to Change Your Health Habits Forever (Paperback)

I received this book in the fall and I started reading it right away. Since it is now late winter and I'm just reviewing it, obviously something went wrong along the way. One of the first things the book talks about is taking a look at whether you actually want to change your behavior. I found out that I didn't. This surprised me and actually made me realize why it was always so difficult to reach my goals even though I had the knowledge and knew what steps to take to change. This may sound like a really simple concept, but that is exactly what this book is full of. Simple concepts that most people think they know but don't fully put into practice.
The book includes a very simple and straightforward 5 step plan that you can use to change any health habit or actually any habit at all for that matter. It includes charts that you can download from the website for charting your progress. It also discusses drifting, which happens to everyone when you are trying to change a habit and is usually the cause of failure. There are many good ideas for how to get back on track. There is also a chapter directly addressing four major health areas people would like to change and specific ideas for them. The book ends with some helpful resources.
I've read a lot of self help books on behavioral change and this is one of the most simple books I've read. But don't mistake that for unhelpful fluff. I think this may actually be the book that gets me to my goals.