YOU: Being Beautiful: The Owner's Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty (Hardcover)

by Michael F. Roizen (Author), Mehmet C. Oz (Author)
Key Phrases: band workout, yoga workout, percent whole grains, That's Gotta Hurt, Great Shape, The Worry War (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This follow-up to Roizen and Oz's current bestseller YOU: Staying Young, targets three dimensions of beauty: looking beautiful, feeling beautiful and being beautiful. True to their holistic vision, they provide tools, tips and quizzes on physical appearance—caring for hair, skin, nails, teeth, etc.; forming healthy diet and exercise habits; reading labels and selecting products; and choosing cosmetic enhancements (breast implants, Botox, tattoos, piercing and LASIK, for example).They also include practical ways to manage energy levels, ease aches and pains, prevent injury, cope with mood disorders, end addictions and create positive home and work environments. Identifying work and finances as major stressors and loving relationships as key to health and happiness, they offer insights and suggestions for developing a big-picture, spiritualized view of life. A 24-hour ultimate beautiful day shows readers how to implement changes into their typical schedule. The blend of beauty advice with love, work, finances and spirituality could be smoother, and the impish humor throughout is a bit strained. Still, this volume is as entertaining and challenging as other titles in the series. (Oct.)
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Product Description
Most people think that beauty revolves around such things as lipstick, sweet eyes, or skinny jeans -- all those things that we can see (and obsess over) in the mirror. But the fact is that beauty isn't some superficial pursuit, and it's not some random act that you can thank (or curse) your ancestors for.

There are, in fact, scientific standards to beauty. Beauty is purposeful, because it's how humans have historically communicated who we are to potential mates. Beauty, in fact, is really about your health and happiness.

In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Michael F. Roizen and Dr. Mehmet C. Oz bust the myths and stereotypes about the way we view ourselves -- and how we define beauty. In these pages, you'll find out why beauty isn't as much about your vanity as it is about your humanity. The doctors take a scientific, informative, and entertaining look at the three levels of beauty and explain how they all work together to form a complete and authentic YOU. Those three levels of beauty are:

• Looking Beautiful: Your appearance influences your self-esteem and has major health implications. Here, the docs will tell you how you can look the way you want.
• Feeling Beautiful: So what if you have luscious lips or gorgeous locks if your joints creak and you have the energy of a rug? The docs will tell you how to improve your energy levels, beat back your life-altering aches and pains, and come to grips with some of life's toughest stresses.
• Being Beautiful: By improving your relationships with your loved ones as well as with others, you'll be well on your way to finding true happiness. That's the ultimate goal: Having all three levels of beauty working together so you can have a happy and healthy life.

You'll start off by taking the ultra-revealing and validated YOU-Q Test to help you assess where you are on your own beauty scale and where you want to be. Take the test, see how well you do; then use the book to help you improve your score.

With their usual candor and honesty, Dr. Roizen and Dr. Oz break down the mechanics of beauty and explain how little adjustments in your routine can help you become a happier, healthier person. You will learn about the biology of beauty, take YOU Tests to determine where you are on the beauty scale, get tons of YOU Tips to help you improve your life, as well as learn the secrets of the Ultimate Beautiful Day.

From hair to toenails, Dr. Roizen and Dr. Oz go through every part of your body to explain how different foods, vitamins, creams, gels, and injections can really boost your looks. They scrutinize the beauty myths that bombard us every day and offer an unbiased perspective on which ones cause more harm than good. You will be able to revamp your beauty regimen (or start a new one from scratch). They'll also take a close look at chronic pain, mood swings, low energy, and financial stresses. And they'll dive into the science of building relationships, finding happiness, and using spirituality to help you define your own levels of true beauty.

Dr. Roizen and Dr. Oz act as tour guides navigating the tricky but exciting terrain of today's beauty industry. YOU: Being Beautiful is your all-inclusive ticket into the world -- the real world -- of beauty.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; 1 edition (November 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416572341
• ISBN-13: 978-1416572343
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,463 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I Had To Return It, January 6, 2009

By	Angela Bright (Pocono Pines, PA United States) - See all my reviews

Please know that I do not give one star reviews lightly. I had high hopes for this book and I was very excited to purchase it. However, this book completely missed the mark.

Now the first thing I am going to mention I believe has been mentioned before, but it is worth repeating. The illustrations. They are awful. I believe the look of a book sets the tone for the content. Why on earth would someone write a book about being beautiful and have such hideous illustrations?

The next thing I realized while reading through is that I couldn't quite figure out who this book was aimed towards. It was written in such a simplistic way that it really assumed everyone reading it must be completely daft or a preteen. On the other hand much of the content was based on those who are a bit older 40's and 50's. So that was odd. It was also heavily content geared toward both men and women. Now, I am not saying men and women can't both be beautiful, but perhaps two books would be in order. This book is heavily marketed towards women so why do I have to read through so much info about balding?

The writing itself is very choppy and the advice was juvenile. Wash your hair because it locks in bad smells. That is very basic advice and common sense. Anyone who wakes up in the morning after a late night at the bar would realize that hair traps smells.

I bought this book because while I am great with basic hygiene (I would think most of us are. Shower regularly, brush teeth, wash face, etc...these are all heavily detailed in the book) I could always stand some extra advice. Such as a few easy hair styles to make you look polished, extra advice on face washes and masks to use, etc...

This book mentioned several things in great excess such as cosmetic surgery. Wrinkles make you look ugly, but hey there is always botox! I don't have a problem with cosmetic surgery, per say, but I don't feel like it is necessary to being beautiful and I think mentioning it so much was bad form.

As I was trying to figure this book out my significant other said, "It's like they made this book for aliens to show them how human bodies work and how we keep ourselves clean." That is exactly it. This book is full of information I am sure you already know, written in an ugly format.

I had to take return this book. I found it complete rubbish. It might help you, but I really don't see how. Other books could do it so much better. I might spend more money, but I would rather have 4 books that really help me look and feel beautiful than one book that does nothing.

Oh! One last thing. What about being a beautiful person? I thought this book could have used more of that. More time devoted to how good, and lovely people feel when they do good things for others.

So if you have very low self esteem or have absolutely no idea how to care for yourself then I suppose this book might be useful. Otherwise, I suggest you look elsewhere.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Like the Authors, Hated the Book, February 11, 2009

By	M. Todd - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have several of the "You" books, which I think are helpful and generally well written. This one was an insult. The content was slim compared to the other books. It seemed like a rush job to capitalize on the franchise. That I could have overlooked, but the tone had me rushing to return this book, which is extremely rare for me.

It's as though the target reader is a 10 year old who would find the references to boogers irresistible. For example, there is a diagram of a finger, with a pointer identifying matter under a fingernail as a booger.

Some humor is welcome, but know your audience. Assuming repeat "You" buyers are an obvious target audience, this book misses the mark.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Optimize Health and Optimize Beauty, December 28, 2008

By	Eco-Friendly Feng Shui Designer - See all my reviews

You: Being Beautiful could as easily have been called You: Being Healthy. Roizen and Oz write: "We all want to look beautiful, feel beautiful, and be beautiful." I'm not sure how many men would admit to that, but substitute "feel my best" and "healthy" for "beautiful," and this describes the book. It is as much a book for men as it is for women, too.

The book is divided into three sections:

* Looking beautiful: ways to improve your external looks; your hair, skin and body

*Feeling beautiful: what's inside counts. How to alleviate lethargy, depression and pain and end destructive behaviors/thinking.

* Being beautiful: how "to find a more authentic and happier you in your life and relationships--and how to use different strategies to do so."
This section includes a guide to finding happiness:
*Being positive and generous
*Feeling empathy
*Finding authenticity
*Embracing emotion
* Exploring spirituality
* Understanding unhappiness

It is obvious that Michael Roizen and Melmet Oz are medical doctors, as they describe the skin, hair, etc. each section contains tips and tools to make you more beautiful (healthy.)

The doctors approach beauty from a holistic point of view and do a good job. However, a few aspects are missing--and this is where who you are (they are doctors) affects what you write. I am an interior designer and I immediately saw what was missing from this book on optimizing beauty (health): that is the environment. Dirt, clutter, toxic substances and more contribute to less than optimal health--or even serious health problems. (I am also chemically sensitive.)

The environmental aspects aside, You: Being Beautiful is a good book. The authors write: "To feel good about yourself because you have a strong self-esteem and a healthy, energetic existence that allows you to appreciate the subtle beauty of day-to-day life and because you know your purpose in life--and to show off that purpose by helping others do the same."

There is a short section on "green living," with basic good tips, like not using throw-away plastic bottles and using reusable bags when shopping. One tip struck me as odd, however--they advise you to save energy by sweeping floors instead of frequent vacuuming. OK--reality check--if everyone vacuumed a little less it will not save the world. Instead, sweeping encourages dirt, pollutants and other allergens to become airborne and increases the likelihood of you breathing them in--not so healthy.

As I mentioned before, the authors are medical doctors and do a good job in teaching us how to be healthy with our bodies. But, the book is not holistic, as it doesn't account for the environment--your home, what surrounds you and what products you use on your body and in your home. The single best book that I know of (and I use it in my practice) that addresses healthy products for body and home and how to create a sanctuary--and will work very well with this award winning book--is HARMONIOUS ENVIRONMENT: BEAUTIFY, DETOXIFY & ENERGIZE YOUR LIFE, YOUR HOME & YOUR PLANET.

The end of the book includes the "ultimate beautiful day: daily care and maintenance schedule, a yoga guide, and an exercise guide.