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Well, Girl: An Inside-Out Journey to Wellness by Jami Amerine - Well, yes, this is a book about getting healthy and being well, but it turned out to be a much more uplifting and positive read than a lot of others. It's interesting, it's funny, it's encouraging, and it's not condescending. In fact, it's downright enjoyable to read.
Author Jami Amerine writes in a friendly, conversational tone that balances humour and honest emotion as she deals with the spiritual baggage and misconceptions that have kept her - and a lot of women - tied to unrealistic expectations and ideas about what it means to be healthy. So instead of offering just a trite chapter or addendum reminding readers that "God loves you just the way you are", she starts with God's love and develops that theme extensively before ever getting to anything to do with diet and exercise. There's a difference between the message that God loves us despite our figure flaws or lack of diet discipline and the truth that God loves us. Period.
Amerine tells her own stories and uses Scripture to teach this truth that we are loved and we are valuable and can find our worth in Christ. She shares about her own struggles in these areas, and talks about how we diet or exercise as if we can earn God's approval, and how we make a number on the scale or on the sizing tag an idol. She then makes the case that if we don't accept God's love for us and fully embrace our worth and identity in him, we'll always struggle to measure up.
A little more than half of the book - the first half! - deals with this understanding of the depth of God's love, wrestling with identity and worth, and the goodness of God's design for women. In Part Two, Amerine offers wisdom about eating wisely and well, and making healthy choices about exercise and lifestyle. But there is no eating plan, no 14-day suggested menu, no foolproof exercise regimen. Instead, there are principles of making the choices in these areas that are right for us in light of the freedom we have in Christ and how we can live in gratitude for it.
Self-help books are a dime a dozen, and there are more weight loss and get-healthy books on the market than can be counted. But believe it or not, some are different, and in my opinion this is one of them. Amerine recognizes that our spiritual and emotional health is much more important than our physical health, and that our efforts to improve our physical health are very often sabotaged because our minds and souls are not healthy and we haven't made the connection. Among the books that take this whole-person and spiritual approach, this one is written humorously and compassionately and directly to women.
Some readers may be disappointed that there isn't a secret trick or magic bullet in these pages, but that's not Amerine's goal or purpose. There is a universal truth that we are loved by our Creator and created for good, but there is no universal diet and exercise plan that will suit every body type and personality. I suspect that most women can find any information or guidance they need to improve their physical health in myriad other places, but need to address their spiritual health issues and experience that freedom and confidence first. Otherwise the risk is that they will remain the slaves of a diet or exercise program, or reach their goal weight only to find that they still aren't happy or free.
Yes, I'd rate Well, Girl as recommended reading for any woman who struggles with her body image or self-esteem, or who has ever felt "if only I could lose this weight I would . . ."
From the publisher:
If you're skinny, fat, short, tall, or somewhere in between . . .
If you've ever thought that losing weight would lead to happiness . . .
If you've ever avoided a mirror because you didn't want to see your reflection . . .
If you've found Jesus or you're still searching . . .
Well, Girl, You've Come to the Right Place.
***
You'll find a sassy, funny, authentic, and encouraging friend in master word weaver Jami Amerine, as she comes alongside you to share God's overwhelming grace and patience in an inside-out journey to wellness. She'll introduce you to a heavenly Father who adores you, right where you are. And she'll let you have a peek into the insane ride of her life that led her to complete freedom after years of hating herself - while she was completely and utterly adored by Jesus.
This transformational read will set you free. Hilarious, raw, and somehow poetic, Well, Girl offers scriptural truths, honest and thought-provoking ideas about wellness, and in in-depth look at a life free from culture's lies - with increased self-worth, better overall health, and more confidence in your physical appearance.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. I also received a digital copy from NetGalley for the purpose of this review.
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