No Meat Athlete by Matt Frazier was the latest book I read to help me focus on nutrition and exercise. What I liked most about it was the incorporation of both. The first half of this book focuses on nutrition with the theme of vegetarian or vegan eating. I say theme because Matt doesn’t make any pushy statements to try and turn the reader vegan, he rather discusses his own journey and how his nutrition shift to vegetarian/vegan actually improved his athleticism as he worked toward his goal of qualifying for the Boston marathon.

The expanded edition includes recipes after the nutrition section before moving on toward the exercise/athleticism section. This second part focuses mostly on running, but again Matt doesn’t focus on just one athletic area. He writes from his own experience but incorporates other areas to encourage and promote all forms of exercise. Since his focus is on running, he does provide tips for beginners as well as those who have been running for some time. He includes training schedules to complete a 5K, 10K, and two versions for a half marathon depending on your goal.

I’ve made a few minor adjustments to my own running based on advice in this book that I had heard prior but didn’t incorporate at the time. Though at the time I wasn’t running like I am now. I am glad that I’m building a good habit of running and am actually enjoying it more than I had previously. Not necessarily because of this book, but I think I did read this at the right time.

This book hit the two major areas I wanted to focus on for myself. I’m curious about reducing or eliminating meat from my own diet (though I may keep fish if I do make the adjustment). I am also curious about running more long distances and the physical and mental health improvements that often result from doing so. Matt does mention nutrition within the exercise section as they are intertwined, such as when and what to eat before and after a workout to ensure your body gets the nutrients it needs to sustain long bouts of exercise and to recover afterwards, the latter of which can reduce time needed between sessions of physical exertion.

I think this is a great book for beginners or intermediate athletes (or in my case a former athlete who is looking for a way to improve and maintain great health). It is also a great book for anyone thinking about altering their diets to be less meat-focused or if you just want to be more plant-focused. My wish for you is to give this a read to help build or reinforce a habit and work toward a healthier you. I plan on doing so myself.

Happy Reading.