What differentiates this book from others is its usefulness for achieving the basics in real life — not in Instagram life, not in an ideal life where we have unlimited time and resources, not in some fantasy life where our willpower is ironclad.
— Booktrib


Read the book review here

The Simple Seven refers to Seven Body Basics

— that seamlessly blend into your day and don’t require a big investment in time, money or effort. Things like…

Eat

Eating food that you love

— including fat, like avocados — as long as it’s fresh.


Move Body Basic: Keep moving

Riding your bike, shooting hoops, or dancing

— doing what you enjoy — instead of going to the gym.


Feel Body Basic: Do what makes you feel good

Laughing and loving

— having fun and feeling good — to relieve stress.


The Simple Seven explains the why and how of vibrant health

The human body is brilliantly designed to keep you healthy — but your lifestyle is key. Based on a dozen years of research and backed by science, following The Simple Seven helps your body get what it needs.

 
 

Here is a sampling of The Simple Seven

Eat Body Basic: Eat fresh food

Diet & Nutrition

People often follow rigid diets that are full of rules. Most diets come and go. Despite their claims, diet is not one size fits all. Most diets do not — cannot — account for differences in one’s genes, state of health, or nutritional needs. Schedules, budgets, or food availability. Personal preferences or even cultural traditions. But diet — the word — just means which foods we eat regularly to obtain nutrients. So, don’t think of it as “following a diet” but rather a way of getting all your nutrients through your diet. The purpose of diet is to choose foods to regularly eat that will provide you with needed nutrients.

 from the Eat Chapter, The Simple Seven

I’m a bit of a nutrition nerd myself and found the author’s advice practical and sound — but I still learned a lot of new things that I’m excited to put into practice!
— Apple Books Review

Move Body Basic: Keep moving

Fitness & Exercise

We believe that “going to the gym” is the only way of getting fit. Why? Because medical research talks about it. But that’s only because exercise research is conducted in a gym, not in a dance studio or on a basketball court. Dancing and shooting hoops are also beneficial forms of exercise. Another misconception is that the true measure of physical fitness involves having big, “cut” muscles, six-pack abs, low body fat, and marathon running. Why? Because that’s what the fitness industry promotes. Which really isn’t a hard sell. In truth, many of us want to look buff and push our bodies to the limit. But are these things required for physical fitness? No.

from the Move Chapter, The Simple Seven

I’ve read many health-related books and publications over the years, being in the fitness industry, and when I found Marlene Veltre’s book, I was thrilled to find a solid source for overall wellness which distills a vast amount of well-researched information into bite-size chunks anyone can apply to daily living.
— Barnes & Noble Review

Feel Body Basic: Do what makes you feel good

Stress & Emotional Healing

By now everyone is aware of the link between stress and disease – high blood pressure, stroke, cancer. But did you know this? According to the American Medical Association: Stress is a factor in more than 75 percent of all illness and disease. That’s a significant statistic. And grim. Name almost any illness or disease and stress will be a factor. Moreover, because stress is so damaging to the body, regardless of the other healthy things we may be doing, stress can override the gain.

from the Feel Chapter, The Simple Seven

I’m a retired family psychologist and still people I know come to me for help now and then, and I prescribe this book to them. Marlene Veltre’s “Method” is simply written and straightforward, thus easy to practice.
— Barnes & Noble Review

Eat Body Basic: Eat fresh food
Move Body Basic: Keep moving

Weight Loss

We’ve long known the formula for losing weight and keeping it off. It involves diet and exercise, and the idea is this: Take in only the number of calories your body needs (diet) + burn excess body fat (exercise). It’s a sound formula, but we don’t like to follow it because it takes time and it’s hard to do — rather, we make it hard to do starving ourselves and over-exercising. It’s no wonder we look for quick and easy weight loss solutions. The multibillion dollar weight loss industry is itself a failed attempt at quick and easy solutions that are unpleasant, tedious, deceptive, harmful, expensive, and painful. If we look closely, the weight loss formula involves two of the Body Basics. Weight loss isn’t hard after all — and, using the Body Basics, it can be permanent.

from the Look Good Chapter, The Simple Seven

It seems like every month there is a new documentary on what we should and should not consume. Science, media and popular thought is ever changing and confusing. This book cuts through the jargon with logical and common sense advice.
— Barnes & Noble Review

The Simple Seven Body Basics

Beauty & Anti-Aging

Embrace your vanity! — if that will motivate you to get and stay healthy. For the quality of your physical appearance is a reflection of your state of health. Good health = a beautiful, youthful, lean you.

from the Look Good Chapter, The Simple Seven

Marlene Veltre is very good at explaining how our systems function and makes the connections between why we might not be feeling or looking so great. But more importantly, what we can do to reverse what’s not working inside and out.
— Apple Books Review

Other topics include:

sleep•circadian rhythm

breathing•smoking cessation

digestion•flora

detoxification • alkalizing

organ functioning

processed foods

carbs, fat, sugar, salt

coffee drinking•cholesterol

neurotransmitters

epigenetics•stem cells

and more!


I really think your book is great. It packs a punch. I like that it’s on the short side, as well. I think some health books are too long, contain too much. And there’s so much good stuff in it, things I haven’t read before. And you have a great writing voice. I almost think it’s more powerful from someone not in the medical profession to address these things, and from a personal standpoint.
 
 
As with all nature,
the human body is elegant in design, suggesting that health was meant to be simple.
— Marlene Veltre, B.S.
 
 

Dear Reader,

I have written this book because I want to share with you what I understand about health, hoping that it will help you as it has helped me.

After recovering from cancer, I decided to take charge of my health. I was determined to sort through and make sense of abundant and sometimes conflicting health information. I wanted to answer the question: What must we do to be healthy?

And what I found? Do the basics.

This book is the culmination of 11 years of research, distilled down to what I believe are the most important ideas. Though drawn from an array of reputable health, scientific, medical, and media sources, I have used limited scientific and medical terminology in order to focus on the ideas and make them easier to understand. Though I am not a trained health professional, I am trained in analysis, with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and computer science and more than 20 years of experience working in business, technology, and executive management. I have also worked in education, teaching at a university for four years.

My intention is to present you with a basic yet solid foundation of health information that can be understood and used by people of all ages, genders, and states of health.

To be clear, this book is to be used for educational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as a substitute for professional medical advice or to prevent, cure, or heal any illness or disease. You should always see your doctor or health practitioner.

I hope you enjoy reading this book. For four years I have poured my heart and soul into writing it, hoping that you would find it valuable. I wish you the best of health.

Marlene Veltre, B.S.

learn more about marlene veltre here