by Emma Cook (Random House Struik)
When Emma Cook shed her post-baby weight using the 5:2 principle – five days of freedom and two days of deprivation – she realised the 5:2 principle could apply to and benefit most areas of our lives.
Self-denial seven days a week is not only joyless, but pointless, too, says the author and when she was losing weight the 5:2 way, she found she looked forward to her free days, enjoyed the discipline of her fasting days – and was soon six kilos lighter.
She realised that the ratio of restriction to freedom could apply to her family who were hooked up to their electronic devices. It would be unrealistic to expect everyone to unplug cold turkey, but she knew how beneficial short durations of abstinence could be. So she extended it to other areas.
The book tackles eight areas of modern life – drinking, fitness, finance, productivity, screen life, relationships, worry and environment. In some areas we need to cut down while others would benefit from an increase. The chapter on drinking is also not just about cutting down, it is also about giving your liver two days off – as recommended by the British Liver Trust. You won’t find smoking there as it demands total abstinence and diet is not featured as it is covered elsewhere.
Each chapter offers a seven-step plan to implement the strategy and Cook’s own experiences of how she enriched her life with 5:2 get the reader firmly on her side.
Easy to read and easy to do, the plan makes a lot of sense. – Lindsay Ord