Review and a GIVEAWAY: Sexy by Nature by Stefani Ruper of Paleo for Women

Today our team member, Courtney, is reviewing the highly anticipated Sexy by Nature by the amazing Stefani Ruper of the blog Paleo for Women. 

Stefani Ruper is equally accomplished as an Ivy League chemist, an international go-go dancer, and a nationally renowned eating disorder counselor. She is the author of the paleo woman’s health manifesto Sexy by Nature: The Whole Foods Solution to Radiant Health, Lifelong Sex Appeal, and Soaring Confidence, as well as the voice behind the Paleo for Women blog, the first ever body image and self love podcast Live. Love. Eat., and a self-love YouTube Channel. You can find her at any of those places, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

Stefani holds degrees from Dartmouth College and Boston University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in philosophy and dancing obsessively in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

We have loved having Stefani on our own podcast FOUR times (check those out here, here, here and here ) because she is just that great. She is a wealth of knowledge about women’s health, and we can’t get enough of her personal style when it comes to learning to love yourself and your body through positive thoughts as well as whole foods. She’s feisty, flirty, beautiful and not afraid to challenge women in the best way possible.  I love that before she’d even written this book she helped me to better appreciate my body for what it can do, what it has done and what it is for – rather than what it looks like. She also gives the best hugs and generally makes you feel awesome… and that’s what this book is. Stefani has figured out how to give every person that buys this book a giant hug, tell them they’re awesome and help them love themselves – what could be better?! – Stacy

 

“Sexy by Nature provides the keys to…

A naturally slim waistline; clear, radiant skin; vibrant energy; a pain-free menstrual cycle; a ravenous libido; lifelong youthfulness; fertility; birth control; self-love; sex appeal; and fearless confidence.”

 

Sign me up. Am I right, ladies?!?

 

In her book, Stefani Ruper empowers women with a clear, five-step program to health and sexiness.  As a woman on my own path to health, I am always looking for that connection to other women that share my journey, my struggles, and my successes. Stefani writes in a way that is friendly and smart. I really enjoyed the layout of the book, and found the five steps to be easy enough to implement, and radical enough to challenge my perceptions of beauty and confidence.

The Five Steps:

 

Step 1: Trailblaze

 

I love this step. Stefani takes the “old” rules of being a woman and throws them out the window. She challenges us to let go of the ideal of beauty that bombards us on every billboard and in every magazine and TV show. She counters that confidence is sexy, that self-assurance is sexy, that being “unashamedly YOU” is sexy. She then throws out the notion that women should restrict ourselves (our calories, our choices) to achieve these impossible beauty ideals. Furthermore, she asks us to stop punishing ourselves when we don’t meet these expectations. Instead she implores us to nourish and love ourselves; that our bodies aren’t meant to live at war with our sense of self.  If we are nourishing our bodies and accepting of ourselves, we will be in harmony, which leads to great health.  But how do we get there if we’ve listened to all the experts, followed the diets, run like hamsters on the treadmill, taken all the prescriptions, and bought all the potions and creams that society tells us will unite our body and self? Stefani says, question everything. Question these old rules and listen to our bodies. That the heart of real health is listening, loving, and nourishing our bodies naturally.

 

Step 2: Nourish

 

As someone who has been Paleo for nearly three years, this step made complete sense to me. I’ve been living it for a long time.  But Stefani does something really wonderful in this section; she explains nourishment in a way that is both scientific and approachable. She explains different types of diet and the pros and cons of each. She starts with the basic question, “What is natural?” and debunks the claims that packaged foods can be natural.  For a woman who has struggled with the Standard American Diet and tried to lose weight through prepackaged meals, low-fat snacks, and “diet” foods, this step will be incredibly enlightening. From gut health, to sugar, to macro nutrients, Stefani explains how foods affect our bodies, our immune system, and our reproductive health. She carefully explains the bad and the good.  Stefani not only tells us to focus on the quality of foods, but the appropriate ratios and quantities.  She focuses on avoiding restrictions and emotional eating, but also being tolerant and forgiving when we make a less-than-stellar choice.

 

Step 3: Live

 

I know that this is the step I struggle with the most.  I’d venture that the same holds true for most women. Our ancestors got plenty of exercise and sleep, ate when hungry, got enough sunlight, and lived simply.  The modern woman lives anything but a simple life.  But Stefani points out that we are capable of designing our own life, and making these things a priority will result in greater health and happiness.  Stefani outlines the aspects of our lives that contribute to overall health.  From stress, to sex, to sunlight and strength, Stefani gives us the reasons to prioritize these aspects of our life, and the means to do so.

 

Step 4: Overcome

 

I think this is an incredibly helpful section. Stefani puts the power in our hands.  She advises us to find the issue we would like to address (weight-loss, fertility, menopause, energy, libido, pain) and explains the issue, the possible resolutions, and the steps you can take to overcome the problem.  She empowers us to partner with doctors or health professionals to work on these issues. She implores, “Don’t expect perfection, but expect kick-ass results.” With this she again releases us from that perfectionist behavior. Overcoming obstacles on the way to being Sexy by Nature may take years of diligence and forgiveness, but it’s well worth it.

Step 5: Strut

 

Stefani brings all the work from the previous steps into step 5.  We’ve changed our outlook and our relationship with food, made progress on the obstacles that have plagued us.  We’ve learned to do so with love and acceptance of our bodies. Now, in Step 5, Stefani lays out the three components to being fully Sexy by Nature.  She explains how self-love, self-determined sex appeal, and fearlessness will give us the power to love the skin we are in. We will follow the path to “self-loving sex goddess.”

 

Like many women, I struggle with self-confidence and self-love. But after reading Stefani’s book, I’m aware of my negative self talk and unhealthy habits, and I’m actively trying to change them.  I’m also learning to forgive myself and to accept my body.  Thank you, Stefani, for a smart and powerful guide to optimal health for women!

GIVEAWAY: Win a copy and we guarantee you’ll love it!

How do you enter? Simple!

To enter:

• Leave a comment for subscribing to our newsletter
• Leave a comment for liking the The Paleo for Women Facebook Page
  
• Leave a comment for all the forms of social media you follow us on (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.)
• Leave a comment if you place a new review for our podcast, The Paleo View, in iTunes
• Leave a comment if you have left a review for Beyond Bacon and Eat Like a Dinosaur or Sexy by Nature
  

Up to 5 entries per person. No purchase required!

Remember Matt’s rules of giveaways:

1. Please use a valid email address when entering. I cannot use my dowsing rods to attempt to find which bytes form your contact address!
2. Please follow all the rules so I don’t get frustrated by invalid entries. Nothing makes more of a sad panda than picking a winner who I have to disqualify.
3. Please respond within 48 hours or I will have to pick a new winner! I have a certain set of skills that make me a nightmare to people who don’t respond: the ability to randomly draw again.
4. Please be a US resident. My mana is too low to cast a Teleportation Spell!

Giveaway will end on Friday, March 21, 2014.