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Category: Exercise & Fitness

Review: From Fat to Fit by Carole Carson

[ 4 ] March 24, 2012

Reviewed by Poppy Johnson

From Fat to Fit follows the author, Carole Carson, on her weight loss journey. The book reviews the psychological and physiological benefits of following a weight loss program. This program itself is structured to allow the dieter to stick with it and effectuate a life-style change.

Carson encourages readers to find a weight loss plan that they can stick to on their own. There are progress reports for each week, ideas for weekly exercises, and advice on how to find spiritual guidance. Carson also shares tips on curtailing the self-indulgences that leads to weight gain.

Carson participated in Meltdown, which was a fitness program intended to be free for the participants. She had team promoters and support staff to manage and launch events in Nevada. The Meltdown featured organized teams with rules, leadership, free passes to fitness clubs, and support meetings. The meetings were a success and Carson became an inspiration to others as a result of her weight loss suggestions.

From Fat to Fit is full of Carson’s self-deprecating humor. It was difficult to read some of these passages but I understand that she felt the pain and burden of her weight throughout her life. Therefore, I applaud her new found commitment to being and staying fit. The personal photos and witty stories will serve as an inspiration to anyone participating in a weight loss program.

I would recommend From Fat to Fit to anyone interested in losing weight. I was not particularly fond of the clichés, but if the reader can get around the style of writing, which was a bit dated, there is still useful information in the book to begin a successful weight loss program.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

After a decade of working in several NYC law departments and teaching, Poppy decided she enjoyed writing full-time. She currently works as a freelance writing consultant, and lives with her husband and sons on the East Coast.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Carole Carson. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Smarter Science of Slim by Jonathan Bailor

[ 2 ] February 23, 2012

Reviewed by Poppy Johnson

The Smarter Science of Slim by Jonathan Bailor provides an explanation for anyone wondering why they gain weight or why they can’t lose it quickly. The book covers different foods and why they are good or bad for us, such as the inSANE foods (processed foods and sugars) that should be avoided and the SANE foods that include any foods that can be hunted or gathered (meat and certain veggies). Bailor also includes interesting facts that were news to me, such as the fact that long term weight loss comes from unclogging our fat metabolic system.

I though I had read everything there was in the area of exercise. However, The Smarter Science of Slim has surprisingly interesting suggestions for exercising. For example, the book offers diagrams for floor and weight exercise routines and gives instructions for maximizing the results. There are different types of workouts, such as Deep or Eccentric and they do not just work the muscles, but also unclog metabolisms. This leads the way to safe and consistent weight loss.

Bailor also offers advice on not misplacing energy during a workout. I learned that it was wrong to try to work abdominal muscles before unclogging my system and that dropping our fat set points is the first step to consistent weight loss – not additional reps in the gym. In regards to lifting weights, Bailor explains something I never considered before and which was a revelation to me: lifting weights (the concentric part of the exercise) is important to strengthening muscle, but the lowering of the weight (the eccentric part of the routine) offers the most benefits.

From The Smarter Science of Slim, I learned that working out and just jogging each day is actually not the best way to maintain optimum weight for life. The book explains that there is so much more to consider when deciding to live a healthier lifestyle and it gives the best answers to the questions: what should I do now and what should I do first?

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Read a sample from the book here

After a decade of working in several NYC law departments and teaching, Poppy decided she enjoyed writing full-time. She currently works as a freelance writing consultant, and lives with her husband and sons on the East Coast.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Jonathan Bailor. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Nonrunner’s Marathon Guide for Women by Dawn Dais

[ 5 ] December 9, 2011

Reviewed by Christen Krumm

The Nonrunner’s Marathon Guide for Women is a book on running. No, seriously. I know what you are thinking. How interesting could a book on running really be? Especially one geared towards non-runners (non-runners running is somewhat of an oxymoron)? I am here to report that this book was exceptionally good. I honestly could not put it down!

I have wanted to run a 5K (yes, only a 5K) for quite a while now. I figured it could not hurt to read this book (after all running is running, right?) Reading this book has almost inspired me to run a full marathon – almost (not sure if I am that crazy just yet). Dawn Dais’ book tells of her real life marathon training experience going from a self proclaimed couch potato to an all out full marathon runner. She provides a training schedule as well as many much needed checklists, such as a checklist of gear for a novice runner.

I think what makes The Nonrunner’s Marathon Guide for Women so interesting is Dais’ wit and humor throughout the entire book. She includes excerpts from her running journal that she kept while training for her marathon – which are laugh out loud hilarious. Dais also added extra pages to the back of the book for you to journal your own marathon training experience, prompts and thoughts on running related issues, and much more.

Whether you are a seasoned runner getting ready to train for a marathon, someone toying with the idea of running a marathon, or a bonafied couch potato who is just wanting a good read, I highly recommend picking up Dawn Dais’ The Nonrunner’s Marathon Guide for Women. However, I must warn you that her story just might inspire you to start running yourself (she does bring up a good point about eating all the carbs you want…)

Rating: 5/5

Christen graduated from the University of Arkansas Fort Smith with a BA in English. She’s a coffee drinking stay at home mom by day and a freelance writer/editor by night. She currently resides in Arkansas with her husband and daughter and welcomed a son in August.

The review copy of this book was provided free of any obligation by Seal Press. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood

[ 4 ] November 26, 2011

Reviewed by Erin McKibbin

Biking in Foothill Ranch, California, Anne Hjelle is attacked by a mountain lion. She survives the attack. JAT Flight 364 explodes in the air over Czechoslovakia. The only survivor is Vesna Vulovic, a flight attendant, who plummets 6 miles to the ground and lives. Brian Udell is forced to eject from his plane going faster than Mach 1 at sea level. The impact breaks both his legs and severely dislocates one shoulder, rendering that arm useless. Despite having only one working limb, Udell manages to inflate a raft, climb aboard, and wait to be rescued. In the Gulf of Mexico, Tim Sears falls off of the cruise ship Celebration wearing nothing more than his boxer shorts, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt. Without any floatation devices and without anyone coming to his rescue (the ship’s crew never knew he was missing), Sears literally swims for his life over a course of 17 hours where he is finally rescued by a Maltese ship.

What all these people have in common is that they are all survivors of situations that would normally be fatal to the average person. Ben Sherwood, journalist and author, sets out to discover why some people live where others would perish in his book The Survivors Club. Sherwood takes the reader on a tour of the remarkable and the astounding while all along collecting research into the sciences of extreme first aid, faith and prayer, fear, will power, adversity, and luck. He includes countless tales of survival and death defying feats as well as advice from rescue workers and scientists who investigate the various forms of death.

The Survivors Club is more than just a study in the art of survival; it is also a reference manual. Sherwood invites the reader to take a quiz that will provide him/her with a “survivor profile.” This individual profile identifies the test taker’s “survivor type” (fighter, believer, connector, thinker, or realist) and details the top three survivor tools in the test taker’s arsenal. The reader is then invited to join an online community of survivors where members can share their stories and “build a private support group of friends and family.”

Ben Sherwood’s The Survivors Club is a must read for those who desire a long life and wish to be prepared for all eventualities in life.

Rating: 5/5

Erin fell in love with the written word as a small child and subsequently spent most of her life happily devouring literature. She works as a freelance news, marketing, and technical writer as well as a full-time researcher/investigator in the sign industry. Erin lives just outside of Cleveland, Ohio enjoying the beauty of life with her children and grandchildren.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Grand Central Publishing. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick by Gene Stone

[ 7 ] April 11, 2011

Reviewed by Jessa Larsen

The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick is what I think of as a cross of common sense and self help. It’s aimed at people who would like to avoid modern medicine and believe that they can cure themselves using natural medicines. While some of the book is common sense, I did get some interesting historical backgrounds on why some natural medicine “secrets” supposedly work, how the “secrets” came about, and the well-known people that used these methods and got positive results.

I understand the reasoning behind using each method, but I feel like some readers may erroneously believe  that these methods are guarenteed to work. Moreover, following each and every method is nearly impossible for the majority of the population. Despite the lack of a guarantees, I did find some of the tips interesting and possibly good for one’s health. I hope that the readers will be motivated to try some of them out rather than jumping on the prescription medication bandwagon. In the next few paragraphs, I have listed some of my favorite points and/or methods listed in The Secrets.

Secret #3: Calorie Reduction: The idea (and truth) is that countries that don’t have a food scarcity problem also typically have an obese population. Calorie reduction experiments on rats showed that when the rodents’ diets were reduced by 30-60%, their maximum lifespan was increased by 30-60%. The Secrets encourages people to restrict calories yet stay on a three meal schedule. It is proven that eating several small healthy meals throughout the day is infinitely better than indulging in one or two larger meals.

Secret #14: Lifting Weights: In the past, many cultures incorporated strength training into their daily regimen. Chinese included weight lifting to test trainee soldiers and these soldiers were required to pass in order to join the Chinese army. The Egyptians obviously needed to be able to lift a large amount of weight whilst building the tombs (which were inside the pyramids). Competitive weightlifting was also a part of the early Olympic Games. Today, it is incorporated into the Olympics, Strong Man, Bodybuilding, and Fitness competitions. It is important to remember that when weight lifting, you must use a correct form/stance, select appropriate weights and efficient workouts.

Secret #23 & #25: Stretching & Yoga: I combined these two secrets because they incooperate similar routines. Stretching is a part of yoga but takes less getting used to and the poses are much easier. I would personally suggest starting a good stretching routine before jumping into yoga, and finding an instructor that truly knows what they are doing. Yoga is an excellent stress reliever, but practice at your pace and don’t worry about being able to do it perfectly straight away. Start slowly and strive for improvement.

Rating: 4/5

Jessa lives in Utah with her husband, 2 sons, 2 cats, and 2 dogs. She is a full time mom and likes to blog and write short stories and poems in her spare time. She also likes anime, reading books, and playing video games.

This book was provided free of any obligation by Workman Publishing. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Giveaway: Fit for Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond

[ 90 ] August 8, 2010

3 readers will win a copy of Fit for Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond!

It’s the program that shatters all the myths: Fit for Life is the international bestseller that explains how to change both your figure and your life. Nutritional specialist Harvey and Marilyn Diamond explain how you can eat more kinds of food than you ever ate before without counting calories…and still lose weight! The natural body cycles, permanent weight-loss plan that proves it’s not only what you eat, but also when and how, Fit for Life is the perfect solution for those who want to look and feel their best. Join the millions of Americans who are Fit for Life and begin your transformation with:

* The vital principles that bring you permanent weight loss and high energy

* The Fit for Life secrets of timing and food combining that work with your natural body cycles

* A 4-week meal plan, menus, shopping tips, and exercise

* Delicious recipes and more.

Mandatory entry: Please comment on this post with your e-mail address.

Extra entries (please post each entry separately, i.e. 2 posts for subscribing):
- Subscribe via e-mail, follow or subscribe to the feed. You must verify the subscriptions. (1 entry each)
- Enter another current giveaway (1 entry each)
- Share this giveaway on a social network of your choice. Click the “Share/Save” button at the end of this post (1 entry each)
- Follow Luxury Reading on Facebook (2 entries)

This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents only. Deadline to enter is midnight on August 30th.

Giveaway copies are provided free of any obligation by Wellness Central. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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“Skinny is Overrated” by Danielle Milano, MD

[ 6 ] July 8, 2010

Reviewed by Poppy J.

In Skinny Is Overrated, Dr. Danielle Milano discusses the facts of weight loss, and offers real guidance for anyone struggling with a weight issue. The main premise of the book is that being skinny should never be the goal of a weight loss program. One should strive for a healthy lifestyle, not for a certain number on a scale after weeks or months spent dieting. Skinny Is Overrated encourages readers to embrace the healthy aspects of their heritage and incorporate those healthy food choices into their daily life.

The weight loss plan promoted in Skinny Is Overrated includes creating goals and sticking to them. These goals are meant to be in line with a healthier lifestyle. Dr. Milano suggests keeping a log and developing a schedule that works with the reader’s lifestyle, and stresses the importance of keeping active on a regular basis.

Dr. Milano goes over the trans fat myths and lists foods that should and should not be eaten. Different fad diets are discussed in detail. All of the misconceptions surrounding poly, mono and saturated oils and fats are explained, as well as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) warnings, fat free substitutes and other process foods. Dr. Milano also explains the concept of BMI, and advises that it’s best to forget about the BMI chart and focus instead on eating healthier foods daily.

While some of the information has been extensively covered in other resources in the past, the book was well worth reading. Skinny Is Overrated offers great advice on how to live better and take the steps necessary for creating a better life today, without relying on the excuse of taking those steps tomorrow.

After a decade of working in several NYC law departments and teaching, Poppy decided she enjoyed writing full-time. She currently works as a freelance writing consultant, and lives with her husband and sons on the East Coast.

This book was provided free of any obligation by Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Giveaway: “This Is Why You’re Fat” by Jackie Warner

[ 108 ] June 1, 2010

Publisher’s Description

“Being fat isn’t your fault; staying fat is.” That’s what Jackie Warner, America’s favorite no-nonsense celebrity fitness trainer tells her own clients, and that’s why no one delivers better results than Jackie does.

Now for the first time, Jackie shares her revolutionary program, showing readers the best ways to drop pounds and inches fast, without grueling workouts or deprivation, and keep them off for good! Her two-tiered approach provides a complete nutritional makeover and a failure-proof condensed workout routine PLUS all the emotional support and encouragement you need to get to the finish line and beyond.

Giveaway:

I have 3 hardcover copies of This Is Why You’re Fat to give away!

Mandatory entry: Please comment on this post with your e-mail address.

Extra entries (please post each entry separately, i.e. 2 posts for subscribing):
- Subscribe via email. You must verify the subscription. (2 entries)
- Enter another current giveaway and tell me which one you entered (1 entry each)
- Share this giveaway on a social network of your choice. Click the “Share This Blog” button at the top of the sidebar (1 entry each)
- Become a fan on Facebook (2 entries)

This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents only. Deadline to enter is midnight on June 15th.

Giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Hachette Book Group. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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