Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength ASIN: 0060193395 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Buy the Book! Comments: Buy the Book. The fist time I did the 12 week challenge I went from 270 lbs down to 220lbs and a 48 inch waste down to a 36. If you stick to the plan in the book you too will see results. That was just over a year ago and I have kept the weight off. Thank you Bill Phillips. Oh, did I mention Buy the Book.

The Solution: 6 Winning Ways to Permanent Weight Loss ASIN:0060987243 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: The Book and The Program are a Gift! to Dieters! Comments: I can't say enough about what this book and Laurel's program have done for me and others who are lucky enough to live in an area where "Solution Groups" are held. I have lost about 25 pounds, in the last 5 months WITHOUT DIETING. Also, I feel great and have moved forward in many other areas of my life. The book is easy to read and makes so much sense. It is a loving tribute to the need for all of us to learn how to nurture ourselves in ways that we have never known. I urge anyone with chronic weight issues to pick up a copy. If you follow the program, you will never regret it...it's transformational!

Get with the Program! ASIN:0743225996 Customer's Rating: 4 Summary: Focus on Daily Little Victory Comments: Interesting. When I picked up Bob Greene's GET WITH THE PROGRAM, the guidelines look familiar-this is almost exactly what my fitness friend told me to do few years ago to lose weight. GET WITH THE PROGRAM is a reiteration, reformulation of the basic "double E" principles we all know-eat healthy and exercise. So there is nothing new. But unlike another recent hot pick EAT MORE, WEIGHT LESS, Greene's program is more practical and will stimulate those who want to make a difference in their physique and lifestyle. GET WITH THE PROGRAM has 4 stages that emphasize gradual change in eating and exercise habit. Phase 1 is easy but very little people will even try because of laziness and procrastination. Phase 1 includes exercises that get us going: some stretches, some aerobic exercises, some sit-ups, and curls for couple times a week. By doing these exercises couple twice a week, we formulate a routine which builds a mindset not to give up. I call these daily little victories. We certainly can't just go to the gym and start lifting 300 pounds hoping to change our body metabolism. But aerobic and cardiovascular exercises can help retune our strength. Start with maybe 10 sit-ups and curls then increase to 15, 20, then 25 a set and do 2 reps of sets. These are daily victories. Phase 2 picks up the exercise and let you perform more sets. As the program progresses toward Phase 3 and 4, you will start changing the diet and watch what you're eating. Many people misunderstood about working out as burning fat. When you work out, you burn calories. Until you create a deficit of calories in diet, you will never get rid of body fat. When all calories from food have been consumed, then the body will go about the fat stored. So incorporating a diet to workout/exercise is the key. Greene's program will help you achieve this balance. I'm excited about how GET WITH THE PROGRAM has put into a written account of what my fitness friend had told me to do. From 195 lbs (5 feet 8 inches tall), I alternated between aerobics and cardiovascular exercises with increasing repetition (the daily victories), changed the diet around to create deficit in calories (about a deficit of 600 calories a day, but 1 pound of fat equal 3500 calories), I started jogging after 2 months of aerobic and cardiovascular, I lost a total of 52 pounds and got down to 143 lbs in 8 months. Focus on the little victories, start the exercises and gradually increase the repetition to create endurance and strength. Change the diet completely, cut all high fat food like junk food, McDonald's, desserts, high-carbohydrates like pasta and rice. Cut processed sugar products like sodas and ice cream. Drink lots of water and natural freshly squeezed juices. Many programs are out there in the markets like GET WITH THE PROGRAM, success depends on personal determination and perseverance.

The Testosterone Advantage Plan ASIN: 0743237919 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: This is it! Comments: This program is excellent for the post-college, over-partied, and worn out souls in their late twenties early thirties! The program presented gives great results in just a few weeks. Most diet plans stand by themselves without proper instructions for physical training. The diet given in this book is designed for men, helps build muscle, and doesn't leave you hungry. I started seeing results in 3 weeks. If you are looking to get yourself back into shape, this 9-week program will get you there for sure. I'm lifting more weight than I did as a freshman in college. The work-outs are simple and take up less than 4 hours a week. I feel I'm better prepared to participate in activities I like to do such as backpacking and running. I started at 262 pounds and in 4 weeks lost 2" off my waist and about 15lbs. The results are fantastic and I can wait to see where I'll be in 3 months when I get married. Don't wait buy this book!

8 Minutes in the Morning: A Simple Way to Start Your Day That Burns Fat and Sheds the Pounds ASIN:1579544592 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: A MUST FOR EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO LOSE WEIGHT AND KEEP IT OFF. Comments: I'm 50 years old today and am more excited than I've ever been! This book is FANTABULOUS! It is by far the best I've EVER seen because it encompasses the whole picture: what's a protein, what's a carbohydrate (etc), which exercises to do (all of which are very basic), how to get you motivated (and stay that way) and even offers a support group (who are ALWAYS willing to help out). The 8 minutes of exercise daily are very effective and simple to do! Jorge also helps you stay accountable every step of the way! In 6 1/2 weeks I've lost 20 pounds and can't believe my energy level. Soon there will be several folks in my office who will be starting this program as well. This isn't a bunch of hype! You can eat "normal" food. Jorge helps you change not only internally but externally as well. Everything you need to know is contained in the book (including a weight maintenance program). Even if you've tried EVERYTHING else, you NEED to buy this book and start on his program. You'll not regret it! In a few more months I'll be at my target weight and KNOW that I will be able to stay there because of Jorge Cruise and "8 Minutes In The Morning". Thanks Jorge!

Lose Those Last 10 Pounds : The 28-Day Foolproof Plan to a Healthy Body ASIN: 0767904699 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Whooo Hooo, This Life-Style Program Really Works! Comments: I am so incredibly happy, I just bought Denise's new book on losing those last 10 pounds and it is truly wonderful. I am currently in week one but I have already lost 3 pounds and golly, I am so excited. Denise is a gifted writer and you can really see her passion for health and exercise in her book. You know something, she really cares about all of us and it is so beautiful, because as you read, you can sense her love. She has created an incredibly fun way to lose weight, consisting of eating small meals every few hours as well as by exercising regularly. One of the fun things I love doing is what she calls Fidgit-cizers where you simply do any kind of exercise, such as squats, while you brush and dry your hair or do any other common chore. This is not only a great program for dropping weight, it's also a total blast. Lily of the Valley Carnie, author - Chi Gung: Chinese Healing, Energy, and Natural Magick

Shape Your Life: 4 Weeks to a Better Body-and a Better Life ASIN: 1401901581

Super Joints: Russian Longevity Secrets for Pain-Free Movement, Maximum Mobility and Flexible Strength ASIN: 0938045369 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: A neglected area of conditioning. Comments: Seldom in any fitness books or magazines do you hear about joint health. Pavel goes into great detail on drills that can help you stay mobile and pain free. This book should be read by anyone who has done a lot of high impact activity in the past, or for people that have sedentary lifestyles. With all the commercials for anti-inflammatory drugs, there should be huge market for this book. There are drills that will work for just about anyone's fitness level. I have been doing 3-4 of these movements in the morning, and it makes you feel better. I am in my thirties, but when I wake up in the morning, I feel like an old man! These exercises make me feel normal again, and I will do them the rest of my life. Aging doesn't necessarily mean that your body has to start falling apart. Now I believe that we can function at high levels throughout our lives. You just need to get educated and apply these exercises.

The Great Dumbbell Handbook ASIN: 0969677316 Customer's Rating: 3 Summary: For true beginners only Comments: I bought the book hoping to find additional dumbbell exercises to complement the ones that I was already doing. This book offers only the basic exercises. If you are hoping to get started with dumbbell exercises, this book meets that need quite well. However, if you already have a dumbbell routine and hope to add to it, this is not the book you need.

The Perricone Prescription: A Physician's 28-Day Program for Total Body and Face Rejuvenation ASIN: 0060513667 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: It really LIVES up to the promises! Comments: Having read some unfavorable reviews of this book which is not yet available in Australia and having been on the diet for 10 days, I am so pleased with the results that I felt compelled to put pen to paper and give it a support vote. What interested me most about what Dr Perricone promised were the promises of body rejuvenation and, importantly for me, steady insulin levels resulting in more energy. After 2 days I was so surprised to have continuous energy all day. Like everyone, my job is demanding and full on for an average 10 hours each day. Now after 10 days I have dropped 4 kg, my secretary asked me what have I been doing to my skin as it and my eyes looked brighter and the younger lawyers (females) in my firm have decided to try the diet based on what they see has happened to me. Notwithstanding that I always loathed salmon and cantaloupe, I am fast changing my view. Having had two clashes with breast cancer in four years ( I won - touch wood !)steady insulin levels are very NB to me and people like me. Having read the papers of a Canadian oncologist linking steady insulin levels to longer survival rates, I obviously was motivated to find a diet that did just that. I have tried all the popular diets around and this is the first eating regime that is easy to live with and enjoy indefinitely which is critical for long term maintenance of any weight loss"> Now, if in the process of being on it , it prevents me from looking like a Bassett Hound in 20 years time then that is a bonu"> I would highly recommend this diet and the book and I am so very pleased it looked sufficiently interesting on the Amazon.com menu that I was persuaded to order it, especially given the scary rate of exchange of Australian dollars. The book is the most important purchase that I have made in recent times. Anyone who is run down, time poor, overweight and wanting to improve yourself should buy this book, get organised and try the diet. Just think, psychologists tell us that it takes but 21 days to change a habit, good or bad. So how hard is that. I am grateful to Dr. Perricone as his work has made a positive improvement to my life. Finally, for completeness I will confess to being a lawyer which makes me as cynical and sceptical as they come when grandiose claims are made. However, I am convinced.

Look Great Naked: Slim Down, Shape Up and Tone Your Trouble Zones in Just 15 Minutes a Day ASIN: 0735202303 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Excellent fitness book for women Comments: Over the years I have tried virtually everything to shape up including books, tapes, supplements and thigh creams. But this book is the best for losing inches and toning up. For the first time, I can really feel my muscles working. It doesn't take long to do the exercises and the nutrition is easy to follow. The author is also very motivational. He shows how to set realistic goals no matter how out of shape or overweight you are. I felt that he was talking directly to me and was encouraged to keep going on when I really didn't feel like it. I've learned to put things in perspective and am very happy with the weight that I've lost and the shape my body is taking. Over all, an excellent book for any woman regardless of her present shape. I bought one for my mom and she has gotten very good results too.

Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth: Book 1 ASIN: 038549162X Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: I look better, but is it because of the book? Comments: I bought this book because of the reviews. I've been doing the rites now for 6 weeks and only increasing by 1 repetition a week so I'm up to 9 now. I'm on a self-improvement regimen anyway so I added this as the reviews were fantastic and figured it couldn't hurt. I'm a lot more flexible and can move around a lot easier than before. I also feel happier. I've lost some weight (been dieting though) and I look a lot better if my friends are to be believed. I think I look a little younger, and a man (in his early 40's) who asked me out would not believe I was 51. Maybe it's just a combination of diet, exercise and skin creams, I don't know, it's probably too soon to tell, but I know I feel and look better than I have in years. I've been on self-improvement programs before and not derived as much benefit as from this time, so maybe the 5 rites are really what they're cracked up to be. I do have some gray hair that I dye, and I'm waiting to see if it starts to go away like other people have said. That would be the proof for me as gray hair doesn't respond to diet and exercise! I'll post again in a few months. I recommend this book if for nothing else than to get you to limber up...

The Core Program: 15 Minutes a Day That Can Change Your Life ASIN: 0553801392 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: For all those people who thought they could never exercise Comments: I bought this book last November and read it through completely. I also performed the basic tests that determine each person's level of fitness. This week I finally got around to starting the actual Core Program and I can't believe how good I feel after each session. The most appealing thing about the program is that you don't have to be young and fit to do it and it's designed particularly for women. I have experienced immediate relief of hip pain and discovered that some of the strength building exercises I had been doing with hand held weights are not good for me. This book is really life changing. I wish she would make a tape!

The 24-Hour Turnaround: The Formula for Permanent Weight Loss, Anti-aging, and Optimal Health--Starting Today ASIN: 0060394315 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Feeling Good Made Easy Comments: I have found that this author has taken information and research to the next level. She has helped me understand ALL aspects of fitness plus a LOT about anti-aging and natural hormone balancing. She clearly understood the problems of HRT long before the public was given this information. It's easy to understand with many ways to motivate yourself. She actually teaches you how to become your own personal trainer, so I got rid of mine and saved a bundle. This is not a trendy book, but one that I have highlighted heavily for future reference. This is solid, well researched "information for life" and I already feel and look so much better. Can't recommend it highly enough.

The Egoscue Method of Health Through Motion: A Revolutionary Program That Lets You Rediscover the Body's Power to Protect and Rejuvenate Itself ASIN: 0060924306 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Gave me back my active physical life. Comments: For most of my adult life after 40 I had suffered from low back and hip pain. I reluctantly accepted the fact that I would have to stop or cut back on some athletic activities. Also, heavy yard work and the like. My typical routine was to see a chiropractor every two weeks and get an adjustment. Three years ago my back went out so severely that I could not even lie down comfortably for treatment. My third chiropractor, one recommended by a friend, changed my life. After examining me he informed me that my muscular-skeletal system was so misaligned that an adjustment wouldn't be enough. The chiropractor recommended I pick up "The Egoscue Method of Health Through Motion", and proceed with the level 2 exercises/stretches. Within one week I was literally a new man. It also gave me more motion in my shoulders and neck. I incorporate a few of the stretches everyday now. I have not been back to a chiropractor since and I have never felt better. I have recommended this book to many people. Those that take the time to do the stretches always have gotten positive results. I am now 55 years old. I lift weights. I mountain bike. The important thing is I have complete confidence in my bodies ability to recover from any strenuous activity. I have been given a new lease on life do to this amazing book. Thank you Pete Egoscue.

The Firefighter's Workout Book: The 30-Minute-a-Day, Train-for-Life Program for Men and Women ASIN: 0060197374 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Simply the Best Comments: If you want to get in shape, the best shape physically and mentally you've ever been in, you need to invest in this book. The Firefighter's Workout Book is an investment in yourself. It will change your life, as it has changed mine. I'm 33 years old and look and feel better than I ever have. This book was the gentle, effective, detailed and healthy push I needed to attain my goals. It is the most comprehensive workout book I've ever read. The fire stories are captivating, and the picture's are very easy on the eye's. It does not blow smoke, there are no tricks and no hype. It is the most organized, straight forward approach to getting fit, learning to eat right, and losing weight out there. A great buy for anyone looking to transform and make positive changes in their life. Thank you Michael Stefano.

The Canyon Ranch Guide to Living Younger Longer: A Complete Program for Optimal Health for Body, Mind, and Spirit ASIN: 068487136X Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: A different perspective on lifestyle Comments: This book was a breath of fresh air. Most of what you read in the personal development genre seems to make you feel guilty for your lifestyle. This book tells you that you're okay and how to work with what you have to make your life even better. I was so inspired by the book that I recently went to Canyon Ranch in Tucson. That place is fantastic! The introduction in the book claims that they are trying to put the spa resort in a book in case you can't make it there. From first hand experience, I can say that this book really does sum up the philosophy and spirit of Canyon Ranch. I highly recommend this read.

Ready, Set, Go! Synergy Fitness for Time-Crunched Adults ASIN: 0971663394 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Promising; worth a shot Comments: The interesting argument in this attractive and thorough (and well-researched, by the way) fitness training book is the idea that anaerobic exercise will promote the release of the Human Growth Hormone in our bodies and thereby lead to weight control and a reversal of the metabolic slow down associated with aging beginning in our middle years. Anaerobic exercise (as contrasted with aerobic exercise) is sprint training, not endurance training. When we sprint we use muscle fibers that Campbell identifies as "fast type IIx" as opposed to "slow type I" used in long distance running. The use of these "fast twitch" muscles leads to the increased production and release of the growth hormone. Since it is all the rage in some circles (e.g., Hollywood) to take injections of the growth hormone at a cost of about $12,000 a year (it is not effective taken orally), a program that allows us to produce the growth hormone naturally would be a godsend. Our bodies as we grow older produce less and less of the growth hormone and this has been linked to what Campbell calls "somatopause," the well-known phenomenon leading to weight gain, middle-age spread and a slower metabolism. I have little doubt that if my body would produce more growth hormone I would be able to control my weight and perhaps look and feel better. I feel pretty good as I am, but since I gave up playing basketball five years ago, I have gained about 12 pounds. It's worse than that, however, because I have lost probably about ten or 15 pounds of muscle mass, so in fact I am now carrying around 25 to 30 more pounds of pure fat! I was able to control my weight with the sort of ease that Campbell describes in this book when I was playing basketball (which is sprinting and more) three times a week. I could (as Campbell claims he can) eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, and never had to worry about my weight. I realized in a flash while reading this book that indeed what I had been doing playing basketball was anaerobic exercise. The essence of Campbell's program--or at least the part that interests me--calls for no high fat foods one hour before anaerobic training and no sugar foods for two hours afterward. This will stimulate fat-burning. I know from personal experience that this is true. When you're doing some serious aerobics three or four times a week, you just naturally eat less, and less often. I always thought this was because my system made me less hungry because it didn't want to divert its energies to the digestion of any more food than was necessary. But perhaps it is the release of the growth hormone that leads to the desire to eat less. Regardless of how this works, it does work. But the problem for someone older than Campbell (he's fifty) is that it is very, very difficult to engage in a training program that involves sprinting because it too easy to pull, tear or strain muscles which take a relatively long time to heal. This is the "catch-22" of growing older. It's hard to exercise enough to get into and stay in shape because you're always coming up lame. However, Campbell presents a carefully balanced and well-thought out program that just may allow those over fifty to get into shape and exercise anaerobically on a regular basis. (This program will definitely work for those younger who are in good health.) He uses the trendy word "synergy" in the title because he believes it is the synergistic effect of the total program, including weight training, proper diet and the combination of anaerobic and aerobic exercise that leads to fitness and an increase in the production of the growth hormone. Bottom-line question: Will this work? Quick answer: I don't know. Campbell himself is the very picture of health with the well-muscled, but lean body of a decathlon champion. When I was fifty I too was in great shape (although I was not as strong as Campbell), and looking back I can say that it was playing basketball on a regular basis that did it. I can no longer play basketball but perhaps I can sprint and weight train. I'm going to give it a try.

Commando Workout: 4 Weeks to Total Fitness ASIN: 0007142978

Fitness For Dummies ASIN: 0764551671 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: The perfect book for the rest of us! Comments: As a middle-aged fellow trying to get back into shape, "Fitness for Dummies" provided a wealth of information missing in other books. How to pick a gym, what to pack in a gym bag, what exercises to do and why, how to act in the weight room - all the important stuff is in there to get you to take that big step and begin getting fit. I liked it enough I have purchased copies for two of my relatives!

Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance ASIN: 0781725445 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: NBAF 'very best' - must have Comments: If you only own 1 book it should be this one (excellent reference for 'Flame Wars'). A good physiology book is a must if you wish to be 'educated' on exercise and nutrition. Understanding how and why the human body works is very important if you plan to train others or be your best. If you buy 1000 bodybuilding, fitness and health newsstand magazines they will still not contain the information you will find in one good human physiology book, and this is one of the very best. If you want to be able to hold intelligent conversations on the internet than you should have several books on physiology - I can't stress this enough. Learn about the food we eat and what happens to it after it's eaten. Learn all the reactions in the body, when and why they take place and how they effect your training, learn what makes muscle grow. If you want real facts get any good physiology book. Knowledge is power - learn the truth - you will find the real secrets in a good physiology book. In general these books are expensive, but worth it. You might also check for used copies at college bookstores, medical institutions or used book sales. NBAF 'very best'.

Make the Connection : 10 Steps to a Better Body-And a Better Life (audio CD) ASIN: 0679457917 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: This book is a truly motivational and inspiring read. Comments: Famous talk show host Oprah Winfrey reveals the regime she followed that changed her body and her life forever. With the help of her trainer and exercise physiologist, Bob Greene, the two collaborated on the development of an easy to follow, ten-step program, of diet and exercise. The program is constructed to fit easily into any daily routine. Greene explains, at length, why daily exercise and proper nutrition are essential in leading a healthy and happy life. The book combines both the intellectual expertise of Greene, as well as, the positive encouragement of Winfrey. As Oprah explains, the only way to become physically fit is through self-acceptance. By reaching a true understanding of this concept, one can finally "make the connection."

Fitness Without Stress: A Guide to the Alexander Technique ASIN: 0943920329 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: This book is an excellent introduction. Comments: I had heard about the Alexander Technique and its benefits from several colleagues, but couldn't for the life of me understand what it was all about. I'd also read a couple of articles but was still mystified. Them someone suggested I read "Fitness Without Stress" and I finally began to understand what the Alexander Technique was all about. The book is clearly written and begins in a way that makes a lot of sense to me - by comparing and contrasting the approach of the Alexander Technique to that of most fitness programs in vogue today. Another thing I liked about the book was the inclusion of several personal accounts. The book also provides information on where to go if you want to take a lesson or a workshop, or if you want to read more in depth about the Technique.This is a great "first read" about the Alexander Technique. Be forewarned though: it is not a do-it-yourself book. (In my experience with the Alexander Technique teaching process, which began after I read the book some five years ago, you really do need the help of a skilled teacher to get started in most cases.)

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