Showing posts with label Exercises. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exercises. Show all posts

Saturday, 28 January 2012

Yoga and Scoliosis: A Journey to Health & Healing

Yoga and Scoliosis: A Journey to Health and Healing

Yoga and Scoliosis: A Journey to Health and Healing

by Marcia Monroe, Loren Martin Fishman, B.K.S. Iyengar

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Book Review
More than an exercise program, Yoga and Scoliosis is a deeply soothing form of moving meditation and a physical activity and is a safe way to rebuild strength, stamina, and flexibility and to address the spinal curvature of scoliosis without surgery. The book presents an evidence-based look at how this approach works. Dr. Fishman demonstrates in the introduction how the practice of Iyengar yoga leads to actual lessening of the degree curvature of the spine in patients with scoliosis. Yoga and Scoliosis is a source of encouragement, knowledge, and healing for those who have scoliosis and need to treat it, but want to avoid braces and/or surgery. It briefly covers the history and treatment modalities of scoliosis and discusses the development of the spine in the embryo. Yoga and Scoliosis explores the complexities of the concept of alignment in the body, with the main part of the book showing how to address scoliosis utilizing Iyengar yoga. Four chapters give instruction in yoga asanas for scoliosis, and another chapter discusses yoga practice in daily living. Finally there is a Foreword by B. K. S. Iyengar, the founder of Iyengar Yoga.

About the Author
Marcia Monroe is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She was first certified as a Yoga teacher by the Integral Yoga Institute in New York City for levels 1, 2, and 3. She has been studying with the Iyengar family since 2001 and in 2005, she received certification from B.K.S. Iyengar at the Iyengar Yoga Institute. She now teaches children in New York City at the Bloomingdale Family Program. Marcia is a Body Mind Centering teacher, an Infant Developmental Educator, is registered as a somatic movement educator, and is one of a handful of people who have worked extensively with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, founder of The School for Body-Mind Centering. Marcia has taught Yoga internationally, in Brazil, Canada, India, New Zealand, and the U.S. Currently she teaches classes and workshops on yoga and scoliosis and maintains a private practice in New York City and Rio de Janeiro. Dr. Loren Fishman has been a specialist in Electrodiagnosis of low back pain and sciatica for over 20 years. His other specialties are functional assessment, cognitive rehabilitation, and the application of yoga within the medical context. Over the last 20 years, he has lectured frequently, authored multiple books and contributed to over 45 publications including Demos Health's book Yoga and Multiple Sclerosis: A Journey to Health and Healing. He is Assistant Clinical Professor at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. Loren also received his certification to teach yoga from the Iyengar Yoga Institute.

Wednesday, 11 January 2012

The Beauty Blueprint: 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams

The Beauty Blueprint: 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams

The Beauty Blueprint: 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams

by Michelle Phillips

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Book Review
Have you lost touch with the woman you want to be? When you look in the mirror, do you see your authentic self?

Perhaps the pursuit of success and physical beauty hasn’t produced the rewards you’ve yearned for. In your 20s and 30s, you may have been caught up in your “getting years”, focused on getting a career, a husband, a home, and children. After years of sacrifice and goal-oriented living, you may realize that although you might have wanted everything you have . . . you don’t have everything you want. Perhaps you’ve put your dreams aside and have lost touch with what makes you uniquely gorgeous.

Are you ready to finally create your ultimate life and look? You don’t need a makeover . . . you need a transformation!

The Beauty Blueprint is a powerful and practical guide that will help you rediscover who you are from the inside out and reclaim the essence of what makes you beautiful. It’s not just about changing your wardrobe, your hair, or your cosmetics; it’s about embracing your true beauty and living authentically. Celebrity makeup artist and life coach Michelle Phillips reveals why looking good is merely a by-product of feeling great . . . and shows you how to do just that!

About the Author
Michelle Phillips is a makeup artist, life coach, and motivational speaker who has changed the lives of countless women through her revolutionary approach to beauty. She has worked with major television networks and stars in the TV, film, and music industries; as well as hosting her own beauty and style segments on stations across the U.S.

Sunday, 18 December 2011

The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet

The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet

The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet

by Donald, M.D. Hensrud, Jennifer Nelson, Karen Wallevand, Phyllis Pellman Good

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Book Review
From Mayo Clinic, a leading authority in health and nutrition, comes The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet, adapted for people with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes from the #1 New York Times bestseller, The Mayo Clinic Diet. This reliable plan is what you need to lose weight to help you control your blood sugar.

The medical specialists at Mayo Clinic have created The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet as a two-phase plan to help at-risk people prevent and control diabetes by losing weight quickly and safely, and then maintaining that weight loss.

Health and weight management can seem overwhelming, and even frightening, to the more than 23 million Americans who suffer from type 2 diabetes, as well as the 79 million pre-diabetic adults. The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet presents two easy-to-follow phases that work. Lose It! and Live It! The diet is based on principles of The Mayo Clinic Diet, which is designed to help people safely lose 6-10 pounds in two weeks and then continue to lose weight until they achieve a healthy weight they can maintain for a lifetime.

The Lose It! phase of The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet is a simple, straight-forward, two-week plan that encourages quick but safe weight loss that can help lower blood sugar. The Live It! phase of the diet offers basic and manageable steps and lifestyle changes and choices that are designed to help participants lose one to two pounds a week until a healthy weight is reached, and then keep the pounds off.

Mayo Clinic’s weight-loss and nutrition experts have packed this book with meal plans, practical solutions, and specific tips on how to improve health and lose weight safely. The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet tackles all the familiar obstacles that get in the way of weight loss—dislike of exercise, distaste of healthy food, too little time to cook well, a too hectic schedule, struggles with cravings, and minimal support from family and friends. It is a reliable and safe companion for losing weight and controlling diabetes, beginning immediately and into the future.

“This diabetes diet isn’t a fad; it’s about changing your habits for the better,” states Donald Hensrud, M.D., Mayo Clinic specialist in nutrition and internal medicine and medical editor-in-chief. “With The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet, people can truly manage diabetes, eat well, lose weight and enjoy life.”

About the Author
Mayo Clinic took root in farm fields near Rochester, Minn., in the late 1800s. It grew from the medical practice of a country doctor, William Worrall Mayo, and the partnership of his two sons, William J. and Charles H. Mayo – affectionately known as Dr. Will and Dr. Charlie.

The brothers' innovative ideas and tireless work in learning and creating new surgical techniques attracted international attention. Physicians from around the world came to watch the Mayo brothers perform surgery.

The Mayo brothers invited other doctors to join them, forming teams of medical experts. Today, Mayo Clinic – one of the world’s oldest and largest multispecialty group practices – comprises more than 45,000 physicians, scientists, nurses and other staff at its three locations in Rochester, Minn., Jacksonville, Fla., and Scottsdale, Ariz., and its regional community-based health care practices.

The Physique 57 Solution: The Groundbreaking 2-Week Plan for a Lean, Beautiful Body

The Groundbreaking 2-Week Plan for a Lean, Beautiful Body

The Physique 57 Solution: The Groundbreaking 2-Week Plan for a Lean, Beautiful Body

by Tanya Becker, Jennifer Maanavi

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Book Review
What if you could achieve your best body starting now? THE PHYSIQUE 57 SOLUTION, celebrity praised and widely loved, is designed to systematically sculpt your muscles to create a lean, beautiful shape. This unique, effective workout combines interval training, isometric exercises, and orthopedic stretches to rapidly and dramatically transform your body. No matter your level of fitness, the Physique 57 technique will keep you challenged, motivated, and entertained.

Now combined with a healthy and delicious meal plan, this two-week program will help you get your best body fast. Discover:

  • Step-by-step, groundbreaking workouts offering major calorie burn
  • Innovative choreography, including muscle-defining arm exercises, intense seat-and-thigh sequences, and waist-chiseling ab moves
  • A super-slimming two-week meal plan
  • A variety of flavorful and healthy recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and dessert
  • Motivating tips to help you reach your goals!

Drop pounds, lose up to 10 inches, and transform into the best version of yourself.

About the Author
Tanya Becker is the Co-Founder, SVP of Programming and Training. She is the choreographer and instructor behind the popular Physique 57 DVDs. Jennifer Maanavi is the owner, Co-founder and CEO of Physique 57.

Sunday, 11 December 2011

The Philosophy and Practice of Yin Yoga

The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga

The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga: The Philosophy and Practice of Yin Yoga

by Bernie Clark

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Book Review
The Yin Yoga Book provides an in-depth look at the philosophy and practice of Yin Yoga. Clark's fascinating and comprehensive book is divided into three sections: (I) What is Yin Yoga; (II) The Benefits of Yin Yoga, including discussions of anatomy, the energy body, and the heart and mind body; (III) The Practice of Yin Yoga, including illustrated descriptions of 30 yin yoga asanas (poses).

Yin Yoga has the same goals and objectives as any other school of yoga; however, it directs the stimulation normally created in the asana portion of the practice deeper than the superficial or muscular tissues (the yang tissues). Yin Yoga generally targets the connective tissues of the hips, pelvis, and lower spine.

Suitable for almost all levels of students, Yin Yoga is a perfect complement to the dynamic and muscular (yang) styles of yoga that emphasize internal heat, and the lengthening and contracting of our muscles.

Wednesday, 7 December 2011

PUSH: 30 Days to Turbocharged Habits, a Bangin' Body, and the Life You Deserve!

PUSH: 30 Days to Turbocharged Habits, a Bangin' Body, and the Life You Deserve!

PUSH: 30 Days to Turbocharged Habits, a Bangin' Body, and the Life You Deserve!

by Chalene Johnson

Check out detail of "Days to Turbocharged Habits, a Bangin' Body, and the Life You Deserve!"

Book Review
Fitness superstar Chalene Johnson creates a revolutionary 30-day system that will allow readers to transform their bodies, their diets, and their lives!

Chalene Johnson built a fitness empire from the ground up, selling over 6 million DVDs and helping legions of loyal fans shed pounds and transform their lives with her trademark enthusiasm and energy. PUSH, Chalene’s first book ever, distills the wisdom that has made her a fitness queen into a totally unique 30-day system that will help readers reset their priorities, get their lives together, and lose weight for good.

Chalene gives readers the life-changing tools they need to change their habits with 30 days of practical steps that include pinpointing goals, reverse engineering a course of action to achieve them, and kicking the clutter, whether that means junk food, draining exercise regimens, or toxic relationships. In one month, readers will learn how to create layers of accountability and support so that success is their only option.

Additionally, Chalene shares 30 ridiculously easy and delicious Throw-and-Go recipes that she (a self confessed mess in the kitchen) created herself. And, of course, no book from Chalene would be complete without a workout! Chalene guides readers to find their soul mate workouts, the exercises they’ll love for life and that will never feel like work. Finally, she gives readers the Bangin’ Body Workout: the 30 moves they need for total body fitness for life!

About the Author
CHALENE JOHNSON is the star of the bestselling Turbo Jam and Turbo Fire DVDs and infomercials, produced and distributed by Beachbody. She lives in Laguna Beach, CA.

Saturday, 26 November 2011

The Women's Health Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts

The Women's Health Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts: A Leaner, Sexier, Healthier You--In 15 Minutes a Day!

The Women's Health Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts: A Leaner, Sexier, Healthier You--In 15 Minutes a Day!

by Selene Yeager, Editors of Women's Health

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Book Review
Time is every woman’s most precious commodity and a lack of it is the number one reason, in survey after survey, that women give for why they don’t exercise. But research now shows that as little as 15 minutes of resistance training is just as effective in spiking one’s metabolism as a workout lasting more than twice as long. All it takes is 15 minutes to achieve lifelong results and women are more likely to stick to an exercise plan if it’s chopped down to those 15 minutes.

The Women’s Health Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts is both an introduction to the fundamentals of short workouts and a comprehensive collection of hundreds of the most effective ones. These workouts have been designed for every fitness goal, from total body conditioning to targeting trouble spots with exercises like the 15 Minute Flat-Belly-without-a-Single-Crunch Workout. Other highlights include:

  • an eating plan with delicious meals that take 15 minutes or less to prepare
  • workouts for when you’re stuck in traffic or traveling and can’t make it to the gym
  • hundreds of tips from America’s best trainers, nutritionists, and exercise scientists

About the Author
SELENE YEAGER is a top-selling author, certified personal trainer, and all-American Ironman triathlete. She lives in Lehigh Valley, PA.

Monday, 24 October 2011

The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation

Step-by-step, gene reprogramming action plan

The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation: A step-by-step, gene reprogramming action plan

by Mark Sisson

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Book Review
Primal Blueprint author Mark Sisson presents a fun, easy-to-follow, practical guidebook to help you "get Primal" in only 21 days. First, you'll learn eight Key Concepts that represent the most important day-to-day elements living Primally, then tackle five Action Items that will enable you to literally reprogram your genes toward a long, healthy, and energetic life. The Action Items are presented in a fun and life-transforming 21-Day Challenge, featuring daily diet, exercise, and lifestyle endeavors with corresponding journal exercises.

You'll transition out of the regimented, carb-dependent, fat-storing Standard American Diet (SAD), the chronic, overly-stressful exercise patterns recommended by Conventional Wisdom, and other health-compromising elements of hectic modern life. Instead, you'll smoothly implement the evolution-tested lifestyle behaviors of our hunter-gatherer ancestors to promote optimal gene expression.

By eating Primally, you'll transform from a carbohydrate-dependant "sugar-burner" into a "fat burning beast" as Sisson puts it, where the fat stored on your waist, hips, thighs and everywhere else becomes your body's preferred fuel source, and your energy, hormone, metabolic, and immune function are optimized automatically. With an intuitive mix of Primal workouts, you'll get exceptionally fit in only a few hours per week - and have fun while you're at it!

The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Transformation is stocked with photos, diagrams, concise section summaries, workout descriptions and pictures, resource lists for Primal-approved foods and foods to avoid, recipe suggestions, and detailed real-life success stories to help you stay confident and focused on your Primal journey. MarksDailyApple.com provides extensive support with thousands of articles on living Primally in the modern world.

  • Key ConceptsYou really can reprogram your genes by the way you eat, exercise and live from day-to-day.
  • The clues to optimal gene expression are found in evolution: adapt the simple lifestyle behaviors of our (genetically identical) hunter-gatherer ancestors into hectic modern life.
  • Your body prefers burning fat over carbohydrates: Eating Primally will return your body to its "factory setting" as a fat-burning beast
  • 80 percent of your body composition success is determined by how you eat - particularly your ability to regulate the wildly excessive insulin production of the Standard American Diet.
  • Grains are totally unnecessary: Grains (and legumes for that matter) offer minimal nutrition, a high insulin response, and contain anti-nutrients that promote inflammation and compromise digestion and immune function.
  • Saturated fat and cholesterol are not your enemy: They are critical to cellular health, hormone function and metabolism, and only cause problems when insulin production is excessive.
  • Exercise is ineffective for weight management: Energy burned during workouts is negated by increased appetite/caloric intake. A chronic exercise pattern results in burnout and compromised fat metabolism.
  • Maximum fitness can be attained in minimal time with high-intensity workouts. Brief, intense strength and sprint workouts promote optimal gene expression and broad athletic competency. You can get super-fit in only a few hours per week!

Armed with the secrets to healthy living, you'll take decisive action over your 21-day journey to:

  • Eliminate SAD foods that promote weight gain and chronic health problems.
  • Go Primal: restock your kitchen and implement winning strategies for shopping, dining out, and snacking.
  • Understand the spectrum of best to worst foods in each of the Primal food categories.
  • Implement Primal Blueprint Fitness workouts, blending frequent slow-paced movement, regular brief, intense strength workouts, and occasional all-out sprints.
  • Slow life down: enjoy the simple pleasures of "slow" food, intuitive exercise, focused work habits, relaxing evenings, and plenty of time for play, socializing, and sun exposure.

Unlike many complex, regimented, quick-fix programs, the Primal Blueprint 21-Day Transformation is a simple, sensibly-paced journey shaped by personal preference and a strong emphasis on enjoying comfortable modern life. The material is scalable for everyone, from Type-A fitness die-hards who might benefit from a more relaxed approach, to couch potatoes who need motivation to take that first step.

Mark Sisson guides you in a light-hearted, irreverent tone that will make you feel comfortable and inspired, and never intimidated. You can expect quick results in the first 21 days (fat loss, improved energy levels, fitness, and blood test markers), but your 21-Day Transformation is only the beginning of a life of ease and contentment that is possible when you live in harmony with your genetic expectations for health and longevity.

"While health and fitness is my life, I understand that many people are just too busy, too stressed, or perhaps even too intimidated - to make major lifestyle changes. The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Transformation book makes getting Primal easy, simple and totally do-able - no matter what your starting point is right now."

About the Author
Mark Sisson backs up his best-selling Primal Blueprint (#1 on amazon.com exercise&fitness and diet&weight loss lists, on and off, for much of 2010-2011) with a long-awaited step-by-step instruction manual for going Primal. One of the world's leading authorities on evolution-based health and fitness principles, Mark has spearheaded mainstream acceptance for a grass-roots movement of enthusiasts seeking to reconnect with a simpler, more sensible way of life. From its humble - and controversial - origins in 2006, today MarksDailyApple.com is one of the world's top-5 ranked health web sites, with over 800,000 unique visitors per month.

Mark, 58, is a former 2:18 marathoner and fourth-place finisher in the Hawaii Ironman World Triathlon Championships. Besides blogging daily, Mark conducts seminars across North America and hosts an annual 3-day Primal retreat in California. He lives with his wife, Carrie, and children, Devyn and Kyle, in Malibu, California.

Friday, 21 October 2011

The Anatomy of Stretching

The Anatomy of Stretching: Your Anatomical Guide to Flexibility and Injury Rehabilitation

The Anatomy of Stretching: Anatomical Guide to Flexibility & Injury Rehabilitation

by Brad Walker

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Book Review
The multiple stresses of contemporary life whether from excessive sports play, overwork, or overuse of technology are increasingly taking a toll on the body. Symptoms range from muscle soreness and pain to pinched nerves to potentially more permanent disabilities, including serious body injuries. One safe, quickly productive way to address the problem is through a simple therapy that can be done anywhere, anytime, and without special equipment: stretching. This new edition of Brad Walker’s best-selling book on the subject presents 135 unique stretching exercises designed to help repair the body and make it more flexible, fit, and relaxed.

The book begins with clear, detailed descriptions of important principles of anatomy and physiology, the benefits of stretching, different forms of stretching, rules to remember, and how to stretch properly. It also focuses on the kinds of stretches that are most helpful in the alleviation or rehabilitation of specific sports injuries. Organized by body part, The Anatomy of Stretching presents stretching exercises in a uniform style accompanied by full-color anatomical illustrations. Equally useful for fitness fans, pro or amateur athletes, coaches and personal trainers, and healthcare practitioners, this new edition contains 20 new stretches; expanded physiology and anatomy information; and a revised numbering system that makes the stretches easier to reference. An expanded appendix includes a longer resources section and a helpful chart describing the top five stretches for each sport and sports injury.

About the Author
Brad Walker is an internationally known stretching and sports injury consultant with 20 years of experience in the health and fitness industry. His other books include The Stretching Handbook and The Anatomy of Sports Injuries. He lives in Queensland, Australia.

Wednesday, 31 August 2011

An Illustrated Guide to Your Muscles in Action

Anatomy for Strength and Fitness Training

Anatomy for Strength and Fitness Training: An Illustrated Guide to Your Muscles in Action

by Mark Vella

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Book Review
Learn how your muscles work before you work your muscles

Perfect for beginning and advanced fitness practitioners alike, this is an in-depth look into the most magnificent machine ever created, the human body. Using detailed anatomical illustrations, Anatomy for Strength and Fitness Training provides you visual insight into what happens to this organic machine during exercise, muscles and tendons working in concert to strengthen your body's building blocks.

With a basic knowledge of how the body works, you can buff up your body with the book's 90 exercises, grouped by body region and involving gym machines, free weights, and body weight/stretching, as well as yoga and Pilates. Each exercise is vividly illustrated by a full-color anatomical illustration of the targeted muscles, together with instructions on execution and technique.

About the Author
Mark Vella has been involved in the field of health and fitness for more than 15 years as a personal trainer, lifestyle counselor, and massage therapist. He lectures to fitness professionals on a variety of health science topics.

Dr. Nick Walters, an exercise physiologist with more than 20 years' experience, is the vice principal and head of research at the British College of Osteopathic Medicine in London.

Tuesday, 30 August 2011

Fitness Myths

Maybe you already know that “no pain, no gain” is a fitness myth. You don’t gain from pain; instead, if you workout until (or after) you have pain, you can injure yourself.

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Fitness misconceptions such as “no pain, no gain” or “women who lift weights get bulky muscles” abound (that second belief is also not true, our biology makes it nearly impossible). Because of such erroneous ideas, many of us exercise incorrectly or avoid being physically active at all.

Even if you don’t fall for the two fitness follies above, there are plenty more you might believe. Here are 7 common exercise misconceptions, with realistic suggestions for effective activity:

Fitness Folly #1: Ab Crunches Will Flatten Your Mid-Section
How many sit-ups or crunches does it take to turn tummy fat into tight muscle? The answer is: none—you can’t turn fat tissue into muscle. Contracting your abdominal muscles in a crunch “will strengthen those fibers, but has nothing to do with the fat sitting on top” of those muscles, says Kathy Stevens, MA, a fitness consultant in Ranchos Palos Verdes, CA.

Stevens calls it “wishful thinking” to believe that exercising one spot on your body will take off fat in that location. “We want to hold onto that belief, even though we’ve been told time and time again that there’s no such thing as spot reduction,” she says. “Fat loss is systemic.”

Saturday, 27 August 2011

100 Days of Weight Loss

The Secret to Being Successful on Any Diet Plan

100 Days of Weight Loss: The Secret to Being Successful on Any Diet Plan

by Linda Spangle

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Book Review
Going on a diet is easy, staying on a diet is hard and it is the consistent, long-term lifestyle change that results in real success. This book is not a diet but a diet companion. There are 100 short lessons that provide coping skills, behavioral tools, and personal growth ideas that serve as a companion and encourager and give dieters the daily strength to stick with their resolution. Spangle tackles the emotional and psychological issues of weight loss, which is missing from most diet plans. They tell you what to eat. 100 Days of Weight Loss gives you the personal tools to make the right choices.

About the Author
A registered nurse with a masters degree in Health Education, Linda Spangle is the owner of Weight Loss For Life, a highly successful coaching and education program in Denver, Colorado. She specializes in helping people deal with the emotional and psychological issues of weight loss as well as healthy eating and exercise. Linda is the author of the nationally-acclaimed book "Life is Hard, Food is Easy: The 5-Step Plan to Overcome Emotional Eating and Lose Weight on Any Diet."

Thursday, 25 August 2011

Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir

Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir

Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir

by Jennette Fulda

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Book Review
After undergoing gall bladder surgery at age twenty-three, Jennette Fulda decided it was time to lose some weight. Actually, more like half her weight. At the time, Jennette weighed 372 pounds.

Jennette was not born fat. But, by fifth grade, her response to a school questionnaire asking “what would you change about your appearance” was “I would be thinner.” Sound familiar?

Half-Assed is the captivating and incredibly honest story of Jennette’s journey to get in shape, lose weight, and change her life. From the beginning—dusting off her never-used treadmill and steering clear of the donut shop—to the end with her goal weight in sight, Jennette wows readers with her determined persistence to shed pounds and the ability to maintain her ever-present sense of self.

Wednesday, 24 August 2011

Introduction to weight loss

Whether you are trying to lose 5 pounds or more than 50, the same principles determine how much weight you lose and how fast your weight loss will occur. Remembering the following simple guidelines and putting them into practice can lead to weight loss without the aid of any special diet plans, books, or medications.

Our body weight is determined by the amount of energy that we take in as food and the amount of energy we expend in the activities of our day. Energy is measured in calories. If your weight remains constant, you are probably taking in the same amount of calories that you burn each day. If you're slowly gaining weight over time, it is likely that your caloric intake is greater than the number of calories you burn through your daily activities.

Everyone is in control of the amount of food he or she consumes each day, so our intake of calories is something we can control. To a major degree, we can also control our output of energy, or the number of calories we burn each day. The number of calories we burn each day is dependent upon

  • our basal metabolic rate (BMR), the number of calories we burn per hour simply by being alive and maintaining body functions
  • and our level of physical activity.

For some people, due to genetic (inherited) factors or other conditions, the resting metabolic rate (BMR) can be slightly higher or lower than average. Our weight also plays a role in determining how many calories we burn at rest -- the more calories are required to maintain your body in its present state, the greater your body weight. A 100-pound person requires less energy (food) to maintain body weight than a person who weighs 200 pounds.

Lifestyle and work habits partially determine how many calories we need each day. Someone whose job involves heavy physical labor will naturally burn more calories in a day than someone who sits at a desk most of the day (a sedentary job). For people who do not have jobs that require intense physical activity, exercise or increased physical activity can increase the number of calories burned.

As a rough estimate, an average woman 31-50 years of age who leads a sedentary lifestyle needs about 1,800 calories per day to maintain a normal weight. A man of the same age requires about 2,200 calories. Participating in a moderate level of physical activity (exercising three to five days per week) requires about 200 additional calories per day.

Tuesday, 23 August 2011

American Medical Association Family Medical Guide

American Medical Association Family Medical Guide

American Medical Association Family Medical Guide

by American Medical Association

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Book Review
The Long-Awaited Revision of the Bestselling Family Health Guide

"This completely updated fourth edition of our bestselling health reference is comprehensive, easy to understand, and even more user-friendly than the previous editions. We're excited to provide our patients with an invaluable resource to help them become more involved in their own health care. We think this is a book that belongs on the bookshelf in every home." - AMA President John C. Nelson, MD, MPH

The American Medical Association is the nation's premier health authority-an organization that both patients and doctors look to for state-of-the-art medical information and guidance. Now, for the first time in 10 years, the AMA has updated its landmark medical reference-a book that belongs in every home.

This new edition of the American Medical Association Family Medical Guide has been thoroughly revised to bring it up to date and make it more accessible than ever before. Opening with a brand-new full-color section that walks you through key health issues, it follows with several new and expanded sections on everything from staying healthy and providing first aid and home care to diagnosing symptoms and treating hundreds of different diseases and disorders. This classic guide is the definitive home health reference for the twenty-first century-an indispensable book to keep you and your loved ones healthy.

  • Authoritative guidance on hundreds of diseases and the latest tests, treatments, procedures, and drugs
  • New or greatly expanded coverage of genetic testing, sexuality, learning disabilities, preventive health, infertility, pregnancy and childbirth, substance abuse, home caregiving, and first aid
  • A host of new and updated features-including full-color spreads on important health topics, Q&A sections, first-person case histories, and newly designed symptoms flowcharts
  • New chapters on diet and health, exercise and fitness, maintaining a healthy weight, reducing stress, genetics, complementary and alternative medicine, staying safe and preventing violence, cosmetic surgery, and preventive health care
  • A new section on health issues at various life stages
  • 64 pages in full color and almost 1,000 illustrations and photographs

About the Author
For more than 150 years, the AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION has been the leading group of medical experts in the United States and one of the most respected health-related organizations in the world. Its publications include the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) as well as popular patient guidebooks such as the American Medical Association Complete Guide to Men’s Health, American Medical Association Guide to Home Caregiving, and American Medical Association Guide to Talking to Your Doctor, all from Wiley.

Monday, 22 August 2011

The Men's Health Big Book of Exercises

Four Weeks to a Leaner, Stronger, More Muscular YOU!

The Men's Health Big Book of Exercises: Four Weeks to a Leaner, Stronger, More Muscular YOU!

by Adam Campbell MS CSCS

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Book Review
The Men’s Health Big Book of Exercises is the essential workout guide for anyone who wants a better body. As the most comprehensive collection of exercises ever created, this book is a body-shaping power tool for both beginners and longtime lifters alike. From start to finish, this 480-page muscle manual bulges with hundreds of useful tips, the latest findings in exercise science, and cutting-edge workouts from the world's top trainers.

Inside The Men's Health Big Book of Exercises you'll find 619 exercises expertly demonstrated with color photographs, with dozens of movements for every muscle in your body, including:

  • More than 100 core exercises! You'll never run out of ways to sculpt your six-pack.
  • 74 biceps, triceps, and forearm exercises: Build your arms faster than ever before.
  • 64 chest exercises, and featuring dozens of variations of the pushup and bench press.
  • 103 back exercises, so you can carve a v-shaped torso.
  • 40 shoulder exercises, for a tank-top worthy torso.
  • 99 quadriceps and calves exercises, to help you jump higher and run faster.
  • 62 glutes and hamstrings exercises, for a more powerful, athletic body.

About the Author
ADAM CAMPBELL, is the fitness director for Men's Health and a National Magazine Award-winning writer. He holds a master's degree in exercise physiology and is a NSCA-certified strength and conditioning coach. Campbell has appeared on Good Morning America, The Early Show, and VH-1.

Monday, 15 August 2011

Philly's Fast Fit-Step Diet: Slim Down, Shape Up & Look Younger

Philly's Fast Fit-Step Diet: Slim Down, Shape Up & Look Younger

Philly's Fast Fit-Step Diet: Slim Down, Shape Up & Look Younger

by Dr. Fred Stutman

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Book Review
Philly's Fast Fit-Step Diet plan is a combination of a quick weight-loss healthy diet, and an easy-to-follow fitness and body-shaping plan. Dr. Stutman originally formulated weight-loss and fitness plan for his patients in Philadelphia, who like most of you, really wanted a healthy, easy, and effective way to lose weight and get fit quickly. This weight-loss and fitness plan actually boosts energy and burns fat, while keeping you trim and fit. By combining a healthy, easy-to-follow diet plan with an aerobic walking program and easy strength-training exercises, you will boost your energy level, lose weight, and build muscle. This unique Fit-Step Diet combination delivers a double blast of calorie burning for complete cardiovascular fitness, maximum weight loss, and power body shaping.

About the Author
Dr. Stutman has done extensive research in exercise physiology, diet and nutrition, and physical fitness at the U.S. Naval Air Development Center. He established one of the first walking programs for cardiac patients in the U.S. Air Force. He is the author of twelve books and numerous medical articles on diet, nutrition, and exercise. Following the publication of his The Dr.'s Walking Book, he became known as Dr. Walk. His books have been featured in national and international magazines and newspapers over the past twenty-five years. He has appeared frequently on national radio and TV, including the Today show and Good Morning America. He is currently practicing family medicine as a Temple University Family Practice Physician in Philadelphia.

Sunday, 7 August 2011

Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, & boundless energy

The Primal Blueprint

The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, & boundless energy

by Mark Sisson

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Book Review
Combining modern genetic science and evolutionary biology, The Primal Blueprint dispels a number of the myths that modern medicine and conventional wisdom have come to accept as fact. Author Mark Sisson takes the reader on a fascinating journey through human evolution, comparing the life and robust health of our hunter-gatherer ancestors with a day in the life of a modern family - exposing potential health issues that arise from trying to do the right things living in the 21st century. Sisson offers a solution in 10 empowering "Blueprint Lifestyle Laws" that can help us reprogram our genes away from disease and pain towards a direction of effortless weight loss, vibrant health and boundless energy. The reader learns how the right high-fat diet can actually help one lose weight; how popular low-fat, grain-based diets might trigger illness, disease, and lifelong weight gain; why doing too much cardio exercise might actually suppress the immune system and how some of today's most common medications might make a health condition even worse. The consummate book on "Paleo" or "Primal"

About the Author
Former world-class endurance athlete (2:18 marathon, 4th place Hawaii Ironman), BA degree in biology (Williams College), former Anti-doping Commissioner of International Triathlon Union and its liaison to the IOC, founder and CEO of Primal Nutrition, Inc., owner/founder of MarksDailyApple.com a top-ranked health and fitness blog with 3 million page views per month.

Saturday, 6 August 2011

Yoga for Osteoporosis

Yoga for Osteoporosis: The Complete Guide

Yoga for Osteoporosis

by Loren Fishman, Ellen Saltonstall

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Book Review
Osteoporosis leads to painful fractures due to loss of bone mass; yoga strengthens bones without endangering joints: it stands to reason that yoga is the perfect therapy for osteoporosis. Forty-four million Americans suffer from low bone mass, and osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures annually. Drugs and surgeries can alleviate pain, but study after study has shown that exercise is the best treatment, specifically low-impact, bone-strengthening exercises, yoga.

In this comprehensive and thoroughly illustrated guide, Loren Fishman and Ellen Saltonstall, who between them have seven decades of clinical experience, help readers understand osteoporosis and give a spectrum of exercises for beginners and experts. Classical yoga poses, as well as physiologically sound adapted poses, are presented with easy-to-follow instructions and photographs. The authors welcome readers of all ages and levels of experience into the healing and strengthening practice of yoga.

About the Author
Loren Fishman, MD, is a professor at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons and lives in New York City.

Ellen Saltonstall is a certified Anusara Yoga instructor and licensed massage therapist who lives in New York City.

Personal Health: Perspectives & Lifestyles

Personal Health: with CengageNOW Printed Access Card

Personal Health: Perspectives and Lifestyles

by Patricia A. Floyd, Sandra E. Mimms, Caroline Yelding

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Book Review
PERSONAL HEALTH: PERSPECTIVES AND LIFESTYLES, Fourth Edition emphasizes the individual's personal responsibility for wellness by presenting general (core) and current health information to guide decision making. The focus of the text is to present health topics, including cultural, racial, ethnic, and gender diversity issues, identify risk factors, and give you useful and sensible suggestions to reduce the risk for preventable diseases and conditions in order to achieve optimal levels of wellness for yourself, your friends, and your family.