THE EXERCISE GUY’S BOOK REVIEW

Guy Leahy

Let’s face it...If you want to get rich writing a book, the easiest way to do it is to either write about how to lose weight, or how to have better sex (of course, a real seller would include both; for example, I could retire if I wrote “The Sexual Way to Weight Loss”)! In any event, there are stacks of fitness/exercise books out there, and most of them are junk. Because so many of the fitness/nutrition books out there are junk, I thought I'd do my best literary imitation of Roger Ebert and present a few of my “Thumbs Up” fitness book choices...

1. Fitting in Fitness. The American Heart Association, 1997, Random House; $4.99.
This book provides numerous useful suggestions as how to include exercise throughout our day in ways that would not be considered formal exercise, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking the car as far away from the grocery store as possible. Even something as simple as chewing gum makes a difference!

2. The ACSM Fitness Book. The American College of Sports Medicine, 1992, Human Kinetics; $11.95.
There’s a brand new edition of this book out which I haven’t seen yet, but if it’s similar to this edition, it’s a good buy. This book starts from point zero of a fitness program. It points out all the basics of starting to exercise. Easy to read, well illustrated.

3. Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, 2nd Edition. Nancy Clark, 1997, Human Kinetics, $15.95.
Sports nutrition is another area loaded with misinformation. Nancy Clark’s book is an excellent example of the
opposite; a readable, up to date, informative guide. Serious athletes (or even casual exercisers) will find this book indispensable. The front half is information, the back half is a recipe book full of suggestions on how to cook and eat if you are (literally) on the run!

4. The Ergogenics Edge. Melvin H. Williams, 1997, Human Kinetics, $17.95.
How many of those sports supplements really work, and how many of them are a waste of money? This book tells you how they work, and which ones actually do work. From alcohol to zinc, this book covers practically every supplement you could think of.

5. Fitness for Dummies. Susanne Schlosburg & Liz Neporent, 1996, IDG Books, $19.99.
This is one of my favorites. This book assumes the reader knows nothing about how to start a fitness program, and proceeds to take them step by step through the entire process. An invaluable book for those of you who are serious about starting a successful exercise program. Highly recommended by me
(assuming my opinion means anything, of course).

6. Thin for Life. Anne M. Fletcher, 1994, Chapters LTD, $12.95.
How do you lose weight, and successfully keep it off? This book tells you. This book presents strategies (and individual success stories) from people who have lost weight and have kept it off for years. If you want to know what works, this book tells you. It also provides many role models that one can point to and say, “if they could do it, I can do it to”. The back portion of the book contains recipes by some of the weight control “masters” who have achieved their weight loss goals.

7. Eating Thin for Life. Anne M. Fletcher, 1997, Chapters, $14.00.
Newly out in paperback, this is a companion book to the first. This book is primarily a recipe book. with chock full of meals which show that eating healthy does not mean sacrificing taste. Provides strategies on how to eat healthy in particularly challenging situations, such as vacations.

That’s my list of “Thumbs Up” books for now...and remember, if you want some one on one info on exercise the right way, set up an appointment with us at the Health & Fitness Lab, and together we’ll find something that will help you to meet your fitness goals!