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Getting All Sweaty And Healthy
I used to be in really good shape.
College scholarship athlete, ran a marathon a
few years ago. But then I quit my job to stay
home with my daughter and to write full-time and
things sort of went, uh, awry. Turns out that
when you sit at the computer all day and your
main source of exercise is going to the fridge
to get snacks repeatedly, you put on a little
weight. Or maybe a lot of weight.
Yikes!
Anyway, as summer has approached, I was determined
to shed my four year flab and I’m happy to report
that things have gone well. In order to do so,
I checked out a few books on diet / exercise /
nutrition / not being lazy. Here are the best
ones I read:
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Eat This Not That: Thousands of
Simple Food Swaps That Can Save You 10,
20, 30 Pounds-or More! by David
Zinczenko and Matt Goulding
This has been my own personal bible for the
last few months. I’m not proud of it, but
I am a fan of fast food. I eat a lot of it.
The problem was, I was eating just about the
worst thing on every menu. Zinczenko and Goulding,
though, have managed to put together a book
that shows you what you can eat and what you
shouldn’t go near when you head into your
favorite restaurant. A must have for those
that enjoy eating out.
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Are You Ready!: To Take Charge,
Lose Weight, Get in Shape, and Change Your
Life Forever by Bob Harper
My wife and I are big fans of NBC’s The
Biggest Loser and Bob is our favorite
trainer, so I was interested to see what kind
of book he put together. He’s big on figuring
out what the problem is in your life and since
I already knew what mine was (lazy, like bad
food), I sort of skimmed the part. The parts
I really liked, though, were the sections
on healthy eating and very simple exercises
that don’t require an expensive gym membership.
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Runner's World Run Less, Run Faster:
Become a Faster, Stronger Runner with the
Revolutionary FIRST Training Program
by Bill Pierce, Scott Murr, Ray Moss
Running has been something that I’ve warmed
to over the last decade as my body has refused
to participate in team sports the way I’d
like it to. The problem was that I thought
I could just go out run for an hour and be
done with it. Even when I ran the marathon,
I didn’t train the way I should’ve. As a result,
my body tends to break down with knee / back
/ whatever pain after several weeks of running.
This book changed that for me and showed me
how to run on a schedule and in a way that
would lessen the wear and tear on my body.
It’s geared for people who want to run competitively,
but I think it offers lots of insight for
anyone who wants to incorporate running into
their lifestyle.
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The U.S. Navy SEAL Guide to Fitness
and Nutrition by The U.S. Navy
I get bored very easily with exercise so I’m
always looking for things to change up my
routine. I love watching those reality shows
that demonstrate all the crazy things the
SEALs do, so I bought this book. I don’t look
like a SEAL and don’t think I ever will, but
I do enjoy working out like one to break up
the monotony of running and lifting weights.
Lots of good information on nutrition and
health, as well.
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Now get off the sofa! |