Showing posts with label Nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nutrition. Show all posts

Saturday, 17 January 2015

Blogging for Books Review: Strong is the New Skinny by Jennifer Cohen and Stacey Colino

I recently received a book titled Strong is the New Skinny: How to Eat, Live, and Move to Maximize Your Power  written by Jennifer Cohen and Stacey Colino as part of the book review program developed by Blogging For Books. Are you looking for a fitness book that will get you on track for the new year? I'm embarrassed to say this . . . but I've been off track for several years now. The profound message in this book reminded me of the passion I once had for nutrition and fitness.

Author Biographies
Jennifer Cohen is a trainer, writer, studio owner, and successful health and fitness entrepreneur. You can read her weekly fitness blog posts written for Health.com. She has captured the attention of nearly 2 million of their followers. The columns she writes for Forbes are frequently read and noted as being in the top 10 list of posts read. She shares her knowledge and has contributed to Shape, Redbook, and Woman’s Day. Mrs. Cohen has appeared on numerous national media sites. She is also the Fitness Ambassador for Weight Watchers and has developed a series of bestselling DVD's with the company.

Stacey Colino is an award-winning writer who specializes in fitness, health, and the field of psychology. She is also a certified group exercise and Spinning instructor. Her articles can be found in a dozen national magazines, as well as numerous health and diet books, such as Disease-Proof: The Remarkable Truth About What Makes Us Well.

Book Description (According to Amazon)
LEANER, STRONGER, FITTER … FASTER
Sick and tired of hearing what’s wrong with you and your body? You’re not alone. It’s time for a new conversation—and a new plan for treating, feeding, and moving your body in ways that build on your strengths inside and out. Strong is sexy. Strong is powerful. Strong is achievable.  
With STRONG IS THE NEW SKINNY you can say goodbye to body-bashing and physical faultfinding, and instead learn to embrace, not just how it looks, but what your body can do—from pushups to pull ups and box jumps to rope climbs, nothing is out of your reach.

Topics Covered
Part 1: Inner Strength
  • Maximizing Your Potential - in Mind, Body, and Spirit
  • Your Lifestyle Checkup
  • Developing Strength from the Inside Out
  • The Strong is the New Skinny Diet Plan
Part 2: The Head-To-Toe Strengthening Plan
  • Back-to Back Basic Strength
  • Armed to Impress
  • Cutting to the Core
  • Getting a Leg Up on Strength 
  • Assembling Strength
  • Torching the Fat 
Price
You can purchase a paperback copy of this fitness and nutrition guide for $18.00 at Random House or at Amazon for $14.68.

Note: Prices are subject to change at any time.

Overall Review and Thoughts
This 239-page paperback fitness book begins with chapters that identify your inner strength and encourage you to maximize your potential. One suggestion mentioned was to create a brag box in order to record success reminders and mementos which will build up your confidence level. The program helps you develop STAR (Specific, Time-Based, Action-Oriented, and Realistic) goals and when combined with the psychological strategies for different situations enable you to stay focused. Each strategy is described and contains tips and tricks to handle the mental aspect of your situation and personal needs. As you read these chapters, you will "get yourself mentally prepared and ready" for the program. Do you know what holds you back from becoming the person you want to be? The authors can help you figure it out! 

The diet plan is solid, straightforward, sensible, and based on science research in the fitness and health fields. It's formulated around the acronym SINS (Strong is the New Skinny) and focuses on whole foods, fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats. The sample menus are perfect for busy on-the-go people who desire simplicity when it comes to general meal preparation. They explain what you should eat, how much to eat, and when to eat. The authors use a formula based on height, weight, and physical activities to guide you into choosing the right diet plan for your specific needs. I do wish that there was a section in the book dedicated strictly to SINS recipes using the recommended ingredients.

The Strong Seven Plan includes a list of seven power foods that will jumpstart your goals in the first seven days. There's a list of paired foods to choose from such as kefir or greek yogurt, chia or hemp seeds, tart cherries, blackberries, or raspberries, apples or jicama, quinoa or amaranth, wild salmon or lake trout, and lentils or edamame. The benefits for each food pair are explained followed by daily meal examples for a weekly action plan which discusses how to incorporate these superfoods into your meals.

The exercises are demonstrated and explained thoroughly using detailed photo shots. The workout moves include back, arms, legs and core exercises. Furthermore, the workouts require a limited amount of equipment and can easily be done in the privacy of your own home which means the suggestions are more realistic than some suggestions I've read in other fitness books. It also won't take you hours to set-up and prep your routines. I was familiar with many of the strength-building exercises mentioned in this book, but they emphasized proper technique which is a great reminder to us all. Not to mention, many of the moves can be modified or adapted to meet your needs. The fat-burning exercises appealed to me the most. I absolutely LOVE the HIIT workouts which take less than 10 minutes to complete. I became a fan of HIIT workouts years ago. When I utilize this strategy to reach my fitness goals, I am usually more successful and see better results for my body type. The book also dives into the four essential principles for fitness training. The prominent attitude of "Go Hard . . . or Go Home" is one that drives to me to excel and empowers me to challenge myself on ALL levels. It also encourages me to not quit and to set higher expectations for myself.

I believe that the Lifestyle Assessment Test which considers both cardio and strength exercises will be useful when preparing yourself for the BIGGER life changes. It'll help you realize the strong impact power has on fitness -giving you a "can do" mentality.

The authors definitely give you the tools for success if you want to achieve it. This is not your average ordinary, boring fitness guide. It's a manual chocked full of resources that will guide you into becoming a better YOU. The knowledgeable authors have convinced me to focus on my fitness plan and workouts, eat better, and to start moving towards my personal fitness goals of becoming strong and fit in the new year. Who knows maybe they will inspire you to reach your goals?

Recommendations 
I recommend this informative and empowering book to individuals (particularly women) wanting to create a stronger, healthier, and fit body. This book will help you start the year off on a good note by encouraging you to create a healthier lifestyle. The authors want you to develop an inner and outer strength. You'll find yourself marking the pages of this book in some way or another for future and present use. This would be a wonderful self-help motivational book for fitness experts and trainers to recommend to their female clients. Visit the following link to read excerpts from the book.

Disclaimer
I received a complimentary, free copy of this book from from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest, unbiased review on my blog. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."  


Saturday, 19 July 2014

Blogging for Books Review: I Quit Sugar: Your Complete 8-Week Detox Program and Cookbook

Blogging for Books recently announced the April release of Sarah Wilson's book I Quit Sugar: Your Complete 8-Week Detox Program and Cookbook. Do you know how much sugar you consume on a daily basis? Did you know many products contain hidden sugars? Are you aware of all of the effects sugar has on your health and well-being?

Author Biography
Sarah Wilson is a qualified Health Coach for the Institute of Integrative Nutrition located in New York. She currently lives in Sydney Australia. The author is also a television host, journalist, and blogger. Read Sarah's story and journey to quitting sugar here.     

Book Description
This 224-page book is a step-by-step program guide offering suggestions and tips for quitting sugar which will hopefully help you lose weight, boost your energy level, and improve your moods. The 8-week program is discussed at the beginning of the book using a week-by-week format. Sarah encourages her readers to try three new recipes from the book each week during her 8-week program. Visit the following link to see sample pages of the book.

What's Covered
  • Start to Cut Back
  • Operation Eat Fat
  • Quit!
  • Face the Demons
  • Get Creative, Experiment . . . and Detox
  • Add Some Sweetness Back In
  • Recovering from lapses
  • Refining and Moving Forward
She includes a "Getting Equipped" section that mentions two notes from the author on how she hates waste and loves efficiency. Her recipes utilize the same core ingredients repeatedly and she wants you to take advantage of the bits and pieces that many individuals tend to toss out. She gives the reader tips on how to create a freezer stash. One tip Sarah offers is that she freezes celery leaves to later use in stock recipes which are included in this book. I have tossed out the ends for years, now I collect them in a freezer bag for later use. The author also includes a short list of kitchen items that she prefers to have on hand. It is NOT an exhaustive or complete list, but is helpful to those wanting a simple start in the program. This book section contains information on how to stock up your pantry with staples that will consistently be used during the program. I have to say, I found this section to be quite insightful. I never realized I could make my own cream cheese and how useful and good chia seeds were for my body. A few other recipes included in this section are homemade ketchup, BBQ sauce, mayo, nut butters, and almond milk. Several of these recipes are also on her blog if you'd like to take a peek.

The back of the book consists of a shopping list, additional resources, and contributors. The shopping list is organized into three categories including pantry, freezer, and fridge items. Sarah also adds in a list of oils, condiments, sweeteners, teas, and baking bits. The list isn't comprehensive, because it doesn't include any fresh produce foods. The additional resources list her social media links and lists places to find hard-to-find ingredients. I had a difficult time finding chia seeds at local stores, but managed to find them at a nearby health store and on line for a reasonable price. I also stocked my pantry with quinoa after finding several packages on sale in the clearance section. I've been reading about the benefits of quinoa and have a strong desire to create recipes using this product. There are definitely a few ingredients that I don't tend to buy such as marcapone cheese, brown rice syrup, coconut and grapeseed oil, unsweetened coconut, almond meal, almond milk, stevia, and chia seeds just to name a few. I am not sure if I will be able to afford these items, but I will take small steps towards eating better using several of the recipes.

The book also contains 108 sugar-free recipes to help you in your journey. The recipes include an ingredient list, method instructions, serving size, and preparation notes. Several recipes include variations and seem easy to prepare. Many of the recipes seem appealing. I haven't tried any yet, but fully intend on doing so this month. My favorite recipe categories are obviously desserts, savory snacks, sweet treats, and breakfast. I can't wait to try the blueberry quinoa crumble, fudgy protein bites, sugar-free nutella, meal-in-a-crackercoco-nutty granola, and chia and quinoa parfait. Ha! Can you tell I am a sugar addict? I head straight to the sweets. Doesn't this Raspberry Ripple look delicious? Sarah tells you how to make it while cutting back on sugar.

Recipes Categories 
  • Breakfast
  • Smoothies and Drinks
  • Healthy Detox Meals
  • Savory Snacks
  • Sugar-Free Kids
  • Sweet Treats
  • Desserts
Overall Thoughts
Her book is organized into bite-sized chunks making it a quick read. The plan appears to be doable and flexible, but you will need to make a consistent effort and remain motivated to complete the program. The book teaches you how to eliminate sugar completely from you diet and later introduces sugar back with healthier substitutes. The variety of recipes included in the book make the idea of quitting sugar seem a little more realistic. I am sure that there will be controversial debates over whether or not sugar makes you fat. However, there are other benefits to quitting or reducing your sugar intake. Sarah does provide the reader with scientific information about the effects of sugar.

I haven't attempted the program yet. I definitely consider myself a sugar addict. I feel like I NEED sugar every single day and my sugar cravings are intense. I always feel tired, moody, and bloated. The information contained in the book was informative and extremely helpful.

The author is personable and inviting as she shares the realities of her experience with quitting sugar in the introduction of the book. She states, "There is a detox period where you will feel like crap." I love the honesty in this statement. She wants you to know ahead of time, that the program is not going to be easy and she's not trying to "sugar" coat it. She wants you to understand that your body will have an adjustment period and that it is normal. Many individuals will be able to relate to her experiences. I also like her viewpoint on using a "lets just see" approach when attempting the detox program.

Are you looking to live a healthier lifestyle? 

Recommendations
I recommend this book to individuals wanting to improve their health and well-being. Are you looking for a structured program that will help you cut back on sugar? I believe this is a good book to begin with if you are a sugar addict and want to change your lifestyle. Sugar doesn't have to rule over your life! Sarah's modernized book format and knowledge about the topic will encourage and motivate you to make better life choices with regards to which foods you eat. 

Price
The paperback trade book can be purchased for $25.00 at Random HouseAmazon is currently offering the book for $15.81.

Note: Prices are subject to change at any time.

Social Media
Sarah Wilson's Blog
I Quit Sugar Book Store
Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest

Disclaimer: 
I received a complimentary, free copy of this book from from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest, unbiased review on my blog. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."