Fitness Books

This "little" book has a huge message: a message of compassion! The book has become a classic - it is a highly recognizable work of self-acceptance and self-awareness. The book offers a much needed normalization and de-pathologizing of the daily struggle over eating. It offers a humanizing, healing experience that soothes the wounds of overeaters' self-loathing. It has much to teach - in the way of letting go of the dieting perfectionism that creates problems as it tries to solve them.

Pavel Somov, Ph.D., Author of "Eating the Moment: 141 Mindful Practices for Overcoming Overeating One Meal at a Time" (New Harbinger, Nov. 2008)

This is a fabulous little book. It's a series of fifty very short advisory essays all about how to love yourself when you hate yourself. Specifically, Roth's work deals with compulsive eating, and this is her focus here too, but unlike some of her other work, this book is clearly meant to be more broadly applicable to any and all situations in which one might find oneself swimming in a sea of self-hatred. Roth is a humorous writer. She has a similar sort of wit as Anne Lamott, who has written the introduction to this book. Overall I found this book hilarious and moving. I stayed up all night to read it.

No matter how many times it happens, I'm always amazed when I find that there are other people in the world who go through some of the same things as me. This book really did it, it really showed me that I'm not alone in the frightening world of body-image. By the time I finished the second chapter, I had decided that I was going to get this book for my best friend for her birthday, and by the time I had finished the sixth chapter, I realized that I was going to buy it for every single one of my girlfriends for their birthdays.
This is a really amazing book, and the author really knows how to talk to women who are in need of reassurance as well as a little shove (or a big one) in the right direction.
I suggest it for women of all ages who struggle with any sort of body/self-image, no matter how long that struggle has been going on.

I originally checked this book out of the library. I loved it so much I bought a copy and am reading it again. I also purchased two copies to give to good friends. This book may or may not help me to loose weight, however, it is so uplifting and encouraging it has really helped to change my attitude towards food and not to be so self-loathing.

I read a few books by Geneen Roth, including this one, in the beginning of 2003. After reading them, I gave myself permission to stop "dieting", and allowed myself to eat the food I like, thinking that if I didn't feel deprived that I would eat less and lose weight. I also kept away from the scale. The result was I gained 30 pounds in 9 months, before stopping myself from this upward climb. Its taken over 4 years to lose those 30 pounds. To this day I still regret reading those books. While I don't think its healthy to obsess about food and counting calories and body image, I do think we need to be careful about what we eat.

YOU: The Owner's Manual, Updated and Expanded Edition: An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger

this is the most exceptional book i have ever read for health care and understanding of how the body utilizes food etc. easy and fun to read.

You learn so much from this book its a must read get it for anyone you know. It has alot of things in here you should know about. Higly recommended!!

I'm having a very hard time with this book. I've started and stopped reading it about dozen times already in the past 2 weeks. My problem? There is a lot of good information in here (really!) but it gets lost in the constant barrage of sarcasm and jokes inserted by the authors to (apparently) make it "entertaining". For me, the sheer number of jokes starts out as annoying, and finally becomes so distracting that I usually have to put the book down after about 20 minutes.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about from page 176 under a heading of "Mouth":

"The food-consumption process starts right here--in your body's food processor. Though opera singers, politicians, and courtside fans are known mostly for what comes out of their mouths, what makes our mouths so special is how we handle what goes into them. For starters, consider you mouth to be like the guy who buckles you in on a Ferris wheel--it's there simply to prepare the food for the journey."

The paragraph then goes on to describe crocodile teeth and elephant teeth, but I'm so distracted with thoughts of "what do opera singers and Ferris wheels have to do with MY mouth?" that I'm no longer learning, I'm ruminating on low ratio of information-to-jokes in the text. (Out of the 7 sentences in that paragraph, I felt the relevant information could have been boiled down to 2.)

Like I said, the book has a LOT of good information. If you are someone who can filter out all of the "noise", you'll get a lot out of it. However, if you're like me, and find all the sidebars distracting, it's a grind.

"How Well Do You Know Your Body?" begins this enlightening 544-page book. It continues with how blood is pumped throughout your body, how your brain works, how your body moves, how you breathe, how food is digested, how your immune system works, and how sexual and sensory organs work. This updated edition of the book includes the quiz along with a new chapter on the liver and pancreas, which describes the function and purpose of each. The authors also debunk popular myths about the body.

The contents include:
Preface
Chapter 1: Your Body, Your Home: Super Health
Chapter 2: The Beat Goes On: Your Heart and Arteries
Chapter 3: Do You Mind: Your Brain and Nervous System
Chapter 4: Motion Control: Your Bones, Joints, and Muscles
Chapter 5: To a Lung and Healthy Life: Your Lungs
Chapter 6: Gut Feelings: Your Digestive System
Chapter 7: In Your Trunk: Your Liver and Pancreas
Chapter 8: Sex Marks the Spot: Your Sexual Organs
Chapter 9: Common Sense: Your Sensory Organs
Chapter 10: Sick Sense: Your Immune System
Chapter 11: This Gland is Your Gland: Your Hormones
Chapter 12: Hell Cells: Cancer
Chapter 13: The Owner's Manual Diet
Chapter 14: The Owner's Manual Workout
Chapter 15: FAQs
Index

This book is both instructive and entertaining. It includes a large (70-page) chapter on diet, which has over 30 recipes. The diet really emphasizes keeping your body healthy and young. The book also has a 24-page chapter, "Owner's Manual Workout", which provides easy-to-do exercises. This is a great book that makes understanding the human body accessible to those without a degree in physiology. I also recommend [[ASIN:097974590X THE 3:00 PM SECRET: Live Slim and Strong, Live Your Dreams]] and The 2007 Second Expert Report, Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective..

This is a good book. Short and very discriptive. With good helpful tips. I have a 7 yr old but, I didn't have him read this yet. I don't think he would get it yet. But, later it will be good for him to read. It is a great tool to let teachers read to help them understand your child with Asperger Syndrome. We are new to this and it was helpful to me.

This is another excellent book for children and adults to read to better understand this growing problem for children, especially boys. It is another book that should be at least on the shelves of upper elementary and middle school libraries.

This book was really helpful, because my son who is 16 and I read it together. I asked him if he really felt that way, as it was described in the book. It gave him the words to simply add to the description and agree, or say not me. I found it very educational for me and he enjoyed the communication tool, as well. I am going to share the info, for teachers, with his new teachers for 10th grade.

This simple book has helped explain to family, friends and teacher the way to connect with an aspergers child. To the very intelligent nine year old with aspergers it has been a great help in his own understanding and, a relief that communication with those who have read it has improved.

This book/guide is truly excellent. Extremely helpful when talking to others about Asperger's. It has an excellent part in the back on tips for the teachers. My son's teachers has actually read this and we are using to update his IEP for next year. Great book!

If you can only read one book on the subject of failing memory then it should be "Carved in Sand". Written by a contributor to the New York Times, Cathryn Jakobson Ramin writes a frightening story that will keep you reading as though it were a novel.

With dire predictions of the continued increase of dementia in the coming years, this is a must read. The author tells of her own struggle with the onset of memory problems in her early forties an how she deals with it. She tells us it's not just the memory loss but the axiety that comes with it. Because of her profession and contacts she was able to do the research and get the help that she needed. She writes about this search with tremendous sensitivity and insight.

I continue to reread parts of this wonderful book and highly recommend it to everyone over the age of thirty, dealing with the onset of their own dementia or a caregiver for someone with this terrible desease.

Cathryn Jakobsen Ramin's honest account of her own experience guides us through numerous interventions to stem cognitive degeneration and memory loss in middle age. It is simultaneously educational and user friendly . Ramin's self-deprecating humor keeps the subject from being too heavy and helps us to digest the significant quantity of well researched information presented. Most will welcome information about basic lifestyle changes that can enhance their mental performance as they progress through normal aging. For those facing more serious issues, the path toward diagnosis and treatment is illuminated.

The middle ground between memory loss -- with normal aging and Dementia is the diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). This is the only book I have found devoted entirely to MCI. Unless you have CMI, or you know someone has CMI or Dementia, you cannot speak intelligently about cognitive problems NOT associated with the normal aging process unless you read this book. The author pursued many options to improve her cognitive functioning and documented them all. She found out she did not have AZ, and she did improve her memory using several of the options. I too have CMI. In addition to Aricept, I have had to use oxygen, alpha-lipoic-acid and other supplements reviewed by the author to maximize my brain's performance. I did extensive research on the internet, but before I tried anything, I read "Carved in Sand" as a second source for the remedies I found most recommended on the internet posts. This is an Excellent Book by someone who deals with MCI.

I bought this book because of all the 5 star reviews, after seeing it at a book show last year. If you want a scattershot sampling of most of the available techniques for dealing with normal/abnormal change in memory over time this is for you. However, the author herself never sticks with any method long enough to see if it would be effective before ditching it and trying the next thing. The A.D.D. drugs are effective for her, and I can see why.

Carved in Sand by Cathryn Jakobson Ramin is a must read for anyone interested in how the brain functions and what happens as it ages.

Chock full of valuable information and presented in a highly readable style this book will take its place on your reference shelf for frequent revisits as it has mine.

What is especially extraordinary about Ramin is that she is completely honest about the results of what she calls a series of "Interventions" into the world of improving brain power. For
instance she finds that meditation doesn't work for her. Hallelujah! It doesn't work for me either. At last someone I could identify with instead of wondering what was wrong with me.

Ramin's journey through the research into the brain and the methods and drugs used today to help with problems is fascinating, educational and a great read.

My instructor suggested this book for us training to become a Licensed Massage Therapist so that we wont burn out. Has great stretches and simple. What people dont realize is that its the repetitive motion in the shoulder and upper arm that causes the muscles at the carpals (wrist) to tense up as a reaction to the pain in the upper arm, trigger point therapy is a great way to relieve the strain as well. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

This book will cure your repetetive strain injuries. Butler describes how to stretch properly and what stretches will benefit you most depending on where you have pain or numbness. It is amazing how much better I got, and how quickly! You will need to keep up on your stretches to stay well.

I'd only be repeating the praises others have given this book, but I just want to say I highly recommend this book. The stretches are explained clearly and simply and they do work. I've bought this book for friends and when they follow the exercises, they get relief. Another plus, is doing the stretches FEELS so good and it only takes maybe 15 minutes.

This book was loaned to me at my job as a computer engineer. I had carpal tunnel affecting my wrists & forarm. Excellent, easy stretches which really relieve the pain. I recommended it to a friend who cleans houses for a living, and she was able to stop wearing the arm brace. Great for those tiny, hard to stretch muscles.

Excellent guide to conquering several medical pains/problems that most doctors would have to diagnose.

The book is just what I was looking for - simple and short, yet effective and precise. It contains just enough intro on the scientific background on how plants purify the air, it gives some info on how this has been tested, it gives practical advices on how to use plants and finally it rates the tested plants according to four criteria of effectivness (removal of chemicals,transpiration rate, ease of growth/maintenance,resistance to insects).Great for reference with some great pictures and guide how to take care of each particular plant. Simply great!

Very well written-- fascinating -- and I was impressed and appalled by reading about the studies that showed -- more than TWENTY years ago -- how our inside air is just as bad sometimes -- and even WORSE at times-- than the outside air.

I would HIGHLY recomend this book as a guide to ALL public building administrators who have a say in what kind of plants (LOTS OF EM please) should be in their lobbies and offices and EVEN- YES -- on the ROOF.

The only gripe I have with this book is the over-generous use of abbreviations liberally sprinkled throughout the text -- and NONE of those abbreviations are in the Glossary!

More then 10 years ago, we bought some indoor plants for better air quality in the house. We end up throwing them away because we knew nothing about plants. So this time we thought we better get some knowledge before we purchase. This books came highly recommended by Dr. Chen, a famous Chinese Naturopath doctor who wrote couple of best selling books in Taiwan. We think this is a great book because it's simple and to the point with pictures. We decided on Rubber plant, Peace Lily and Janet Craig... They are good-looking and easier to care for, besides the capability to remove indoor toxins and keep indoor air fresh.

"How to Grow Fresh Air" is the best book I've found on the topic of using plants to improve air quality. It has easy-to-use recommendations, rating plants' ability to improve air quality and listing information that will help the reader decide if they can keep this plant alive.

There are a few problems. First, the book does not describe the 50 best plants -- it describes the only 50 plants tested. Second, this book doesn't indicate how many plants should be put in a room. An internet search of unknown accuracy indicated 1 to 3 plants (size medium to large) for 100 square feet of floor space (attributed to the author). Third, the book doesn't tell you about any patterns the authors observed in their research: does plant size matter? Leaf size? By how much? Growth rate? If there were a simple pattern (like large fast-growing plants are best; or that air-cleaning appears to be a characteristic of certain plant species), then this would be very good to know. Forth, the research is at least 12 years old, and there doesn't appear to be any new research on this subject. Fifth, I found two conflicting tables in the technical section. This doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling about the book's technical accuracy -- like Al Gore's "time goes backwards" Global Warming chart. The whole thing reads like an exploratory research project that wasn't funded further -- but should have been.

With that said, this book has useful advice, and seems to be worth the purchase price. I'm going to give buy a few of the highest rated plants for my office, and see if their gas-elimination properties (combined with my air filter) yields improved air quality.

Not many products both clean the air and are beautiful. How to Grow Fresh Air explains how houseplants do just that. Beautiful book, well written with plenty of information, this book is wonderful.

This book is good but VERY technical...Good thing I am a nurse...I gave it to some of my family to read and they truly could not understand a lot of the book. It is great information but make sure you have a medical dictionary handy if you aren't familiar with medical terminology.

I bought this b/c I thought a relative had lupus. While she does not, I am still keeping the book b/c it is a wealth of information on all types of arthritic diseases, the origins of the disease, symptoms, various treatments and what to expect from the treatments. I am keeping this as a great medical reference book !

And trust me, I've read them all. The only thing is - if you have ZERO background whatsoever on this disease, or in science in general, don't start with this book. Instead, start with one of the more general, introductory books like "living with lupus" or "lupus q and a" to just get a background because this is one heavy-duty book, laden with science that is very thorough, comprehensive, and sometimes complicated. It's amazing though, and a must-read. I'm VERY happy this exists.

I have been struggling with autoimmune diseases with them potentially evolving into Lupus. This book has been helping me get through some really tough times. It also has helped to be able to talk to doctors with a clearer understanding of this disorder. I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and this book along with Dr. Wallace's fibromyalgia book have really put things in perspective for me. I have read many books on the subject and this book by far is the best!

This is the book whether you are a patient, a family memeber, or just trying to figure out if you might have Lupus! I've had multiple life-threatening manifestations of Lupus over the past 10+ years and I always go back to this book for answers. I have yet to read anything that comes close to covering all the bases...and since there are SOOOO many bases to cover with Lupus, start here. More than likely the it's the only book you'll need. I bought many other books but this is the one I always reference first, and I usually don't need to look further.

Did not read like a Primer to me. Nowhere near as good as Dr Walsh's book.

This book is perhaps the best book of its genre in describing prostate cancer and the various forms of treatment for prostate cancer.

When a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer, he will be surprised to learn that there are a variety of treatment modalities. This book is excellent in that it lists all the available treatment modalities, lists the possible side-effects of each treatment, explains the diagnostic tests for prostate cancer, and writes extensively on which prostate cancers respond to which therapies the best.

The most confusing thing to a patient with prostate cancer is how to treat it. One needs to understand the type of cancer they have (the staging of the cancer tumor(s), how diagnostic tests are interpreted and what they mean, and then what treatment options are best for the specific cancer one has. This is where this book excels, as it thoroughly explains the entire process and informs the reader of all the various options that are available to treat prostate cancer.

Ultimately, knowledge is power in the issue of prostate cancer, so the informed patient is able to make the best decision to treat his cancer. This book will help you choose the best treatment. There are real and potentially serious life-altering side-effects to cancer therapy. One needs to know these adverse outcomes before making an informed decsion on treatment. I highly recommend this book as it does empower the man with prostate cancer to make these important decisons. After reading this book, you will have a sound knowledge of prostate cancer and the options for treatment. It is very reader-friendly and all medical terms and tests are explained in a manner that can be understood. It is required reading for anyone with prostate cancer.

Highly recommended.

Jim Koenig

Well organized and illustrated. Especially helpful for early stages of diagnosis and in meeting family member's concerns. I wish I'd had it sooner.

The book is really well written. It is chock full of information...figures, web links, and references. Great place to start to educate one's self if newly diagnosed.

Book Review
A Primer on Prostate Cancer: The Empowered Patient's Guide, 2nd Ed.
Stephen B. Strum, M.D. and Donna Pogliano
Hollywood, FL: Life Extension Foundation, 2005, 124 pp.
Ranked in the Top Ten of my Cancer Bibliography.
Ranked in the Top Five of my Prostate Cancer Bibliography.

I have surveyed or read so far over 100 cancer books in researching my own book. This ranked in the top 10% in both my categories primarily because of the excellence of its useful and professional content and presentation and the sophisticated level of the discussion. After my prostate cancer diagnosis, quickly learning I would not get enough time with my doctor, I dug deeply into many libraries and web sites. Public libraries are helpful, but severely incomplete and rarely up to date. With a background of two college degrees and Managing Director of a large research corporation, I knew how to do research and began to seek deeper information sources and understanding on cancer and medical websites. Here, also, there are problems: insufficient depth, too general, uncertain or dated reliability, suspect motives and dispersed value in millions of locations. Studies have shown that patients have a lot of trouble finding good material on the web, trying to find diamonds in the rubble. Then, I turned to Amazon and began to build my own library of the best available. This solved my problem.

Dr. Strum is a specialist in prostate cancer. This book is condensed and loaded on almost every page with color diagrams, charts, tables, photos, scans, Physician Notes and medical writing and details I would expect in a med school text. With my previous preparation, I was able to understand and apply almost all of it to my own situation, a great leap forward for a non-scientist. Not every prostate cancer patient will be ready for this, but buy it, refer to it as you do your homework elsewhere and your disease progresses, and it will soon become the core of your understanding and view of your future.

Along with the beautiful, colorful and clear presentations, I loved the several examples that were identical to my own journey, followed by the explanation of choices and exact treatment I have had: what a relief to study, decide and then get the same confirmation from my own doctors as we moved through several stages of diagnosis and treatment; what a thrill to study a photo of a problematic bone scan and compare it to my own favorable, cancer-free scan following treatment.

Your doctors are, of course, the final and up-to-date authority: be well-informed, so you can participate in the decision-making with the experts; but recognize that the busy medical community may not have the time or detailed knowledge of your situation to give it the attention you can. As you go, you will find a number of excellent books like this to guide you. It is important to have current information about the fast-moving science of medicine. That makes it a lot easier to get past the basics, ask good questions and accept or refine the doctor's judgment and recommendations. Seek out and devour books like this one, and you will be miles, perhaps even some time, ahead of most patients. With that confidence, your improved mental attitude will assist in your progress.
John Roberts (www.CanFighters.com)

I ordered two weeks before classes started and I received my book the following week! This book is great, the graphics are more than helpful... they are insightful! Recommend highly!
Thank you for your prompt delivery and great quality!

I purchased this book when I was half way through massage therapy school. I wish I would have had it right from the start! It is a great book with amazing real pictures of muscles. I brought this book to class and about 1/2 the class wanted to order it! The instructor saw it and was going to look into getting it for future classes. Just get it; you won't be sorry you did. Money well spent!

This book is fantastic for all the reasons the other reviewers gave, but oh that's not all...the CD-ROM is fantastic really amazing. It's a great way to see the muscles again in another view. The images are of computer generated models to show the attachments and then there is a video of a therapist massaging the muscle. It took me months to watch this CD-ROM because I had no idea it was going to be this great. Buy this book it's well worth the money. Plus, it's a business expense!

This book is so beneficial as reference material. The images are unreal and so specific. At least four therapists I know have bought the book since flicking through my copy.

This is the most practical and informative book that teaches what you need to know and what is relevant...not filler material.

This book has made my life so much easier. I have read lots of books out there and I would have saved a lot of time and money if I had only gotten this book first! It gives simple solutions to problems that most women have after having a baby and trying to breastfeed. This is definately a book worth buying!

I had a lot of difficulty breastfeeding my first child. I wish I had this book seven years ago, it would of eliminated a lot of problems. It is an easy read, with very helpful info not only on technique but avoiding the pitfalls that can sabotage breastfeeding.

This book was written very well. If you are a breastfeeding mom, then put this book on your nightstand because it is a great resource.

I was not successful breasfeeding my first child and was quite determined to make it work with my second. I bought this book after she was born -her doctors were warning me that she wasn't gaining enough weight and I felt that I may not be successful a second time. I read only the chapters that applied and reread them every time I had questions or read further on when we got to a new "phase". I have found it very difficult to get BF advice without getting a load of judgement for bottle feeding. I felt this book was different and just pratical. It was a very helpful book as it made the little querks of BF make sense and answered lots of questions I had. I was able to BF my child and also able to wean her without issues when the time came. I refer this book to all my new mom friends.

I absolutely LOVE this book! I would consider myself an experienced breastfeeder as I nursed my 1st daughterfor 6 months. I am also a nurse in maternal child health at our local hospital. When I became pregnant with our second child (7 years after our first) I decided I needed a refresher. I found it difficult to find a book that covered all the areas I was interested in. Many books did not go into enough detail about things and didn't seem to teach me anything new. This was not the case with this one! It covers things I didn't even know I had questions about like storage capacity and why some babies nurse more frequently than others. I also found out by reading this book that I really never had a good latch with my first daughter! Who knew?! My milk supply decreased when I gave my first daughter solid foods so I wanted a book to explain how to handle that situation this time around. This book does it! It even covers weaning! I like that it explains why breastfeeding is important but also how the formula industry came about. I would recommend this book to any new mom, experienced mom, or even healthcare workers looking for more information to assist their patients.