Fitness Books

I've provided telephone support for new mothers for many years and have come to learn that nutritional support often ends mild to moderate mood issues. Hundreds of women have turned their postpartum symptoms around quickly after addressing nutrient depletion- I've seen them do so myself and I wrote a book on the subject.

When I got ready to write a second, more detailed book I found Dr. Raffelock's work and realized I didn't need to write anything. He already explained exactly why and how this phenomenon works in a way that made it understandable.

The emerging field of nutrition and maternal mental health bloomed with this book. You can gain great insight now by reading 'A Natural Guide to Pregnancy and Postpartum Health'. To stay current you can read WellPostpartum Weblog, which is based on the premises in Dr. Raffelock's book and highlights research that corroborates this understanding. Dr. Raffelock has agreed to post his comments on the blog's articles, so you can continue to learn from him there. Enjoy your reading!

I purchased this book because my husband and I are planning a second child. Our daughter is now four years old, and I suffer from several problems postpartum that I have seen numerous specialists about. I am currently under the care of an acupuncturist and am definitely benefitting from the information in this book. I agree with the author 100% in that without the proper nutrition and suplementation, it is hard to recover from pregnancy. Here's to a very healthy second!

In the West there are a few misconceptions that need to be dispelled. The first is that your body does not have to go downhill after pregnancy. The second is that the postpartum period is a genuine time for recovery and should not be neglected. A Natural Guide to Pregnancy and Postpartum Health is so helpful. It really lays out a comprehensive and clear outline for your nutritional and supplemental needs during pregnancy and postpartum. The bottom line... women's bodies get depleted during pregnancy and postpartum which can lead to all sorts of health problems. The authors of this book have mapped out a path to really overcome these challenges. They have also created a line of supplements which are truly fabulous. I have used them all the way through my pregnancy and now postpartum. Thank you Dr. Raffelock and your wonderful team.... you are truly setting new standards for health in America.

This book gives so much information about biochemical processes in the human body, that most people will benefit from it. I have never had a baby, yet it was incredibly helpful to me. I've bought this book as a gift for many friends and I highly recommend it.

This book is so excellent! Everyone should read it, whether having a baby or not! It explains why our body needs certain nutrients and how easily nutrients can become depleted and stay depleted for years and lead to disease. It explains the "why" of things you're always hearing, such as don't eat sugar and flour, or eat more protein. Once you read it and understand how your body works, you feel really motivated to make the extra effort to provide your body with the foods it needs. Also, this book explains some very important things that you need to know postpartum. Especially, if you have a second child, the nutrient depletion from the first child will make your second pregnancy difficult if you don't start restoring nutrients as soon as you can. I wish I had known this before my second pregnancy. This book is very helpful! Get it asap! In our society there is hardly any acknowledgement of how much your body goes through in having a baby. POstpartum problems aren't addressed. Women are expected to have a baby and then be back at work a few months later. This book explains why you need to help your body recover, and what you need to do.

This is an excellent publication. Easy to read, understand without getting too hooked on medical terminology.

The topics covered are many and varied with useful suggested recommendations for all kinds of ailments.

I have read several books about Vitamins and Herbs. By far this is my Favorite Book. This book has a break down of each item and how it can help and works in the body's system. I found out several interesting facts I did not know. I have poor health and this book has helped me to find vitamins, and herbs that really help. Not just throwing my money away on things that do not work. This has also helped a friend with Lupus, Heart problems.

VERY HAPPY I ORDERED THE BOOK.....ONE OF THE TOP 2 BOOKS I HAVE READ ON
HERBS & ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE....I AM AN AVID READER OF ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE LITERATURE AND FINDING & READING THIS BOOK WAS LIKE DISCOVERING A GOLD MINE..WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO EVERY ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE ENTHUSIAST.

I purchased this book for a relative since I already own a copy. It's a great book! I have many
similar Natural Healing Resource books; however, I find that I use this one the most. It's
written well, and has practical advice & suggestions for just about everything imaginable!
Well worth the price! No home should be without a copy!

Excelent book. recommend it to anyone

Recent news headlines said that a low fat diet does not prevent heart attacks, breast cancer, or colon cancer. I looked them up in The No Sweat Exercise Plan and found that exercise can help prevent all 3, along with many other problems. It's one example of all the important information in the book, and it's presented in a very lively and interesting way. Best of all, the book is very practical and specific. It tells you what, when , and how to exercise. It also helps you figure out which exercises you can skip because you don't really need them. I enjoyed reading the book and I'll keep it handy for reference. I recommend it very highly.

What a relief to know I don't have to be a serious athlete in order to stay healthy! Having recently been laid up from back surgery, (which my wife is sure was brought on by shoveling last winter's heavy snows), I wanted to resume an active life and keep my heart healthy, without re-injuring myself. This book prescribes a very congenial life style which can do that for me. In addition to cardio and strengthening exercises, it has useful chapters on stretching and balance. While these may be less important for young people, they seem particularly relevant for people who, like myself, are getting on in years. "No Sweat" is written in a very engaging style and is a pleasure to read. D.L., Meredith, New Hampshire

Why do I consider this work to contain the best exercise- advice at all? The answer is because the advice it gives does not require 'exercising' as a special block of time taken in a gym, or with some special instrument. It thinks of exercise as a possible extension of everyday life- activity. We can do much exercise simply by increasing the pace at which we walk, or by lifting a few cans in the proper way each day for a few minutes. Whether we are gardening, housecleaning, shopping, mowing the lawn, climbing stairs, washing the car, playing with children , we can benefit physically by increasing the level of our activity.
We can no matter, it seems , where we are, and almost in whatever we are doing, find a way to excercise a bit more, to get ourselves moving physically in a better way. And these little bits of motion are not insignificant but can add up to better health.
As Judy Siegel writes in the 'Jerusalem Post' "The latest scientific studies shows conclusively that people can get the full health benefits of exercise with only slight modifications to their daily routines."
Simon also in this work provides a more thorough analysis of different kinds of exercise, and specific steps for improving functioning of different areas of the body.
This work would seem to have something for everyone who cares about improving their health.
Most highly recommended.

I thought I knew a lot about exercise, so I bought this book
mainly for the great drawings and instructions on stretching and weight training. But it turns out that what I didn't know about exercise could fill a book--this book, in fact. The most startling fact is that I can exercise for as little as 10 minutes at a time and still slim down, and that I don't have to
join a health club to be healthy. I've already started a "stair strider" group at work--we have a chart over the printer and we'll give a little "top flight" prize out each week. It's all good fun, but I'm convinced it will also be good for us. I'm also looking forward to spending more time reading over the
healthy diet chapter. I think it will also be very useful, but it will take a little more time to get into that side of things.
In my opinion , the book is important and enlightening. If you
don't agree, no sweat.

Despite the 230+ page format, author and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, Harvey B. Simon's premise in "The No Sweat Exercise Plan: Lose Weight, Get Healthy and Live Longer" takes a page out of lifetime exercise guru Jack LaLanne's recipe for a healthy and long life. The idea, so simple that it really isn't necessary to spend $21.95 on the book, can be summed up albeit it gratuitously with the catch phrase, "Keep on Truckin'" So sorry, Harvey.

Okay. Now you might have the inclination to want to `read all about it' and Dr. Simon does provide a semi-interesting format immersed in enough medical no-how to satisfy all those out there who have a need for those special credentials that validate information as `expert testimony.' Keep in mind that Simon as a medical doctor demands the requisite tests that the medical community deems `preventative medicine' and he elaborately explains the dangers of certain body signals like BMI, hypertension, high cholesterol, HDL levels etc. to help the reader to understand just how exercise as a panacean solution in general helps to slow the aging process. Mainly, Simon debunks the need for heavy-duty sweat-inducing aerobics and prescribes a European lifestyle without the saturated high fat cheeses, (although he uses strictly American examples) of moving about rather than relying on the couch potato contrivances and conveniences of modern life.

Simply said, Simon advocates four types of exercise where what he calls CME---cardo-metabolic exercise---wins as hands down most important. Using an elaborate point system he rates any exercise that elevates your heart rate and stokes up your metabolism, suggesting that around 1000 points a week should maintain good health for those without special needs. He sites 2000 points a week for those who may seriously want to lose weight. Typically, one would receive 200 points for jogging at the rate of 12 minutes per mile for 30 minutes as opposed to 165 points for 30 minutes of golfing while carrying your own clubs. Whether or not you sweat or not, Simon says is not the issue. Moving around (walking) for sustained periods of time on a daily basis remains paramount to insure good health. In his No Sweat Basic Pyramid, Dr, S suggests that good eating with an eye on nutrition provides the fuel the body needs to sustain itself---here the standard approach of watching calories in a 15% protein - 25% to 35% fat - 50% to 60% carbohydrate breakdown, avoiding sugars, trans-fats and processed foods maintains optimal vitamin and mineral intake. Following a substantial CME block on the pyramid, the three other types of exercise gain the spotlight, beginning with strength training as a separate component then a shared block of flexibility and balance training. Simon details all four types of exercise with actual diagrammed routines, establishing what he preaches as an undeniable "no brainer." Anyone who has been keeping active for years already knows what it takes the bulk of the book to say. I repeat, `just keep moving----use weight bearing exercise to keep up your muscle mass, stretching to keep your body limber and balance to prevent falling.

At the pinnacle of the No Sweat pyramid, Simon places preventative medicine and hoists a flag atop to alert one to the perils of too much stress in modern life. No real new news here, however Simon does take out the time to help you construct a `my-pyramid' of your own to help you realize your personal health goal and spends a few extra chapters explaining some of the common complaints people may initially have about adding a daily exercise regime to their life. For those who have perspired routinely in gyms and in the outdoors for over the last 25 years, he lists the types of sweaty exercise machines one can utilize to maximize the burn.

Bottom line: if your thing is to read about what you already know and have heard about for years, check this tome out of the library and get down and dirty with expert medical information about the whys and wherewithal-s pertaining to what you are already doing to maintain your health. If you haven't started yet - shame on you---this book can provide some grist for your exercise mill and set you on the right path for the future. With that in mind, I can only recommend this book to those who have been living under a rock for the last 30+ years----everyone else need not spend the going rate to vindicate their own common sense.

While this book seems largely unknown in the Reiki community, it is a most wonderful resource. It really does help understand the process of living in the moment and feeling the energetic effects of simply being.

The author describes the journey that this book represents not as being a "how-to" guide for Reiki, but as a "why-to." Narrin truly feels that Reiki cannot be adequately described, and therefore she leaves that to the reader to find their own Reiki experience. Thus, the book is left to be a journey into understanding the tangible, real-life benefits of approaching life holistically and with intention.

I strongly reccomend this book to everyone, not just Reiki practitioners. It will honestly enrich our human experience. Jus the author's personal story related in the book is wonderful, and it is so nice to see a Reiki book that isn't regurgitating the same information as every other.

I tried using one of the plant energy experiments on a dead Dogwood tree in our front yard that was killed by lightning over twenty years ago and within four weeks of using the twenty minutes worth of Reiki energy on the dead tree stump, there appeared four new sprouts right beside the stump that were little Dogwood trees.

In the back of the book there is a personal journal for a month worth of your energy healing and journal to learn if you are actually living in the moment being aware and grounded or spending the majority of your day zoned out on other things like daydreaming/ worry Etc...

After reading and studing this book, I have found that the insights Janeanne Narrin brings, along with the "ways" to learn about, and get into contact with this energy bring to life something we all "know" exists. It allows us to step by step tune in and tune up!..

Good reading, and a better study guide.... much "fuller" than any other I have studied...I recommend highly and am hoping Janeanne creates a sequal ...

I love the attention to detail and the beautiful artwork that this book contains. The layout is well done and I find it causes me to be drawn into the text. The exercises are interesting and unique to most Reiki books. Her descriptions make the practice of Reiki easy to understand and the drawings are helpful. The storys add interest and give a refreshing perspective. Certainly a lot of thought has been given to the creation of this very useful Reiki book.

Having read Janeanne's book from the perspective of a novice in the world of Reiki, I was especially drawn in by her stories of personal transformation. My goal in learning about Reiki is similar: to transform my life through new methods AND new perspectives, which her book helps me do. I would highly recommmend this to anyone who is new to Reiki and is looking for a CONTEXT of Reiki in their life's pursuits.

If you have ever run a marathon or even thought about running one, this is the book for you. Marlin Keesler shares with his readers the amazing saga of his life as The Marathon Man. Since I am an expert Whine-ologist, I'm here to tell you that this is not a book for whiners but rather for winners! Thou Shalt Not Whine: The Eleventh Commandment: What We Whine About, Why We Do It and How to Stop This is not just one man's story but rather an entire family's wonderful adventure. You will not be able to put it down except maybe to go out for a quick run in between chapters.

Our Life On the Run is the triumph of the American Family. Marlin Keesler ran marathons in all 50 states. He ran through extreme fatigue and excruciating pain. Keesler admits that he doesn't even like running. What kept him going? Teaching his special needs children to never give up, no matter what your challenges are. This book is not about marathons. It's about connecting deeply with your family and leaving a legacy.

You have to read this book. I have to admit, when "a little bird" recommended that I read it, I was not at all interested in the subject matter. Marathons? People actually write books about running? But I gave this book a try, and I have to say this....I was hooked from the first sentence. This book was about so much more then running, and I would find myself laughing out loud at times, and with tears streaming down my cheeks a few minutes later. This book, in one word, is about commitment. Commitment to meeting the goals you set, but even more importantly, commitment to your family. That is the aspect of the book that truly tugged at my heartstrings.

This book deals with so many issues we are faced with: being raised in a dysfunctional family, employment issues, the loss of loved ones, and the struggles of raising children. What touched me the most though, about this book, is how much the author truly loves his wife. Several times throughout the book he refers to her as "his best friend", and
that is what really spoke to me in volumes. Here is a man not afraid to say how he feels about his wife and family. Now, although there were times he would not admit he was wrong about something (thank goodness for AAA), you never doubted his commitment to his wife and children. This book is a quick read about the importance of family, and it will leave you with that "warm fuzzy feel good" kinda feeling. Definitely worth reading!

Marlin Keesler has written a compelling story of endurance and family togetherness. See, Keesler is The Running Man, running 50 marathons, one in each of the fifty states. Sustaining him is not only a great cardiovascular system and stamina but a devoted family. The accomplishment was a family affair.

Keesler's story reminds us that the journey is the reward. He will win no gold medals perhaps in the marathon, break no world records, but show that determination, will, grit and a family's support can raise us above our limitations.

An excellent read!!

Here's a great story of a guy that had his share of adversity while growing up and as a family man. But he does not give in into fatalism, like most of us would do in similar circumstances.
Read this book and you will find out why.
Meet marlin and his family you won't regret it.

PHARMAKO-DYNAMIS and PHARMAKO-POEIA by Dale Pendell contain much of interest to gardeners, artists, historians, drug counselors, and drug users. Pendell suggests that how a plant substance is defined (poison, drug, medicine) depends on the dosage, length of use, and intent of the user. In other words, if plant-based drugs are "abused" the problem lies not in our plants but in our selves. He says the reader can begin anywhere in either of his two books and arrive at the same place. I read PHARMAKO-POEIA last, not because it isn't interesting, but because coffee, tea, and cocao are covered in DYNAMIS. As a tea drinker, I wanted to find out more about my herb of choice before I ventured onto others.

POEIA includes a wonderful section on Absinthe which may be related to the seduction of angels. Students of 19th Century French art history and the Belle Epoch know about Absinthe. Absinthe is that lovely green substance the Impressionist painters liked to portray, which according to some was the devil's own drink (he being a fallen angel). Wilde was fond of Absinthe, and may have been using it when he wrote "The Portrait of Dorian Grey." On the other hand, it may have been his drug of choice when he developed his witty and amusing stage plays. Readers associated with Lewis' Screwtape Letters will recognize Absinthe's plant name-Wormwood. Wormwood was probably the bitter herb offered Christ in his last hour of agony and Revelations 8:10,11 has something to say about it. Artemisia is Wormwood's proper name, and the Greek Artemisia is the Roman Diana, Goddess of the Moon. Pendell says Oberon uses `Dian's bud' to reverse the effects of a love potion in A Midsummer Night's Dream. What was Shakespeare thinking??

Besides Artemisia and Valerian, Pendell discusses a few other suspect plants I grow in my own garden, such as Papaver, the Opium Poppy. Oh the feds tried to ban it once, but all the little old ladies came after them and Poppy reigns supreme in American cottage gardens. According to Pendell, the worldwide persecution of the Poppy plant continues even though Poppy plants (and Cannabis) have killed far fewer people than tobacco plants. This is wonderful wise book for crafty gardeners and their friends.

I was sorry to reach the last page of this mind altering, funny, informative and absolutely joyous book. Hadn't had this much fun reading a book since I read Milky Way Marmalade! Should be required reading for every parent, teen and politician.

I just discovered Dale Pendell has a 2nd book Pharmako/Dynamis and have already ordered it!

"Finally" is the word that succinctly describes how I feel about this book. Every page, I mean, practically every line, contains wit, humor, insight, and wisdom all written with the utmost eloquence. Pendell's breadth of knowledge in his not-so-small area of expertise is simply awesome, in the true sense of the word. This way is not for all, however, and the type of person attracted to Pendell's work, as he puts it himself, is probably eccentric. What makes perfect sense to me is scoffed at by my friends. So I keep things to myself more often, the views and practices found in this book not being an exception. This is a volume full of ancient herbal lore and methodology (but not just confined to that), it is exceedingly fun to read, and I couldn't love it more. I've got volume 2 on the way, and as another reviewer has already mentioned, Mercury House is sluggish when it comes to releasing these books. Volume 3, which for me is going to be the most interesting, was due to be released August/September 04 and now that date has been pushed back to August/September 05, and I do hope that it doesn't take any longer than that.

I am an herbalist, and I found this book by Pendell and Snyder to be full of information that was presented in a fascinating way. Interestingly, finding information about herbal poisons isn't as easy as it might seem, but is still important. I can honestly say I learned a few things from this book that I did not realize, particularly from a historical standpoint! I can't wait to get my hands on the other two volumes as soon as they become available - however I have been waiting for almost a year for the promised second and third volumes of the book. I am hoping that the publisher or author can give us a firmer lead time for their final release.

I've read a lot of books on herbalism, but this series of books is a unique and extremely valuable find. Dale Pendell covers a wide variety of herbs and their affects on the human mind, body and spirit. What makes his book different from others is the poetic way in which he conveys his information. It makes reading the books far from dull or dry, and some herbal books read like medical textbooks in that sense. The authors brilliance, wisdom and sheer depth and bredth of knowledge shines through in this series, and I can't think of any other books that cover the "poisonous" herbs and substances in such a way. Read Pharmako/Poeia and you will probably want to buy Pharmako/Dynamis and Pharmako/Gnosis. They are all valuable to the herbalist, folklorist, entheobotanist, or anyone who just wants to know about the uses and side effects of various plants that are often stigmatized in our culture. Subjects range from:

Opium
Marjuana
Alcohol (beer, wine, distilled spirits)
Absinthe
Salvia
Tobacco
Nitrous
Kava Kava
And even, fossil fuel.

But don't think that he advocates the use (or abuse) of all these plants. He gives you the information, what they do, their history, and side effects. You will find no propaganda or scare tactics, just the truth (and the truth of what some of these plants can do is scary enough without embellishment!)

Another plus of these books: They're aesthetically pleasing. I honestly can't think of any problems with this series of books: Informative, accurate and beautiful. Dale Pendell is an asset to the herbalist community.

I liked the fact that the author spent enough time in explaining the various exercises in the book.I was really impressed by this, because I've bought other books in the market, and I felt that their messages weren't really clear.I found the book extremely useful,because my clients were already familiar with basic balance ball workouts.The exercise in here, injected some new life into my client's workouts.

Body Sculpt has given me more tools for my at-home workouts. I occasionally use the exercises at the gym and some of my friends are amazed at what can be accomplished with the fitness ball.

This book has great photos and personal training tips to build up your "core" which gets you motivated to try the advanced balance poses and exercises.

If you have a fitness ball and love it, you must get this book. It will re-motivate and amaze you. The results are great and the satisfaction that you can achieve an advanced state is even better.

Having been athletically active all of my life, I am nevertheless concerned that, as I get older, my flexibility and balance is deteriorating. Mr.Frediani's book was suggested as presenting a means of improving these attributes. I obtained the book and asked my trainer to incorporate it into my regular workout. We have done so and the results have been very satisfying. I highly recommend use of the exercise ball and Mr. Frediani's book. It adds to my routine elements of pilates and yoga, and makes interesting a workout which otherwise was getting all too routine. By the way, I'm having trouble getting the book back from my trainer.

I'm a fitness instructor looking for more natural exercises to keep my clients away from machines. Paul's PowerSulpt workouts do exactly that. This book has allowed me to build out my client's routnies with safe alternatives to heavy weights and machines and also provides elements of balance and complexity that mimic moves in ways that people do natuarally in everyday life.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge Mr. Frediani.

A wonderful book on swiss ball exercises that compliments and is the third supporting leg of a total workout when combined with weight training and aerobics. The exercises look easy but the effort involved is a challenging workout that is very satisfying. This book is not just for women!!! I enjoyed this book and use it daily along with variations from Paul Fredian's other book Surf Flex. I am 56 years old and these exercises have improved my indurance, strength and flexibility.

This is the most informative book I have seen on eye care and improvement. I notice an improvement in 4 weeks, but have much further to go.

The information is presented in a very clear, well-organized, and succinct way. The instructions for the exercises are very clear and thorough. I especially like the "What to Watch For" and "Notes" sections for each exercise. I feel like it's hard not to do these exercises correctly with all the notes and observations the author adds. The testimonials at the beginning and the introductory chapters really gave me hope and enthusiasm in this program. I just started the program, but I feel this book will have been valuable even if I do not see improvement in the "First Stage" of the program.

The "First Stage" is only 8 weeks, with a simple exercise for each day. Eight weeks is quite a short time considering how long it took for some of our vision to have deteriorated this much. The exercises taught seem like they should be helpful in the prevention of my worsening nearsightedness, if not improvement.

I read through the non-exercises part of this book quickly--its content is all relevant. It seems helpful to read through the exercises before starting because some may require other materials, such as a fusion string for the first exercise or a voice recorder for the visualization exercise later on. The schedule asks that you follow it strictly (6 days a week with the 7th day as a rest day) so I'd rather not discover that I'm missing materials on the day for a certain exercise.

I wish the materials were either included in the book or that we were warned that it might be helpful to order the materials from The Cambridge Institute for Better Vision. The materials are easy to make or find, though--it's just a "tad" more trouble.

If you are looking around Amazon at all the different vision improvement books, this is the one that is worth investing in. It is clear, succinct, and offers a step by step program that is thoroughly outlines and easy to follow. A lot of the other books on the subject offer a lot of information, but fail to give the reader a program to follow. Martin Sussman's book also explains why and how vision works and why it will improve with this program. I just got the book, but already his techniques have completely changed my (previously negative)attitude toward my vision.

When I started this program, my perscription was -4.75 in each eye with enough astigmatism that I had to wear glasses to correct it. Now, three months later, I wear contacts at -3.50 and no correction for astigmatism and am seeing 20/20. I have hope that someday I might not need lenses at all.

This book explains everthing about you eyesight and the way you can improve it. I recommend it.

I have been doing this exercise routine, or a variation thereof, for about four months now, and it has worked extremely well. This is a very simple plan, but doing just this amount every day is better for you than intermittently doing more strenuous or demanding workouts. And once you master this simple plan, there's no reason not to add on more routines/exercises. You can also do this several times a day (early morning, and then evening for me), which increases its effectiveness.

(Note: I have also been eating a largely whole grain/vegetable diet lately, so some of the fitness can be ascribed to weight loss, but not all. I think they complement each other well.)

it is especially for people who aren't used to move a lot, for people who live a very sedentary life. and the book makes it very easy for them to change this life style into an active one. the workout routine it suggests is extremely easy to follow and helpful.

This program is simple indeed: 10 minutes of brisk walking or simple aerobic stepping, followed by 5 minutes of strength and flexibility routines using two-5 lb. dumbells. Plus lots of good motivational advice. This is the minimum program-you can expand it by speeding up the walk, adding arm movements to the steps, more weight to the dumbells, or by adding a few more strength and flexibility routines. This author makes no presumptions about your physical abilities-if you need to start working out on a bed instead of the floor, he provides you with the basic tools and urges you to get started. I bought a perfectly good copy from one of Amazon's associated stores for a few dollars: I am doing it every day, and it really works for me.

Richard Bradley is the Director of the Fitness Center at the Department of Transportation here in Washington, D.C. He created Quick Fit to give time-crunched federal workers a fast, simple workout that they could fit into their schedules any time, without even changing clothes.
I'm a federal worker myself, facing the same time challenges. I've tried Bradley's Quick fit workout, and it certainly works as advertised.
But the choice of exercises IS limited and you will probably quickly outgrow them. I recommend buying "Quick Fit" and using it to learn these principles:
-- It IS possible to pack a complete, effective workout into 15 or 20 minutes.
-- Fitness success lies not in WHAT you do, but in doing it consistently.
-- Consistency in exercise hinges on keep the whole thing simple and convenient.
-- The "perfect" workout is one that people will actually DO.
The only downside is that, at first, I felt self-consious working out in my civvies. But no one in our agency's fitness center gives a darn or gives me a second look. And I've noticed that a few other people now work out in their civvies, too.
Bradley's "Quick Fit" is an excellent book, and a good place to get started. I recommend it.

Don't have time to exercise? The last of the good excuses is gone with this guide to 15-minute, no-sweat workouts presenting 10 minutes of aerobic activity, 4 minutes of strengthening exercises, and 1 minute of stretches. Step-by-step illustrations demonstrate just how to do them, case history successes link exercises to positive results, and the author comes with credentials: he's directed the Occupational Health and Fitness program at the U.S. DOT for the past twenty-five years, and presented extensive seminars to business and government groups alike. With Quick Fit: The Complete 15-Minute No-Sweat Workout, even those who are most pressed for time have no excuse now.

I wanted to know about real food that has not been adulterated with pestecides and hormones. I wanted to learn how to eat properly for me and my familet's health. This book provided all that information in detail and also made me aware that to get this good food we have to support our local farmers. I now purchase most of our foods from local farmers markets and I am now considering learning how to preserve good food to get us through the winter. This is the best book on this subject I have read out of at least 30 books.

In recent years, our society has become more and more obsessed about food. Many people consciously count calories, limit fat intake, and cut carbohydrates hoping to become healthy. At the same time, however, our food has never before contained so many additives or had so many chemical and other unnatural processes occur before the product ever reaches the supermarket. Such things not only reduce the nutritional value and tastiness of our food but may even be detrimental to our health.

The authors propose a real food revival to counter these costly effects. This revival takes the form of understanding the processes that our food undergoes to get to us and determining the freshest, least processed food products on the market. At first, this task seems almost impossible given that many of us have very little time to research, seek out, and then prepare these products. However, this book sets out in an easy to understand way, various practices that reduce food nutrition and taste starting from the raising of animals and the growing of crops through the antibodies given to these animals and the pesticides used on these plants to the chemicals and freezing processes that keep foods looking flawless during transportation and storage. The authors then explain ways that consumers can reduce costs and increase potential nutritional value of the food they buy. The simplest of these plans is to buy local foods in season, limiting the amount of chemicals that are needed to keep the product looking perfect during long periods of transportation.

Are you sick of eating tasteless food that may contain genetically modified ingredients or harmful amounts of pesticides and herbicides? Check out this book, and take back your right to good food! This is a great book, and really inspired me to take control of what I and my family eat. Learn how to find out what is in the food you buy, and how to insure a steady supply of fresh, nutritious food for your family. Includes some practical steps we can all take, and a list of resources in the back.

I was so impressed that I bought 6 additional copies to give to close friends. It's not preachy or radical, just wholesome information. Like the other reviewers, I was appalled of what I learned about food and livestock production, it's impact on the environment thus our economy. I particularly laud the German, French, and Japanese governments for the food production actions they are taking to protect their people. The EU is also instituting humane legislation for chickens that has a deadline of 2012. I consider the current pertinent laws a blatant selling out of the American peoples' health by the USDA and FDA (not from content from this book, but other books and web searches) through lobbying antics by mega international food and chemical producers (most started here and then went international). I also quit Splenda (as a RN I had been one of its strongest proponents to diabetics and overweight persons) and went back to sugar (now organic) and will soon try stevia. I think each of us has a responsibility to make our consumer demands for healthy products well known by no longer purchasing unhealthy food products and notifying our local, state and federal government officials of the same, including the USDA and FDA. Unfortunately money or political votes seem to be the only way to get a message through nowadays. As an aside, Monsanto and the US government own a shared patent on technology that renders a plant's seeds sterile so they cannot be saved for future plantings. Sounds like a bad science fiction movie or a take off from Logan's Run (1976) or a more accurate Soylent Green (1973), but it's really true. In the latter movie, when Charlton Heston says the freeze dried company developed its technolgy for soylent green in Norfolk,VA, I about flipped out that 1973 Hollywood even knew my hometown existed.

Whether you're like me and you were outraged by "Fast Food Nation" and "The Future of Food," or like the author of this book, you simply miss the taste of your grandmother's home-grown peaches, this book is an excellent resource on how to eat Real Food. By Real Food, the writers mean food that is not genetically modified, grown with harmful chemicals, or overly processed. The writers take you through the grocery store, aisle by aisle, explaining exactly what terms such as "free-range," "antibiotic-free," "USDA inspected," and "natural" really mean. It is eye-opening as well as interesting. One thing I particularly like about this book is that the writers do not insist that you must be vegetarian or vegan. They include plenty of information on buying meat, dairy, and eggs that are healthy and sustainable.