Fitness for Life Manual by Matt Roberts

A New Year a New Gym?
Review by TheMole

We have all heard the statistics about gym membership - how so many people have it bought as a present or buy it to lose those pounds after Christmas and it is hardly used. One of the principles of healthy exercise is to find something you enjoy and want to do, set yourself sensible achievable goals and go for it.

This book has proved very valuable to me as I embarked on a 'get fit' routine. It starts with introducing the setting of the goal you wish to achieve and then helps you explore ways to enjoy getting to fulfil that goal. It progresses through diet and then covers stretching before moving to exercise itself.

There is always a debate between resistance and aerobic (cardio) exercise as to which is better for the body and this book attempts to address that and has exercise routines based on both methods to suit the individual.

Many of the exercises are pictured in the home, albeit some with equipment specially purchased, but many needing no gym equipment. It covers all the common outdoor exercises such as walking, running and cycling - their benefits and programmes to get the best from your efforts. It covers more exotic fitness sports like skiing as well as things like swimming.

There are also case studies of people who have followed this advice and achieved their goals and these show that it can be achieved.

If you are thinking of going to a gym or just getting fit by your own exercise you will find this book beneficial in improving your efforts, avoiding injury and understanding why you are not progressing as you expected to.

There is a modern trend towards a 'green gym' that is to get outside and get fit and this book will help even if you only plan to start gardening more actively. It will help to prevent and alleviate the post-exercise pains and strains that affect everyone and put so many people off.

I recommend this everyone whose new year resolutions include 'getting fitter'!

Publisher - Dorling Kindersley
Genre - Adult's Non-Fiction

Buy Fitness for Life Manual from Amazon

7 Day Low Fat Low Salt Diet Plan by Carolyn Humphries

An unusual sort of book for us to review - but I found it cheap - very cheap- in a sale at The Works and due to Hubby being on a VERY low fat diet I'm always on the lookout for new ideas.
It's mainly aimed at low fat replacements for family favourites - Spaghetti Bolognese, Scotch Lamb Stew, even Baked Fish and Chips - but with some slightly unusual ones - Vitality Moussaka or Ratatouille Summer Pudding. There's everything from breakfast ideas to planning your meals for the week and even low fat cakes, biscuits and deserts.
I found some slight drawbacks to this book - it's a 1999 edition and I think some of the advice on the nature of fats may have changed since then - for instance there is no mention of trans-fatty acids anywhere. There are no photos of any prepared dishes. A far bigger problem, though, to the novice low fat cook is that although all the recipes are calorie counted, there's no figure for the fat or salt content. Since this book was published this kind of information is generally given in books and magazines and on food packaging. It's probably more useful for someone looking to just modify their diet in the general direction of lowering fat and salt than for someone cutting back severely due to health problems.

It's not, to be honest, the best cookbook I've got and it's certainly not the glossy coffee table sort that are gorgeous to look at and read even if you never cook anything from them, but it is a practical guide to low fat, low salt cooking.

Maryom's review - 3 stars
Publisher - Foulsham
Genre - Non-fiction, Cookery

Buy 7-day Low Fat, Low-salt Diet Plan from Amazon