Authors at their best offering useful advice
Achievement is in this year, judging from the latest fitness-book stream. Run a marathon, gut out a triathlon and, of course, drop those dress sizes. The most remarkable thing about you-can-do-it books is that they’ve multiplied like racing rabbits. Some seem helpful, but far too many of them are author vanity in disguise.
I focused on the “other” fitness books, the ones that took more relaxed, less guilt-ridden paths toward staving off aging, helping kids get exercise and finding peace of mind:
”Chris Carmichael’s Fitness Cookbook,” by Chris Carmichael (Berkley Trade Paperback, $15).
Ah, the power of the blurb, that pithy recommendation plastered on the book jacket.
“I would not be the only seven-time Tour de France champion without him,” Lance Armstrong says of Carmichael.
Cha-ching.
But Carmichael’s book seems somewhat worthy. It is chock-full of clear nutrition talk and more than 80 recipes that are incorporated into Carmichael’s “periodization” program.
Periodization is categorizing distinct activity levels that change through the year. In a structured form, like Armstrong’s training, it breaks training goals into manageable sessions so you rest, build and peak at proper times.
Your activity level changes with the training periods – or seasons. So your nutrition requirements and approaches should change, too.
Carmichael and co-author Jim Rutberg also throw in a guide to high-energy, vegetarian and quick meals.
“The Shaolin Workout: 28 Days to Transforming Your Body and Soul the Warrior’s Way” by Sifu Shi Yan Ming (Rodale Books, $29.95 hardcover).
This is a fascinating book about a fascinating martial-arts philosophy presented by a fascinating man. Indeed, this is one of the more curious books I’ve perused in some time.
The good: Sifu Shi Yan Ming is a kung fu master and 34th-generation Shaolin warrior monk who defected to the U.S. in 1992 during the last stop on the first-ever tour by the Shaolin Temple Monks. He does his best to provide lessons into mental and spiritual discipline on your way to building strength, agility and quickness.
The bad: The chances are slim you will really grasp the workouts and concepts from the book Indeed, the media materials brag and brag and brag about his Hollywood pupils, and that cheapens, not accentuates, his credentials. Aren’t his ability and learning enough? Do we really need to know that actress Rosie Perez recommends him?
Actually, you might want to look at the book and find a club to practice what looks like an elegant workout.
”Child Obesity: A Parent’s Guide to a Fit, Trim and Happy Child” by Dr. Goutham Rao (Prometheus Books, $18 paperback).
We are an overfed nation, and that includes our kids. Rao takes on this problem by highlighting the culprits and offering ways to change kids’ behaviors. Think lifestyle.
The five main fatteners according to Rao are soft drinks, fast food, television and video games, general inactivity at home and school, and the changing family schedule that has led to an overconsumption of “convenience” food.
The second half of the book offers suggestions for helping kids achieve their healthy weight; examples of success stories are included.
Rao, clinical director of the Weight Management and Wellness Center at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, spends considerable space discussing how changing behavior has the power to control weight. What he does best is emphasize that there are no magic bullets. I see way too many gimmicks.
“The Anti-Aging Fitness Prescription” by Z. Altug and Dr. Tracy Olgeaty Gensler (Hatherleigh Press, $17.95 paperback).
By 2050, demographers say, there will be 800,000 centenarians in the U.S., up from the 50,000 today. Will you be one of them? Would you be healthy enough for that to be a good thing?
This book tries to prepare not only boomers but also those of us in our 30s and early 40s. The basic message is this: Get smart about nutrition, exercise and how you live – now.
What is the prescription? Regular exercise. Try to eat the right nutrients, three times a day. Manage stress. Get enough sleep. Don’t forget vitamin D.
Altug, a physical therapist at the UCLA Medical Center, and Gensler, a registered dietician, offer plenty of quick tips on everything from nutrition to working off stress.
It’s easy to read and full of common-sense, objective information. Overall, it’s not a book for people already leading a healthy lifestyle, but even they likely will pick up a thing or two.
Richard Seven is a Pacific Northwest magazine writer at The Seattle Times.