Run Your Butt Off!: A Breakthrough Plan to Shed Pounds and Start Running (No Experience Necessary!)by Leslie Bonci , Sarah Butler , Budd Coates

Overview
Shed unwanted pounds and keep them off ONCE AND FOR ALL with Run YourButt Off!, a back-to-basics, test panel-approved weight-loss plan and beginners' running program that yields sustainable, healthy results. The Run Your Butt Off! program is founded on the simple concept that in order to lose weight, calories burned must exceed calories consumed. No gimmicks, no shortcuts, no silver bullets can circumvent that reality. With this program, you'll learn to burn fat from both sides of the weight-loss equation—the calories in and the calories out—at the same time. Run Your Butt Off! will make you fitter, stronger , and leaner .

My thoughts:
I wish I had found this book when I took up running this summer.  I had my own plan and I think having had these ideas to follow through on might have helped make it look more achievable.  The plan takes you for 12 weeks, or longer if you want to spend more than one week at a level and running plan, and you go from walking for 30 minutes to running for 30 minutes.  Each chapter also has some ideas to help you adapt your life to more healthy sustainable approaches like eating more fruits, vegetables and protein and reading food labels. Actual people who participated in the program are featured with achievable goals.  No one lost absurd amounts of weight in the 12 weeks, but everyone made progress toward their own goals.  A mother at my daughter's  Brownie meeting was telling me how this book was written by someone in our area and she has applied to be one of the walkers in the next book, about Walking Your Butt Off!  She encouraged me to apply, but as I have already been running I don't qualify for the the new book and I don't want to give up running to go back to walking anyway.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to get started with running.  I checked it out of the local library, and need to get it returned as it was due today, which would be a great way to see if it what you are looking for before buying it.  I loved the calculator online to find out your BMI and the logs at the back.  Personally I've been using Dailymile for logging my exercise and I like that more than a paper pencil method, but I can see the merits of both.


Details
•Pub. Date: March 2011
•Publisher: Rodale Press, Inc.
•Format: Paperback , 304pp
•ISBN-13: 9781605294049
•ISBN: 1605294047

Mile Markers: The 26.2 Most Important Reasons Why Women Run by Kristin Armstrong

Overview:
In Mile Markers, Runner’s World contributing editor Kristin Armstrong captures the ineffable and timeless beauty of running, the importance of nurturing relationships with those we love, and the significance of reflecting on our experiences. This collection considers the most important reasons women run, celebrating the inspiring passion runners have for their sport and illustrating how running fosters a vitally powerful community. With unique wit, refreshing candor, and disarming vulnerability, Armstrong shares her conviction that running is the perfect parallel for marking the milestones of life. From describing running a hardfought race with her tightly-knit group of sweat sisters, to watching her children participate in the sport for the very first time, Armstrong infuses her experiences with a perspective of hope that every moment is a chance to become a stronger, wiser, more peaceful woman. Running threads these touching stories together, and through each of them we are shown the universal undercurrents of inspiration, growth, grace, family, empowerment, and endurance.

My thoughts:
Last month I took up running for 11 days.  I know that doesn't sound like very long and I keep saying I am going to do it again but haven't done the greatest job following through on it.  In my 11 days I added to how long I ran each day, starting with just four minutes that made me feel like I was going to explode, to getting to almost a half hour.  I ran the longest I ever have and felt good about it, and then I took a break for a day which turned into a month.  When I saw this book at the library it felt like it was there for a reason.  My whole life I have been telling myself that I can't run, but that isn't really based on anything real, just that running makes me uncomfortable.  I'm not a big fan of sweating and running makes me sweat, but after my try last month I know I can do it.

I loved this book from beginning to end.  I found something in each chapter that inspired me and made me want to grow and change as a person.  When I picked it up I didn't realize that Kristin Armstrong used to married to Lance Armstrong and I was impressed that, while she mentions her ex-husband when it comes to her children, Kristin never says anything bad about Lance as a person.  She really only mentions him when she writes about feeling melancholy on her children's "Daddy days" or in connection to their children.

This book uses posts that were done on the blog Armstrong keeps for Runner's World magazine and then they are grouped into 26, with a small .2 at the end as an epilogue, categories.  Because of this not all of it chronological.  Sometimes her twins are 5 other times they are 8, her age and her friends birthdays jump around too, but everything is grouped under umbrella topics for running.  This was another book that brought up so many ideas and feelings for me.  I was impressed by how much faith in God Kristin has and how comfortable she is in expressing it.  I thought of her a lot too in the way she deals with her children and the patience she has.  One passage talks about how our attitude can really make or break something and if we start thinking about things in terms of "get to" rather than "have to" it can change our whole mindsets.  Make chores into blessings.

Another passage that she got from a quote from someone else is that if you keep doing the same things you've always done you will get the same thing you've always gotten.  She was told this in a yoga class, but it really could go with anything.  It is so easy to get stuck in a rut with routine and regular things that to change things up can make all the difference.  Like when babies are small and seem fussy, often times if you take them outside they calm down because it is different than before.

She takes things she learns from running and applies them to life, like breaking up miles into chunks just as we can break up difficult tasks, looking ahead instead of looking behind and taking time for yourself.  At one point she describes taking her children on a vacation because she felt like she was always telling her 'little people" to hurry and go and they didn't seem to want to hurry and go which told her it was time for them all to take a break.  That hurry and go thing is going full swing here at my house.  The older kids have a little over a week left of school and all their activities are winding down, but every night we are out the door to go somewhere for someone, sometimes more than one place.  We are all looking forward to less rush and a more relaxed schedule.

A big part of running for Kristin is her friends, or "sweat sisters".  A couple summers ago I used to walk every night with neighbors and that time was so nice.  It was easier to talk while we walked and it was like we had the chance to exercise both our bodies and express ourselves at the same time.  It was harder to decide not to go walking because someone else was waiting for you and expecting you.

I was looking for inspiration to start running again, which I found, but I also found ideas for life as well.  Yesterday I parked by a car that said"13.1" in an oval magnet on the back and today I was behind one that said, "RUN", "26.2" and "Runner Girl".  If this keeps getting in my path it is time to get back into running.  I even looked up a local 5K I can do in two months for added motivation!  I recommend this book to even non-runners because it is so inspiring and motivating.



Details
•Pub. Date: March 2011

•Publisher: Rodale Press, Inc.
•Format: Hardcover , 288pp
•ISBN-13: 9781609611064
•ISBN: 1609611063

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How to Never Look Fat Again by Charla Krupp

How to Never Look Fat Again by Charla Krupp

Product Details
Pub. Date: March 2010
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Format: Hardcover, 253pp


Synopsis
The new groundbreaking style-guide from bestseller author Charla Krupp on how to look 10 pounds lighter, 10 years younger and 10 times sexier every day, all year--in summer, winter, at the gym, even in a swimsuit!

You'll never get dressed the same way again once you discover:

*smart, easy ways to hide arm flap, a big bust, a muffin top, back fat, Buddha belly, a big booty, wide hips, thunder thighs, and heavy calves-and that's only half the book.

*which fabrics, colors, and styles make women look fat

*absolutely the best shades, shapes, and brilliant buys to make the pounds invisible

*clever solutions for special fashion situations--workout gear, evening wear, and even swimsuits!

*which products, fashions, and services you shouldn't waste your money on

*the top ten tips that will make you look thinner by tonight!

So, if you've ever put on a piece of clothing and asked "Does this make me look fat?" Finally, here is the book that will answer your question.


My thoughts:

I reviewed this book a year ago, but this afternoon when I was reading People magazine I saw that it was just released in paperback.  This is the same review I posted in March of 2010.:

How to Never Look Fat Again is so much more comprehensive than I was expecting. I hadn’t realized it was a follow-up book to another one entitled How Not to Look Old. While we all want to look good there are some simple mistakes women can make on an everyday basis that can make us look heavier and looking heavier even a little can affect a woman’s ability to get a better job or receive raises. She does qualify that this book is geared for women who are in their normal weight range or slightly overweight, not for anyone who is obese.

Krupp includes a list of clothing and fabrics that she considers high-fat, low-fat and no-fat as well as a quiz for the reader to use to see how the current clothes she has in her closet fit into this rating system. I have to admit I was a bit overwhelmed when I started chapter one and it was asking if your face shape, hair, or make-up was making you look fat. But the common sense is there and I skimmed areas that didn’t pertain to me. For example, while not having bangs might add weight to my face I can’t stand them, they drive me nuts, so I will take any extra weight it adds for me to be comfortable.

I did like her pages of vows of what not to do. Reminders about not parting hair in the middle or dying hair black or wearing cutesy hair accessories jumped out at me. Plus I like the swap outs in each chapter suggesting that instead of one thing you do another similar but slimming thing instead, like instead of a boat neck you try a scoop neck to elongate your neck. Also the use of the same model showing do’s and don’ts make more of an impression than just reading about it. Seeing someone making different choices and looking much slimmer was eye opening.

One trick I’ve seen before but have to admit needs repeating is get sized for a new bra in the correct size and make sure it is supportive enough. By making your midsection as long as possible (by having your breasts in the right place not down at your elbows) makes a big difference. I see this all the time when out in public and it is something I am very conscious of. One thing I disagree on is putting jeans in the dryer. I love my jeans when they are first washed because that is when they fit the best, by the end of the day they have stretched out again and I can’t wait to wear them from the dryer again. Because of that I try to buy them a little longer than I need so they have room to shrink.

One of her reminder messages to all of us is that as we age we can no longer eat as much as we could when we were younger. It is so hard to get used to eating less though. She tells her own story of how she used to be able to use the Weight Watchers plan and with 18 points a day she could easily drop extra weight, but she recently discovered that that plan wasn’t working for her anymore. When she saw her weight Watcher coach she found out that 18 points was now too many and that she needed less. This is particularly hard with eating out because at restaurants the portion of food is so much more than most of us need, but hard to resist when it is sitting on the table in front of us especially when you are socializing and not as focused on the food.

My favorite part of the book was at the end. While I know I should go through my closet and remove clothes that aren’t flattering I am a bit too frugal to do it all at once. I tend to wear things until they wear out (last month I finally threw away a pair of jeans that had a hole in one back pocket, a hole in one front pocket, and a hole in the knee. What landed them in the trash was that when I was folding them the button from the front fell off, at which point I decided they were beyond repair!). That said, I am going to be more selective next time I go through my closet and weed out more items that I rarely wear because I don’t like how they look. Back to the book though, she gives ideas for what to do with your cast offs (eBay, clothing swap, donate) and then 37 tips to be thinner. Who knew putting cinnamon on things helps to burn calories? I am making better choices at the grocery store, I keep walking to the pantry to find chocolate or chips but they are no longer there, so I am able to stop myself from eating them simply by not having them available.

I think I will be using her tips as I add new clothes to my wardrobe and as I decide what to discard from what I own, but I do not plan on replacing everything even if it isn't the most flattering. I wore a sweater today that probably made me look heavier than I am but that for some reason I just love. Since I really like it I am willing to look less than my best to enjoy wearing it, that balances out any negatives about it's appearance for me!

Biography

Charla Krupp has done more than 100 style segments on The Today Show and she has appeared on Good Morning America, Oprah, The View, Dateline NBC, and has been a regular on The E! Channel and Home Shopping Network. She was beauty director of Glamour, editor of In Style, beauty editor for People's Style Watch and executive editor of Shop Etc. Magazine. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, InStyle, Glamour, Shop Etc., People, Cosmopolitan, The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and Time.

Book details: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780446563956.htm

Author Website: http://www.blogger.com/goog_636694470

Twitter: http://twitter.com/charlakrupp

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/HOW-TO-NEVER-LOOK-FAT-AGAIN-CHARLA-KRUPP/289932520885?ref=ts

It Doesn't Count if ...it's the last one: 204 More Reasons Why You Can Eat That by Daisy Westmoor

Synopsis

There’s nothing fun about dieting.

Except cheating!

Never fear when the craving hits for that emergency chocolate hidden in your drawer. Inside this delicious little book, you’ll find your greatest hopes realized: more than 200 reasons why you can eat what you want without a hint of guilt. You already know that it doesn’t count if you take it off someone else’s plate. Now there’s more good news: It doesn’t count if you worked out within twelve hours of eating it. Or if you’re having a bad hair day!

Your real diet may start tomorrow. But for now, this book is a wonderful (and calorie-free!) way to pretend.

My thoughts:
I'll admit it, I was hungry when I bought this book.  I was a the dollar store getting ready for a birthday party and I saw it on the shelf.  That was earlier tonight and honestly, I'm still hungry.  But that is not the point of the book, of course!

I think a lot of us do rationalize eating something when we think we shouldn't with a variety of excuses.  I know one of my stumbling blocks to keeping my food journal is that I don't always know how many calories something has.  What do you write down for the lick of cupcake batter or the baked treat that someone made so it doesn't come with a nutrition label?  Sometimes I do eat something from my kids plates when I am cleaning the table and they didn't finish something.  How many calories are in two bites of a roll?  Daisy gives a whole slew of humorous reasons why you can eat something.  It  is the last one, you just worked out, you are wearing workout clothes, the diet doesn't start until tomorrow, your scale is broken, you just had good sex or bad sex, you just got dumped, it wasn't your plate and so on.  But the best reason is her last, "it doesn't count unless you want it too".  In taking charge of our own health and wellness it is up to us to make the adjustments we need to be what we want to be.  I started the new year with such good intentions, and some of them I've followed through on, but diet and exercise are two of the harder ones for me.  I need to make it all count because I want to not because I have to.

Biography
DAISY WESTMOOR loves looking delicate—but not as much as she loves cupcakes. She was raised in East Orange, New Jersey, but all her friends reside in Bakewell. Daisy lives in New York with her two boxes of chocolate (given to her as gifts, naturally).


Product Details

Pub. Date: December 2008
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Format: Hardcover , 112pp
ISBN-13: 9780307451484
ISBN: 0307451488

"The Power of Respect: Benefit from the Most Forgotten Element of Success" by Deborah Norville

This book is well written and very nicely organized. Norville first defines respect and how it starts at home, how it can be taught in a family, how it works in a marriage or a friendship, how it functions in the workplace, how it's lack can affect both a school or business, and how an individual can work on their own self respect. She uses examples from research and from the lives of people she knows either personally or through her work on Inside Edition. The chapters are clearly marked for easy use by parents, teachers or businesses.

Having small children I was very interested in how to teach respect to children and as an educator I really enjoyed how she showed respect at work at schools and the great difference it made in not just behavior but also academic achievement when school wide respect programs were implemented with student involvement. It is eyeopening to think about how she is right, often we are more respectful to strangers we meet during the course of our day than we are to our own families. You can build people up by showing them respect, at home, at school, or at work and that building up can build a foundation for the future.
http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

"The Power of No: How to Keep Blowhards and Bozos at Bay" by Beth Wareham

Description from Amazon.com:
"The terrible yes years. You know them well: You're suckered into working late and often, unflattering haircuts and poodle perms, back-fat-exposing blouses, too small jeans, treacherous friendships, and dudes who kiss like a Saint Bernard…all because you couldn't use that one little word…that one little word with so much power…N-O.
Unlike "please respect my boundaries," N-O has teeth. It says jump back! Stand down! Mess-with-me-at-your-peril! It can be delivered like a whisper or spat out like a curse. N-O is perfect for every relationship, from cubicle to corner office, backyard to bedroom, dry cleaner to grocery store. Worn on your hip and drawn in one smooth action, NO lets you say, "I don't have time for this nonsense. I am making a great life here."
The perfect book for anyone who has ever been passed over for a promotion, dated jerks, married a disaster, suffered too many fools, or just needed more time alone, The Power of No will teach you how to manage what you don't want and get what you do. "

Review and my thoughts:
When I was at the library on Monday, not needing any new books for myself (I was there to return some books on CD that I listen to in the car with my children and pick out some new ones to listen to) I wandered through the new books section. When I was about to cross the threshold I almost said no to myself but now I'm glad I didn't. This book jumped out at me because of the big "NO" on the cover. Right now I feel like we are in fundraiser hell, every week one of the schools or organizations my children belong to send something new home for us to order from and try to sell to our friends. I hate asking people to buy overpriced stuff and was looking for help at saying no without feeling guilty about it. I want to say no not just to fundraisers, but to the multiple requests I get to volunteer my time to work a consession stand at football or chair a committee for the PTA or shelve books at the library etc.

I wish I had had some of this advice in college and when I was dating because I wasted so much time waiting for a call or wondering if I was going to hear from a guy. My best semester in college was the one where I didn't date anyone seriously and just had fun on my own terms when I wanted to.

Saying no is so hard for me. Not so much to my children, I tell them no all the time if it fits the situation, but when asked to volunteer my time or do something extra I feel like I often say yes when what I really want to say is no. One of the tips I am definitely going to incorporate into my life is saying that I need to think about it before giving an answer.

Some parts of the book dragged a bit, like she was repeating the same thing too much but if you're reading the book it is most likely because you need to get hit over the head a bit with the need to use the word no when appropriate. I agree that sometimes in order to not have someone else get annoyed at me or probably out of a misguided fear that I won't be liked anymore I say yes to things I don't want to do. Then the person I'm mad at is myself, wouldn't it be better tolet someone else be annoyed rather than being mad at myself?

Hopefully I'm starting down the right path to reserve more time for me for what I want to do rather than saying yes to chores that won't be anywhere near as fulfilling.