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A review by stacys_books
Body by You: The You Are Your Own Gym Guide to Total Women's Fitness by Mark Lauren, Joshua Clark
3.0
Picked this up for $1.99. Overall, I'd say it was worth it. I really like the exercises and how you can move through them gradually. I like that there's no equipment other than a hand towel (for Let Me Ins and sometimes the squats)--which makes it easy to do these exercises virtually anywhere. If you're one of those people who find doing even a few push-ups too hard--even when you're modifying them--these are a great way to work your way up to them.
The only issue I have with this book is that Lauren makes some stupid comments about cardio. He says not to do it at all--pretty much going against every single doctors' and medical experts' advice ever. Yes, if you do too much cardio, it's possible to burn muscle. You also burn muscle if you eat too little. But let's face it: most of us need SOME cardio. Are resistance training exercises important? Absolutely. But SO many studies have been done that it's pretty safe to say a combination of cardio and resistance training is the best way to go. And a recent study showed that cardio helps your body get rid of fat in your organs. When you're overweight or obese, your liver can store fatty tissue, and that can wreak havoc on your metabolism. And your heart--you need cardio for good heart health. So... just a word to the wise.
I started off with just these exercises for the first two weeks. I didn't feel like I did much at all during my first work out, but the next day, my thigh muscles were so sore I could barely walk down a flight of stairs. But I noticed no difference in how I felt, and I sort of missed riding my recumbent bike. So I started again, and that's when I started to see a change. So for me, a combination of cardio and these resistance training exercises has worked best. The cardio keeps me more alert and has pretty much gotten rid of my mind fog. The resistance exercises have slimmed me down somewhat and have definitely made me stronger.
I knocked off two stars for the cardio comments. I think they're dangerous. But the exercises are really good, and it's great that you don't need special equipment, which makes this a cost-conscious and effective program.
The only issue I have with this book is that Lauren makes some stupid comments about cardio. He says not to do it at all--pretty much going against every single doctors' and medical experts' advice ever. Yes, if you do too much cardio, it's possible to burn muscle. You also burn muscle if you eat too little. But let's face it: most of us need SOME cardio. Are resistance training exercises important? Absolutely. But SO many studies have been done that it's pretty safe to say a combination of cardio and resistance training is the best way to go. And a recent study showed that cardio helps your body get rid of fat in your organs. When you're overweight or obese, your liver can store fatty tissue, and that can wreak havoc on your metabolism. And your heart--you need cardio for good heart health. So... just a word to the wise.
I started off with just these exercises for the first two weeks. I didn't feel like I did much at all during my first work out, but the next day, my thigh muscles were so sore I could barely walk down a flight of stairs. But I noticed no difference in how I felt, and I sort of missed riding my recumbent bike. So I started again, and that's when I started to see a change. So for me, a combination of cardio and these resistance training exercises has worked best. The cardio keeps me more alert and has pretty much gotten rid of my mind fog. The resistance exercises have slimmed me down somewhat and have definitely made me stronger.
I knocked off two stars for the cardio comments. I think they're dangerous. But the exercises are really good, and it's great that you don't need special equipment, which makes this a cost-conscious and effective program.