Really excellent

This is the best book I've read on this subject.Clear instructions and useful photographs.I would definitely recommend it. My one reservation is that maybe it doesn't go into great depth about muscles, with diagrams, etc unlike other books on the subject.

It's simple but that's the beauty of it!

I've always fancied being a runner; striding effortlessly along, mind and body in perfect harmony. The reality is that I'm overweight and not as fit as I should be. On my infrequent attempts to start, I've set off full of enthusiasm only to grind to a halt literally minutes later, feeling as if I'm about to vomit and humiliated by the whole experience, never to venture out again. <br /><br />Now I know that the 60 second plan isn't rocket science and I know that a long t-shirt will cover my wobbly bits; I know all of this in the same way that I know if I eat less than I need I'll lose weight. That's all very well but turning into practice is another thing entirely.<br /><br />This book gave me the motivation and the tools to get out there. Because it was simple, I didn't feel like a failure; I actually managed to complete what I set out to do. 10 weeks later and I'm going to enter my first 5k fun run with a view to completing 10k by the end of the year. Not bad for someone who couldn't run after the bus 3 months ago.<br /><br />If you want to run but don't know how to start and need motivation, this book is for you! If you already run and want to know how to maximise your carbs to enhance your performance, it's probably not.

Hilarious

This is taiji simpified to nothing. What an accomplishment, folks!!!! Make it so easy that it no longer gives you a workout! Genius!!!

my all time favourite walks book

I adore this book. It is my all time favourite walks book.I've done nearly all the walks in it and cannot reccomend them highly enough.It really helps that they are all accessible by public transport, there is a linked self facilitated walksgroup if you prefer to walk in a group.It's a wonderful way to experience all the different sorts of countryside around London.not to mention the reccomended pubs anbd tearooms whch range from acceptable to absolutely outstanding.The instructions are a wonderful magical mystery tour and even I with absolutely no country sense can follow them.<br />I did the Southbourne to Chichester walk on 28/08/2006 and what a wonderful experience it was, beautiful stroll all round chichester harbour then a visit to the fabulous new pallant house gallery and of course the stunning cathedral.Blackberries to pick in abundance everywhere.<br />If you love walking and you live in greater london please please treat yourself to this amazing book

So many reasons to buy!

This is the 5th book of a series of 7 which were written between 1956 and 1965. The series covers the entire Lake District. This book covers the area north of Keswick and includes Skiddaw, Blencathra and the Caldbeck Fells.
My reasons for recommending the book are as follows:
1. The author is an expert. He has covered the ground, and the information in the book is a small selection of his total knowledge.
2. The guide is accurate. Minor changes have of course happened in the 40 plus years since publication, such as the disappearance of the railway. But the fells are the same. If Wainwright shows a safe route it can be relied on.
3. The author loves the area. He wrote the books initially for himself as a tribute to the hills. His appreciation shines through and is infective.
4. The author is a master draughtsman. The books are hand-written, but you would not initially realise this as the allignments appear perfect. There is joy in just browsing the book for its own sake.
5. The area deserves to be known. I have climbed most of these fells, and each one was a great experience - even Mungrisedale Common. Armed with this book and a little fitness and common sense you can become a mountaineer. The guide will direct you to easy but beautiful climbs (such as Latrigg) and to more strenuous and exciting routes such as Sharp Edge
In conclusion I have used these books for 30 years and they have led me to hours of healthy enjoyment of the fells

Good - but not as good as OS Explorer Maps

This map (which is double-sided to give the best scale) is very good, but it doesn't have all the local roads marked on it which made navigating through the villages a bit confusing. It does have the key walks, levadas and footpaths marked and also a street map for Funchal. It does have the contours (which is essential in such a mountainous island), but note that they are 50m bands (not the usual 10m). However, despite looking in shops in Funchal itself, I've not seen a better map, which therefore makes it the best! <br />(And Madeira is beautiful!)

Excellent little book, amazing walks.

Not really a fan of mapping, walking and navigating around places I'm not familiar with I bought this book, thinking I'd be alright with such a small book, and I may find one or two good walks.

I bought the book overpriced at the local co-op (langdale) whilst I was in the lake district, and even for the price I paid I was extremley pleased with the book.

The detail in some of the guides is immense, it's almost impossible to get lost! And from my experience with this book, the walks I did included breath-taking views, vast, open tarns and many more unique and amazing sights of the true lake district.

I particulary reccomend doing a walk that includes a"tarn", which is a completley natural lake that has developed with no help of human hand (more detail in the book) as you'll simply be amazed. They also provide amazing 'picnic' areas, as not many people are attracted to the less popular ones, you won't be distrubed at all.

At one point, me and my father (who was walking with me at the time) stopped beside a particulary beautiful lake, and listened as we heard nothing. Pure silence.

Another amazing sight that me and my father witnessed was at the top of a mountain, where a jet swooped below us and followed the course of a nearby lake. It was actually below us, flying so low and us climbing so high, you can imagine the impact it had on our walk and the view before us.

If you are expecting a journey to the lake district in the near future this book is definetly something that should be packed, and for less than a fiver (belive me, you'll pay alot more if you purchase it after arriving) it's well worth buying.

Clear, reliable and inspiring walking guide to Mallorca

This book is easy to use with its lay flat spiral binding. The book contains 44 routes in the North & Mountains regions of Mallorca.

If you know the island and have walked there before, you will find some old favourites. But there are several routes in it that were new to me although I have been going there for years.

I like the style of writing and also the helpful details, such as plenty of walk timings along the route, ascents & descents, distance covered, compass direction, recommended refreshment places on or near the route, etc.

Particularly good are the map sections, as they are really clear yet with plenty of detail.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to walk in Mallorca.

An excellent book, and very effective program.

This book contains two very effective training programs, `The Program Minimum' and `The Rite of Passage'. You could summarise these programs in less than a page, it is the attention to detail where this book really shines, hence the 200 other pages.<br />If you are in anyway interested in lifting kettlebells this is the book.<br /><br />Please note I did not buy my copy from Amazon so I can't comment on the price.<br />

Marvellous! Recommended.

When it comes to"self study" guides for pilates, yoga, etc. it seems to me you've got to find the book or DVD that works best for you.<br /><br />With yoga my favorite guide of all time is Richard Hittleman's 28 DAY YOGA EXERCISE. The simple, figure-against-black photographs and straight-forward descriptions are exactly what I needed to learn (decades ago now--my mother gave me my first copy!). For busy folks Hittleman provides easy-to-follow routines.<br /><br />Having bought several pilates books and a DVD, none of which did it for me, I had stopped looking for a pilates book. Then I chanced to see PILATES FOR MEN. 10 minutes later I bought it.<br /><br />Like Hittleman's approach it's the accessibility and ease-of-use that does it for me. The pencil drawings are excellent, with the required movements easy to see. The text is straight-forward. And the exercises are presented in the order you might use them in. This is just what I needed given the way I process"kinesthetic instructions on the page" and a fairly busy life.<br /><br />The trick is to get a copy of this book in your hands and get a sense of how you might use it learning pilates or brushing up and how it might serve you in developing a plan to squeeze into your life.<br /><br />Personally, I'd say this is a classic. But who knows and only time will tell.<br /><br />Dr. Kirtland C Peterson

The Hollywood Bible

This programme must be the most hyped diet and fitness programme of the moment with testimonies from Jessica Simpson (as per the much hailed front cover of US magazine), Halle Berry, Kanye West et al, there is plenty of evidence that it works. I have done Pasternak's programme for 3 weeks now and have lost half a stone with relatively little difficulty. I have to say that I have cheated more than his 1 day cheat allowance (which is great) because alcohol is not allowed and I have had the odd glass of wine here and there. <br /><br />The diet programme looks really complicated (and the ingredient list is overwhelming) but I simplified it dramatically by creating a table and just ticking off when I have a portion of protein, starch, fruit etc. He does tell you how many of each to have a day. A sample day might be: Breakfast: Egg white omlette with smoked salmon on wholegrain toast and a piece of fruit. Mid-morning snack - berry protein shake. Lunch: Tofu and sweet potato curry. Mid afternoon - Cottage cheese on crackers and fruit. Dinner: Fish, veg, rice. So this is definitely no Atkins - he does believe in balance and in eating 5 times a day. <br /><br />At first I stuck to his recipes and it was all-consuming shopping and planning-wise but you do learn how to adapt and simplify and just do a recipe every now and then (freezing extra portions). Everything is in 5's - so eat 5 times a day, work out 5 times a week for 25 minutes at a time etc. You only do 5 minutes cardio warm-up, 3 x 5 minute exercises (you need dumbbells and a bench/ball) and 5 minutes cardio again. That sounds like nothing but he relies on supersetting i.e. you do your cardio and then do exercise 1 and 2 back to back, 3 sets before moving on to the core exercise. He aims that you work at high intensity and do not cool down during it to maximise effort and metabolism. You also get specific rest times between exercises. At first I thought that 25 minutes would never be enough but, to be honest, although you eat a lot, it is not calorically very high, so when you do more, you feel a bit stretched energy-wise. <br /><br />However, I have to say that I do feel a lot more energetic on the whole and it is definitely a life plan rather than a showbiz diet. One tip would be that I joined his website for a week (free trial) and the forums there are really helpful and consist of a lot of people in the same position, asking the same questions. It's fairly new as a site and there were a few blips but overall it is a very helpful extra to the book.<br /><br />Another slight issue was trying to find things like fat free ricotta (even low fat ricotta I have yet to find) and fat free Cheddar but he does say at some point fat free or reduced fat so you learn to work with what you've got. I will definitely be sticking with this although it will take a little longer given the odd extra slip. BTW, the cheat day is great (you eat what you are missing/craving/want) and research says that occasional treats"reassure" your body into letting go of weight rather than going into famine mode. That definitely worked for me because 2 days after my cheat day, I suddenly went down 1kg after what seemed a slow first week. Would I recommend this book and plan - yes, definitely!!!

a good book

Yep, this a good book ,fun to read ,good information and some good humour i was in danger of reading the whole thing in the first day !!!!.(apart from the section on kicks mostley ,as i hurt my back a while ago and dont kick much plus dont like the karate style of chambering and then kicking but well! and even then i found some of it useful so!
A good read and one you will want to come back to and referance again and again.

Muscle

One of the best books I have ever seen. I am about to take the second part of my gym instructor exam and I wish I had bought this before I did my theory test. The instructions for the different exercises are clear and concise, and the muscle diagrams and drawings enable you to understand the different layers and actions. If you are about to eneter the fitness industry, this is one book I highly recommend.

Find it hard to read

I've just bought this book in the hope it'll help me get rid of my sciatica - or at least help me control the pain in some way. <br /><br />While the book it very informative, (I feel) it's also very hard to read. The more I read, the more confused I'm getting trying to diagnose the source which is causing my nerve to irritate.<br /><br />It's not the best laid out back either.

Great fun!

I have never written a review before, but having used these cards on a weekly basis to help me teach yoga classes for the past few months, I felt I had to! They are wonderful. I have been using them with children aged 7-11. They are colour coded to indicate the type of activity (breathing, meditating, stretching, partner positions etc) and incredibly child friendly. One side depicts a colourful illustration of the pose / activity, whilst the other gives step by step instructions (with small diagrams) of how to achieve them. Teachers and parents who have seen me using them have frequently asked where they can buy them. All I can say is this: if you would like some inspiration to guide you, this pack will be invaluable. The kids can choose the cards themselves and create their own sessions to some extent, which they love! A great resource!

Landscapes Of Madeira, by Pat and John Underwood.

I highly recommend"Landscapes of Madeira, by Pat and John Underwood" Sunflower books ISBN 1-85691-200-0.

The book has been written specifically for walking, picnics or short walks using your car, plus dedicated car tours, which guide you by road, to elite locations. All maps are included, car tours and walks are illustrated with colour pictures and detailed easy to follow instructions that"actually explain" how to get to your destination. Even bus timetables are provided. There are several bus companies offering coverage of the entire island. The guide provides a map showing where to get the busses in Funchal (see main town map page) and which colour bus you need to take you to your choice of destination (various bus companies have different colour busses).

The additional information provided is carefully inserted so as to avoid confusing the all important walking instructions. I have purchased many guide books over the years and this is the FIRST book that ever inspired total confidence! My experience proved that nothing else was required.

We based our entire holiday on this book. The only thing I will gain from recommending it is the pleasure of knowing you will have a fantastic holiday - it is"Madeira's bible".

I could not ask for more from a guidebook than Pat and John Underwood offer in their Sunflower guide and consider it to be the essential and"reference standard" in walking guide books.