Misleading Title

If your plans are for travel to Umbria - find another book. The title here is very misleading. The authors open their section on Umbria by admitting they have little to say about it - and then devote a mere sixty pages out of 387 to it. I’ve done Tuscany (who has’nt?) and wanted to explore Umbria - to this end, this book has proved useless.

Revolutionise your running

Very accessible book. You can study running physiology in depth, or skip all that and go straight to the schedules. There are schedules from absolute beginner, through all track & road distances up to elite marathoner. The best bit; they make sense and they WORK - I took 5 mins off my half-marathon time this season. Read this book and you'll wonder how you ever coped without knowing your VDOT.<br />Only four stars as Daniels does not include anything on the specific benefits of hill training, but I guess you can't have it all.

Very powerful method

The power of Pete Egoscue's method is that he's always thinking of the alignment of the whole body, not just the area that is hurting. Some of the e-cises may look familiar, but their power is in the choice of the particular exercises for the particular problem, the order of the exercises, paying attention to the details of how to do them. The whole works out as much more than the sum of the individual parts.

The only drawback is that, at the beginning, an e-cise menu will tend to take quite a bit of time, particularly the all-important supine groin stretch. But, after you've done the exercises for a bit, this stretch will take a lot less time. However, in many cases, you will feel a difference after even one go at his exercises - either with pain relief or a feeling of moving better, straighter and more freely.

I've used it successfully for hip and knee problems in the past and now need to start again because I've been lazy and not been thinking about sorting out pain etc which has crept up on me.

(The other book I'd strongly recommend for anyone with musculoskeletal pain is Clair Davies Trigger Point Therapy Workbook.)

what a fantastic book!

I highly recommned this book! I have never been that fond of exercising before, find gyms very dull and exercise videos limited. I heard Denis Lewis interviewed on the radio talking about this book. She sounded very down-to-earth and made getting fit sound very straight forward. I bought this book hoping it would be useful, but it far exceeded my expectations. <br /><br />The exercises are easy to follow (with good, clear photos showing how to do each exercise), there is a summary of each exercise programme (beginners, intermediate and advanced) with photos of each exercise and how many times to do them at the end of the book (so you dont have to keep turning the page between each exercise), the programme really does take 30 minutes in full (including warm up and cool down) and you dont need any complicated equipment beyond that of a mat and two cushions! <br /><br />I have a very busy and demanding life, so I dont have much time to waste (who does?) so something has to be good for me to stick at it. I do the programme 3 times a week and am starting to see the benefits (after 3 weeks) of a flatter tummy. But more than this, I have much more energy now and feel much healthier. Thank you Denis Lewis for this fantastic book!

Good for referencing

The book has some very good introduction chapters, detailing the history and background of Krav Maga. It points out the difference between KM and martial arts, and why KM is so effective in real life situations. Very well written, and clearly the authors have put a lot of thought into defining things, like the difference between a principle and a technique.<br /><br />The instructions are pretty straightforward and photos are mostly good, though slightly lacking in print contrast. The introduction contains a short terminology list, however the instructions sometimes use words not obvious to the beginner, such as"telegraphing" (the act of revealing your intended attack or move too early). As far as I could tell most techniques were correctly described and explained properly - no wonder considering the source of information is Darren Levine.<br /><br />The book wisely states several times that a book can't replace actual physical training with an instructor, and recommend that you practice the instructions in the book with a friend, first slowly then faster and harder. My words exactly, but the book can be great for referencing the philosophy behind KM and the moves up to a certain level.<br /><br />Having personally trained Krav Maga for a relatively short period of time at the Krav Maga Center in Denmark, it's hats off to a system that's not only very effective but so amazingly easy to remember. Krav Maga is based on the body's own initial and natural responses, and moves are based on principles rather making up a defense for each possible attack you could think of. Reading through the first two instruction chapters (yellow and orange belt) I realized I remembered 99% of all the excercises from my training.<br /><br />I recommend the book for beginners to medium level, while the introduction chapters are probably of interest to everybody who trains Krav Maga.

insightful views

Swami Satchidananda is inspirational.I realised that I was doing robotic puja and trying to do"business deals" with God.This is an important book to understand yourself and your role in society

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Despite the cheesy picture of the author on its cover,"Body for Life" is a pretty good book- although I wouldn't count on looking like the people in the book in just 12 weeks- they no doubt were trying to win the contest that the author puts on and spent a little more than 12 weeks getting into shape. Having said that, I found the book valuable. <br /><br />Why? Well, the best thing the book has going for it is its motivational writing style- which sets the book apart. The book motivates you to eat better (the diet plan is as straightforward as it gets) as well as setting you up on a pretty reasonable exercise program (which involves lifting weights and cardio). <br /><br />All in all, its well laid out and downright inspirational, so, I give it 5 stars. Also recommend"Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff" for readers who have difficulty lifting weights due to a torn cuff or shoulder pain.<br /><br />

A New Level

Is it possible to learn the Alexander Technique from a book? For most books the answer would be no (and maybe even no for Alexander's own books). <br />Alexander's books are a great source of primary information, but he certainly expects the reader/student to do much detailed work and self study. <br />(Fair enough as this is exactly what he himself did).<br />Obviously there a no real shortcuts to the Technique, however Missy Vineyard writes with amazing clarity and by <br />introducing new approaches and modern concepts makes it possible to achieve very real progress without the need for lessons.<br />As a long term student of the Technique and someone who has gained real benefit from its practice I can recommend this book without any hesitation.<br />Yes it is good to gain first hand knowledge/feedback from a teacher(though this can also have its drawbacks depending on the teacher!).<br />Yes you will still have to put in a lot of work and self examination if you work alone.<br />However Missy vineyard puts over the the ideas, principles and thought processes in a truly remarkable way.<br />Whether you are an absolute beginner or well down the Alexander path this book is an exceptional achievement <br />and will provide essential insights and guidance over many readings.<br />In short -- whatever your interest in the Alexander Technique, buy this book, I am sure you will not be disappointed <br />and I hope you will be encouraged towards a completely new way of life!

Walks for those with less time or who wants more pub-time!

Excellent series of walk guides under the 8-mile limit, most walks averaging 4-6 miles. Perfect, lightweight guidebooks (by the publisher of the walker's bible 'Pathfinder' series) aimed at those with less time to walk, or who want a more leisurely walk, or who walk with children, or who just want a nice stroll to walk off a pub lunch! Same excellent description of the locale and OS maps for each walk as the Pathfinder series, with the route clearly marked.

An essential book for walkers.

The photographs of the standing stones at sunset and the spectacular coastal scenery make you want to wander off the beaten track and see the countryside. Unlike other walking books which only have sketch maps accompanying the routes, each circular walk has its own detailed coloured Ordnance Survey map and very clear notes so it's difficult to get lost. We tried three of the walks each in its own way very different. Walk 2 is called the Men-an-tol, the Nine Maidens and Lanyan Quoit, which has a shorter version if you get tired on the moor or the weather closes in. For each walk, parking details and the approximate time taken are given which is very useful. The short historical notes included the fact that some time ago children crawled through the round stone at Men-an-tol hoping that rickets would be cured. We felt we saw the essence of Cornwall on Walk 24, Zennor to St Ives by the Tinners Way - the prehistoric field patterns at the cliff edge, the stone stiles and cattle grids covered with foxgloves and pennywort, and the sound of the sea pounding on the rocks far below. Although it was a beautiful sunny day in June, we met very few people along the way. We just did half of Walk 14, Lands End and Nanjizal from Sennen as there was so much to see. We sat on the coast path watching the kittiwakes clinging to the cliffs and the seagulls eyeing up our cornish pasties. We gazed at the Longships lighthouse which was clearly visible. This walk was popular with visitors and the path was well defined from Sennen to Lands End, with wonderful views. The book is a good size to fit in a map case and although we were holidaying in Cornwall for a week, felt that there were many more interesting and varied walks left to try another time. There is enough information given but not too much, giving you confidence to 'have a go'.

Does what it says on the tin

Really intersting and clear book that will get you enthused about running and decreasing your time in a race. I'm training for a half marathon and the 3+2 method described in here actually works. There are some letters included of real people running but they don't make up the book and instead prologue a table or chapter solving the problems presented. Very useful table are included so you know what speed you should be running in speed intervals and tempo running. There are also structured suggstions on cross training. I've recommended this book to nearly all the people I know running who have complained about aches or just hitting a wall. The runs, stretches and tips in here really are invaluable and I feel so much stronger as a runner.

Wainwright lives!

This is an astonishingly good revision of the classic guide, which I have used for many years. If you're going to use it 'in anger' it's to be preferred to the original edition.<br /><br />In a sense, Chris Jesty does himself an injustice, because his new material is spliced in so incredibly well with Wainwright's, both in style and in lettering, that it's often only when you look at the original that you realise that it actually is new material.<br /><br />Also, the quality of the reproduction is excellent - better, as far as I can see, than that of the later printings of the first edition<br /><br />The same comments apply to the revised 'Central Fells', and, on the strength of these excellent volumes, I have ordered the other two.<br /><br />

Worth reading, but doesn't really provide any answers

At first glance this book seems very well researched and written, and essential reading for anyone taking statins or concerned about cholesterol levels. <br /><br />Dr Kendrick criticises research into the saturated fat - cholesterol - heart disease link, on the basis that most of the researchers involved in this field had set out to prove this link rather than studying it objectively. The author then seems to apply similarly biased thinking to try to prove his own theory that stress is the primary cause of heart disease. <br /><br />Dr Kendrick is right to point out that a number of countries with high saturated fat consumption and low incidence of heart disease have been conveniently ignored by those trying to prove the diet-heart hypothesis. The author makes no attempt however to find other explanations for this. A lot of research is being carried out into homocysteine which is a non-essential amino acid that has been found to be very irritating to the outer lining of the arterial wall. Homocysteine is produced when there is insufficient folic acid, B12 and B6 in the body to convert methionine (found abundantly in animal meats) into cysteine, which can be excreted by the kidneys. Interestingly, populations with high saturated fat intake and low incidence of CHD all seem to have high consumption of these B vitamins in their diets, as well as Omega 3 fatty acids which are known to be cardio protective. Has this been conveniently ignored by Dr Kendrick because is doesn't fit his stress-heart hypothesis? <br /><br />I work in the field of cardiac rehabilitation and it is an area where a multi-disciplinary approach is required. Diet, activity levels, smoking, pharmacology and stress are all major factors and trying to suggest that one factor is more important than the others is, in my opinion, completely wrong. <br /><br />For a book written predominantly about stress and heart disease, the practical advice on reducing / dealing with stress is a disappointing page and a half postscript. <br /><br />The book is very good at showing some of the misinformation that does exist about cholesterol and heart disease and explaining some of the problems with statins and some of the research that has been carried out by drug companies. If however, you are looking for a book to help improve the health of your heart, then this book on it's own is not comprehensive enough.

Highly recommend this book

If you're suffering lower back pain, you're not alone.
Millions of people of all ages, body types, and activity levels have problems ranging from simple spasms to dreadful sciaticas or disk ruptures. I honestly don't know what I really have but my lower back has been bugging me for about a year now, mostly from lousy weight lifting forms while performing squats, romanian deadlifts, and dumbell lunges.

Today I tried out a few stretches suggested by Dr. Weiss in his book"The Backsmart Fitness Plan" while I was hanging out on Beach. The"daily dozen", as Dr. Weiss called them. Remember Karate Kid training on the beach watching the sunset?

The stretches did help to ease the rest of the day and seemed to have many healing benefits, if performed on a daily basis. I highly recommend this book for anyone suffering back pain or seeking to increase the flexibility and strength of their core muscles. People should never compromise their flexibility or core exercises to cut their workout time, as it may lead them to the stage I'm at now.
I've gained several kilograms of fat and lost a few pounds of muscle as a result of a long period of inactivity due to chronic back pain, albeit mild. A good thing about this program, other than it being designed to heal back pain, is that most of the exercises could be performed anywhere, perfect any lifestyle.

As good as they say (with a few caveats for the beginner)

I won't repeat all the glowing things that previous reviewers have said about this book, only to say I agree, I agree, I agree... but...<br /><br />I think someone should speak to the few bits of the book -- just the first 8 pages -- that might turn off the unwary person who is not already a devotee of Joseph Pilates. <br /><br />First, there are two tendencies with almost all forms of Pilates-based exercises that turns off many average people coming to it from, for lack of a better word, a physiotherapy imperative: (a) most of the instructors seem to be former dancers or gymansts, who only know about normal human body problems (i.e., overweight, lack of muscle tone, poor diet, etc.) second hand, and (b) there is this guru-devotion to Pilates himself that can make some people a bit uncomfortable. This book has both in the opening pages.<br /><br />That said, the book is solid on information and clear in it's presentation of the actual, historical Pilates Method.<br /><br />Not for the beginner, though. As the author says,"This book is suitable for people who are virtually pain free and over twelve years old up to any age. I hope the instructions will also be useful to teachers of the method."

Motivation

As well as being very informative, the strength of this book is in the mythos surrounding the SAS. Everyone knows that these special men don't just appear in a test tube but are the by - product of discipline and hard work and knowing that this work comes from one of their own makes it all the more motivating. You soon become aware by the before and after photo that implementing the philosophies of Mr. Ryan into your schedule can reap exactly the same rewards, afterall, he, like you is simply a carbon based life form.<br />For men, this is a great work that ranks up there with the very best exercise books of Ranulph Fiennes. Written by somone who who gets fit for practical reasons rather than olympic medals, makes the subject a little more real.

A wonderful guide for a wonderful walk

I did the Coast to Coast walk back in '89 (in baking hot weather) and again - partly - in '96 (in pouring rain). Up to this day the memory of this walk remains with me as vividly as ever and I consider that forthnight as the most wonderful two weeks in my life. AW learnt me to appreciate the North English Countryside with its quiet villages and open spaces, its desolate moorlands and austere fells. Furthermore, I consider this guide a little gem because of the hand drawn illustrations, maps and (witty) narrative. I mean - who hand-writes a book? <br />These days you will need additional map material because the route has changed in places, but this book is a requirement. I still remember reading the C-to-C walker's log book in the Danby Wiske pub where Wainwright in '89 (two years before his death) had written with a somewhat trembling, but recognisable hand:"Don't give up!"

A well illustrated and useful guide to Scotland's mountains.

Cameron McNeish has achieved a fine balance here. Not only does The Munros serve as an extremely useful guide for planning hill expeditions, McNeish also succeeds in capturing something of the unique nature of each particular mountain area in Scotland through his eloquent descriptions.

From a technical point of view, the walker will find the clear and well thought out route illustrations and instructions most helpful. But the book, with its many superb colour photographs and easily readable style, also has something for the armchair enthusiast and stands up well as a general guide to Scotland's high places. Highly recommended.

Very good log for tracking your progress

This is a non-dated (it has no months or dates) spiral-bound notebook with enough space for recording 1 year's worth of entries for tracking your runs. All runners should keep a log of their runs and record such things as weather, distance, pace, day, clothing, route, and general comments with a weekly summary. This book allows you to do that, and also provides you with inspirational phrases and quotes and tips for improving your run and avoiding injuries. Because it's spiral-bound, you can lay it flat on a desk and write with one hand while the other hand holds a banana or sports drink. I've only see one other log that's as good as this one - John Cronin's log book which contains more photos, which aid in positive imaging for those who know sports psychology.

This is my first log and I've been running consistently for 9 months, but only started keeping a log last month. Already I can look back at last month's times and routes and see an improvement. If I didn't have a log, I'd never have picked up on some of the smaller details of my old runs.

Over complicated - not as simple as it could be

Good in depth book but the author likes to dazzle with complicated explainations of what is really a simple process. Even though Pavel T books are more expensive (get them from marketplace) they explain things in simple terms. To do the splits in surprisngly easy once you know how and I purchased this book for reference as I can already do them. Personally it is just a little too complicated and over blown when simplicity would have been the order of the day.