Bone Building Body Shaping Workout Strength Health Beauty In Just 16 Minutes A Day
September 17, 2009 by Healthy Woman Now · Leave a Comment
Bone Building Body Shaping Workout Strength Health Beauty In Just 16 Minutes A Day
Joyce Vedral promises you can strengthen and shape your body and build bone in only 16 minutes a day with this illustrated program. This author of numerous exercise and health books (including Eating to Trim and Weight Training Made Easy) and frequent talk-show guest offers basic exercises that purport to work every major muscle group effectively. All of the exercises are compiled into handy pullout charts for quick reference, and dozens of photographs show Vedral’s sleek and sculpted 54-year-old body illustrating the maneuvers. In addition to the program, you’ll find plenty of solid information about building muscle and bone.
Vedral relies on research indicating that working out with weights aids in building bone density. However, some strength-training experts would advise women to work out with heavier weights if they are strong enough to handle them, rather than the one- to three-pound weights Vedral recommends for her beginners’ program. She does say you should raise the heft of your weights when the program becomes easy, so don’t miss this point with her emphasis on light weights.
If you’re a young woman, Bone-Building Body-Shaping Workout is not only for your mother: according to Vedral, weight training helps you put “bone in the bank” so that you have more to draw from decades from now, and it will increase your fat-burning rate. –Joan Price
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Joyce Vedral Rocks!
I was so glad to see this book available. I have used Vedral’s programs in the past and know they work. No gimmicks, no frills, etc.
The book includes the valuable wall chart of exercises. The pictures are easy to follow and simple hand weights are all you really need.
Thank you!!
4 Stars Great routine
This is a great routine and the book is an easy-read that I found quite motivating. I was a bit discouraged, however, when I discovered how long the exercises actually take. It takes me 30 minutes to complete the “8-minute” routines. I would have actually felt more motivated had I been more adequately prepared to allow for the necessary time. That said, I commend Joyce for this book, which also includes a chapter on diet and a chapter on aerobic exercise. I am very encouraged that I may be able to prevent osteoporosis, and am recommending this book to my mom, who was recently diagnosed.
5 Stars Easy-to-read book with a good workout, and eating advice.
This workout is great, although you may want to do ALL the designated warm-up exercises at the beginning of the workout, in order to avoid wasting time picking up and putting down the dumbbells between sections. If you do this I think it would be much easier to get the workout time down to where the book claims it should be.
I own The 12-Minute Total Body Workout book, and in one respect, this book is better in that it contains a photo chart of all the exercises involved, which “12-Minute” does NOT have. I recommend that you buy a copy of this book, make a copy of the chart, then cut it up and paste each exercise onto index cards, so that you can mix up the order of the exercises every few weeks or so, as well as putting the warmups at the beginning of the workout.
Both books are great.
4 Stars Great Workout …but you need more time
I bought this book because I have the 12-minute Total Body Workout by Vedral and I wanted to see if she had updated her excercises. I was very pleased with this book, the exercises are easy to learn and they work! However, there is no way you can do it in 8 minutes a day without sacrificing proper movement and form. Plan on spending between 15 and 20 minutes per day for four days, 30-40 minutes per day for two days, or about 1 1/2 hours for one day. In the 12-Minute book, you did 2 body parts, 2 exercises each, for 3 reps. In this book, it’s 3 body parts, at least 3 exercises each, 3 reps each plus stretching. How on earth did she think you could do it in 8 minutes?
5 Stars highly recommended
I bought the hardcover edition of this book used from Amazon and am very pleased with it. This is a very readable book, with most things clearly explained. When I say ‘most’, I mean that I still have questions as to WHY the pyramid method works better than other methods, and I also think it should be explained WHY the exact order of the workout matters (by body part, not by specific individual exercises within a body-part group). I am confused too because other books say to constantly vary your routine or to even change it completely every other week, where-as this book says that you must follow this exact routine every time. Aside from those points of confusion, the explanatory material is quite good. The work-out itself is excellent, and well suited to the woman who prefers a good at-home dumb-bell workout. Joyce must have the routine memorized, and do it without any rest periods at super-speed in order to finish within the time she says it will take. I have the extra time to put into it, so that is not a problem. If your goal is to build bone to prevent osteoporosis, this is a great program, or even if you just want to have a nice dumb-bell routine to build strength and re-shape, I also recommend it.
Exercises for Osteoporosis Third Edition A Safe and Effective Way to Build Bone Density and Muscle Strength and Improve Posture and Flexibility
September 4, 2009 by Healthy Woman Now · Leave a Comment
The definitive and easy-to-follow exercise guide for maintaining healthy, strong bones.
More than 25 million Americans, almost 10% of our population, suffer from osteoporosis. While it is often thought of as an old woman’s disease, about 20% of osteoporosis sufferers are men and a growing number of young women, especially athletes, are being diagnosed with the disease.
The good news is that we can help prevent and treat osteoporosis and its precursor, osteopenia. Exercise can increase bone density, strengthen muscles, and improve balance and flexibility, thus reducing the risk of injury and helping to maintain daily functioning.
Featuring a comprehensive approach that incorporates yoga, Pilates, and Feldenkrais techniques with traditional weight-training and aerobics exercise, the third edition of Exercises for Osteoporosis includes:
■ Targeted exercises for at-risk body parts including hips, spine, wrists, and ankles
■ All-new sections on improving balance and flexibility to help prevent falls and fractures
■ Complete beginner, intermediate, and advanced workout programs
With more than 125 detailed exercises for people at all levels of fitness and all stages of the disease, Exercises for Osteoporosis is the best preventive medicine and the right prescription for maintaining health and well-being.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars I’m stronger and more flexible, thanks to the book
The book bills itself as “a safe and effective way to build bone density and muscle strength and improve posture and flexibility,” and so far, so good. I can’t vouch for the bone density improvement yet, because it takes a couple of years before a test will reveal much change. But I’m stronger, more flexible and my posture is much better.
I’ve been doing the lowest level of the exercises for about three weeks. I was sore all the time when I first started. I’m no longer sore, so I must have gained both strength and flexibility. It sure seems that way. I know my posture has improved. A great book.
Her premise is worthy: it takes more than strength to live a good life. Being flexible and lithe and standing straight and tall make a woman proud.
3 Stars I wanted more detail
My main complaint is that the first hundred pages came unglued from the binding the third time I used it. The other pages are barely hanging on. In a way that might be the way to use the book–line up the loose pages in the recommended order for your capability. Otherwise you will have to do a lot of page turning back & forth. I started out with sticky notes on each page to tell me to what page to turn for the next exercise.
The introduction has some good information about the importance exercise can play in rebuilding bone. It says to begin at a level commensurate with, or even below your current strength and progress to the harder ones. Many of the exercises fall way below my current strength, so I don’t see how they would build my bones. But a few like the regular pushup is impossible for me. Even though I didn’t feel like I had a hard workout, my muscles were sore the next day, so any exercise is more beneficial than my normal routine of sitting at the computer most of the day.
The book explains that technique is important–who wants to take the time and effort to exercise with no benefit. It has two pictures of a person (not a stick figure) to illustrate the exercise movement. The text tells you the starting position, the action to perform, then some details or pointers to do it correctly. For example it will say, “engage your transverse abdominals” and refers you to another page that is supposed to explain how to do that (about 150 words.) I still didn’t get it, so I searched the Internet and found out the details I needed to know: an anatomy picture of that muscle group and 356 words about the correct technique to exercise them. Granted twice the words should have twice the information, but compared to the book I’m reviewing here, it seemed more like five times the information. Of course that book cost about five times the price of this one, but it was a hard back and I doubt the pages would fall out.
Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes
May 29, 2009 by Healthy Woman Now · Leave a Comment
Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes
Less is more, even in excercise! In her new book Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes, Teresa Tapp reveals her signature T-Tapp Workout, and teaches you how to “use your body as a machine so you can lose inches quick, build bone density, and condition your heart, all with only 8 repetitions and no equipment.” Watch our exclusive video with Teresa, featuring a quick demonstration that you can do at your desk!
 Watch the video |
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars Feel a little tricked
I found this book completely by accident in the library.
It was interesting and I really wanted to believe the cover that says “Fit in 15 mins”. Low and behold there is an extra 30 minute workout to add to that. I sort of felt like I had to do the entire 45 minutes in order to see results.
It is VERY difficult to master these exercises by following the book. Once I ordered the DVD from her website the moves made much more sense.
I don’t think her program adapts well to a book. She would do better making her DVDs available in other places (other than her website) and lowering the price (the DVDs are very expensive and there are a lot of different workouts).
4 Stars T-Tapp Fitness
Teresa Tapp makes a case for less is more when it comes to exercise. I am following her program so I hope that’s true!!
4 Stars The book is great, but ONLY with the DVDs.
I give the workout FIVE stars, but can only give the book FOUR because in my opinion, it is nearly impossible to learn the workout from the book alone, I absolutely required the DVDs. I bought this book months ago, and had a very difficult time using it, even with the clips from T Tapp’s website. I could not get the moves, and had a hard time doing the whole workout because even with the pictures, it’s a complicated workout and hard to understand (at least for me). Then, a few weeks ago, I finally bought the Basic Plus workout DVD, and started using the book for form tips. Now that I’ve learned the workout, I love the book because it really explains proper form, common mistakes in form, and fine tuning tips. This workout is the hardest I have ever done, and I have dance experience, but it is well worth learning and sticking with. I feel great, and my body is looking better every day. However, I have actually GAINED weight as I am losing inches. So do take Theresa’s advice and stay away from the scale. The tape measure truly is the best way to track your progress with this workout. The best part is how wonderful you will feel, my energy levels are through the roof and I’m sleeping better than ever. I highly recommend this workout.
5 Stars Find your alignment again!
Ttapp is a wonderful system for rehabbing the body. As many others have noted, it has also helped to fix my own body. Although I was not terribly out of shape, physically my body was suffering from years of misuse from dance and other forms of exercise. Ttap’s emphasis on body alignment is so important, and it helped me tune into my body, re-learning how it needs to move so that it can stay healthy and pain-free. This book has so much detail, I keep it on my desk for quick reference. It’s excellent, but it does require a little work, as anything truly worth it requires work on our part. We need to take responsibility for our own health and well being. Books can give us the wisdom, but we ourselves have to apply it.
I’ve been reading some of the comments here and I just wanted to touch on turnout issues, since some people have commented on it. If you’re a dancer (especially ballet), you know that standing with knees turned out is not a proper way of expressing turnout. Very often, this is a concern with adult learners of ballet. You need to be aware that adult females who start learning ballet after puberty will have a more difficult time keeping a good turnout simply because their hips are already formed. Young female dancers (pre-puberty) gradually train their hip flexors as they mature, and thus have a much stronger turnout than adult learners. So please don’t force your turnout! It’s safest to stay at 45-60 degrees than shooting for a perfect turnout.
I also wanted to say that I am an ex-ballerina, had to retired after ankle injuries and such, so I understand about pain. T-tapp was instrumental in my finding alignment in my body again. As a ballet dancer (and I hate to say this because I’ve adored ballet since I was a child, and lived and breathed it until I was 26), we push and pull to very unnatural positions, and put our bodies out of their natural alignment. Sure, we’re in proper “ballet alignment”, but ballet alignment is nowhere near natural for the body. It was developed so that the audience could see a beautiful “line”, but it’s awful for the human body. I’ve known so many ballet dancers to get injured or wind up permanently crippled in some way. That right there tells you the alignment is not good for your body. However, in Ttapp, you turn out only from the hips while keeping your feet straight. It’s more like riding a horse, if you’ve ever done that. You don’t need to push your knees out, just concentrate on getting them more toward your little toes. This helps put your body back in alignment. My yoga instructors also advise knees toward little toes. It protects the body from improper alignment.
Chances are, if you’re a dancer who is trying Ttapp for the first time and you’re noticing pain, it is almost certainly a ballet/dance issue rather than a Ttapp issue. You may be feeling pain during Ttapp because your body is trying to get back to it’s natural alignment, much like the discomfort you’d feel during physical therapy. Even though your knee, etc., may feel fine during ballet, chances are good that it’s only USED to that position; it doesn’t mean that that position is good for you.
Ttapp is very much like physical therapy and yoga. It brings alignment back to the body. It’s a great gift to give yourself or a loved one. You only have one body. Take care of it!!
1 Star I tried really hard to like this, but…
I wanted this to work for me. Teresa Tapp seems like a delightful person and the reviews promised such great results.
I’m not an inexperienced exerciser. I’ve done everything from Tae-Bo to pilates to dance. I get the concepts behind how to exercise effectively and am not easily confused by most workout books or videos. This book was IMPOSSIBLE to follow. The directions are convoluted and verbose to the point of unreadability. The fifteen minute workout took me two hours to complete! I tried it every day for over a week and even though I was able to get the fifteen minute workout down to thirty minutes I was bored out of my mind.
Also, I take ballet lessons and am quite used to standing with my knees turned out, but the position recommended in this book- with toes straight ahead and knees pushed towards the little toe- seems unnatural and caused terrible pain in my right knee.
Maybe, if you get the DVD’s (which are ridiculously expensive) or attend the seminars T-Tapp will work for you. But, I am reviewing this book and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
