So here’s the honest truth, I am over-weight and have used grief, pregnancy, breast feeding, stress, “too busy” and everything else under the sun to excuse my way out of needing to be fit and healthy. Not only for me but for my children. Fit Moms for Life puts a new spin on things for me.
To be totally honest I had my doubts about what a young guy (with no children) could say to moms, but Dustin Maher, who specializes in training mothers, clearly knows his audience. He provides useful, actionable information in this book. This is not just a rah rah motivational book, although there’s plenty of that in the more than 30 showcase moms that have dropped hundreds of pounds between them. And this isn’t a trendy crash diet book, or a painful regime that suggests you can drop 20lbs in a week by knocking yourself out. This is a lifestyle change book, that covers everything from nutrition to exercise and even budget considerations for fitness equipment. In other words, it’s *realistic* and practical. And because of that, it’s much easier to get into and stick to.
Before he ever jumps into the “workout” part of the book, Dustin spends some time talking about the 5 pillars of health in his program. Those include mindset, nutrition, strength training, burst training and environment. He goes through how each of those pillars can make or break you when it comes to being fit and around for your kids. The mindset piece was really telling for me. It’s what provided the motivation and inspiration for my daring post tomorrow. As mom’s we have to believe we are worth it and our families deserve us to be healthy before we can make the lifestyle changes necessary to get in shape and keep in shape.
One of the things I really liked about Dustin’s approach to fitness is that it doesn’t involve running miles and miles on the treadmill. I’ve always thought that to be in really great shape you had to run mile after mile. So when he said “running marathons or doing long distance cardio doesn’t help you burn fat and keep it off” I almost yelled out loud! Yes! Instead he focuses on strength training (no it doesn’t mean you’ll bulk up like the Hulk) and burst training (similar to interval training but more intense).
I actually enjoyed reading the book itself too. It’s easy enough to pick up and put back down when it’s time to make dinner. I did find myself skipping ahead to read the Fit Moms for Life transformations he features in the book. I like to see moms who have done it and succeeded. It makes it seem more realistic to see moms who weren’t “fit” to begin with get that way using these concepts.
I spent some time on his blog at http://dustinmaherfitness.com/ to learn more about this whole concept. He’s got some great articles and videos to help you stay on track as well as some testimonials. Overall after I finished reading the book and taking a peek at his websites, I felt very inspired, like I could do this. I didn’t feel like this was going to be one of those “purchase and set on the shelf” kinds of things. I’ve just finished the book and have started the workout plan. So far I’m liking it (remember…no running lots of miles). It seems to offer so much more than the usual workout programs advertised on TV. It’s not just about losing weight, it’s about making lifestyle changes.
PS. As a sneak peek to my bold post tomorrow, I can tell you that this book has inspired me to do something I would have never done and I will be sharing my story with you.
I received the above products through Sublime Media Connection in exchange for an honest review. In no way was I asked to give a positive review.
