The Special Ops Workout: The Elite Exercise Program Inspired by the United States Special Operations

I have to say that this book is better than I expected. Stew Smith gives some good information about what special ops are and the qualities one needs to become a member of this elite cadre. I am not in the military, but I found this section to be edifying and it gave me more appreciation for those who serve.

The six-week programs are great. They are uncomplicated and use little equipment, but very effective a solid cardio base with butt kicking strength building. In short, this creates functional strength. You won't just look strong, you will be strong. This will make warriors of men. All exercises and stretches are clearly explaned with pictures. The only criticism of these programs is that I can't swim, so I needed to substitute other exercises, because I didn't feel like drowning. In addition to the workout programs, there is also an informative section regarding nutrition.

The one let down of this book was the 12 week introduction workout program, at least the first 4 weeks of it are unnecissary. If anyone needs this kind of introductary program, then this book is probably not suited for them. The bulk of this book is suited for serious athletes and those looking into special ops. I suppose this 12 week program makes it more appealing to the masses, but I don't believe this book to be one for the masses.

Other books Inside Delta Force by Eric Haney, Infinite Intensity by Ross Enamait

This workout book contains good information with challenging workouts. As someone who is preparing for the Army, I can say that this is most complete workout book for preparation on the market. None of the competitors come close to the full spectrum workouts this book has. You have access to programs with weight training, cals, nutrition, swimming, running, and rucking. You can mix and match certain workouts or just do what is prescribed. I do wish that there was a little more rucking insight other than just generic information. But other than that it is a high quality purchase.

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Mike Mejia and Stew Smith put together a comprehensive book detailing what it takes to be apart of the Special Forces community. Together, their knowledge, know-how, and grit lay the foundation for what it takes, physically and mentally, to screen for the Navy Seals, Army Special Forces and Air Force Special Forces. The exercises and workouts contained there within give the reader a glimpse of what tools and abilities are needed to suceed and become a part of our Special Forces.

I for one have used this book and another of Stew Smiths book while serving in OIF. All the workouts allow me to stay in shape, keep the edge and ward off any boredom that creeps up inbetween missions and operations.

This book is a must have, read, and heed for any individual wishing to become a part of America's Special Forces. The information about the communities themselves along with the nutritional advice are worth their weight in gold. If being a warrior is what you want then take advice from the warrior ellite themselves. Their workouts are challenging and keep you on your toes. The book is well written, simple to understand, and a good bedrock to start from. Semper Fi.

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This is a great book if you are young, in shape, and looking to join the military. If you are not in great shape then adhering to the workouts in this book will be difficult. The typical workout in this book could also take hours which is realistic if you are a SEAL since you will be allotted long periods of time for excercise. However if you are an average Joe and don't have 2-3 hours to do a force march followed by a one hour workout this probably isn't the book for you.

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This book contains a wealth of information that any hopeful for SOCOM would be a fool to miss out on. The men that wrote this book know what they are talking about. Stew Smith has not only completed BUD/S himself, he has helped countless others do the same thing. If you really want to be an "operator" then buy the book, and DO WHAT IT SAYS. It can't do the work for you, but it will show you what you need to do.

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Herbal Healing for Women

Rosemary Gladstar's "Herbal Healing for Women" is at the top of my list of 'must reads'. I've taken her herbal homestudy course and read most of her books. As an herbalist student I have shelves of herb-related books and this is one of my favorites.

Gladstar is one of the most respected herbalists today. Her books are easy to read and understand and full of helpful recipes. One problem with many herbal books is that they only mention what certain herbs are good for. Gladstar also explains how to use them and simply enough for anyone to understand.

When my very pregnant daughter mentioned that her stretched skin felt sunburned I went searching for help. I checked through all my 'woman' herbals but only this book had a suggestion. I found the recipe for "Pregnant Belly Oil" which was easy to follow. The ingredients were easily found here at home and in town. The best part of it all was it works beautifully and smells great!

This is a wonderful book to use to expand your study of herbalism. I have to admit that the review concerning peppermint encouraged me to write my own. If that review has made you re-think this book, you might want to consider that I checked through my library and found almost all my books listed peppermint to ease heartburn. Only one "Green Pharmacy" mentioned the possiblity that peppermint caused heartburn BUT note the BUT it went on to say that they disagreed and suggested it was still a good herb for the problem.

Buy this book and use it! You won't be disappointed.

Rosemary Gladstar has a winner with HERBAL HEALING FOR WOMEN. She begins with a simple premise--women have needs different from men. Women, cannot escape the calendar, the seasons, and nature in general. Men don't experience menses, bear children, or go through menopause. Herbs that ease the pain women know first hand can only be seen as Goddess-sends if you will.

Because men and women are different, not all the herbs that work for men will work for women--and vice versa. Unfortunately, not too many "herbalists" clearly acknowledge this in their various books. In many herbal books and manuals you have to dig to find the information specific for age and sex, but Gladstar has arranged the female part in logical categories associated with the various phases of a woman's life.

For example, Black Cohash (Cimicifuga Racemosa), Linseed oil, and Isoflavins contain phytoestrogens and are used in Europe to alleviate the symtoms of menopause. Since the side effects of some of the regularly prescribed synthetic estrogens derived from mare's urine are not only acquired in despicable ways (ask PETA) but are dangerous to your health (don't belive me? read the little piece of paper that comes with your prescription) you might consider alternatives. I have and am here to say that some of the unhappy consequences I experienced from the over-the-counter drug are a thing of the past.

As part of my Master's Degree program (I am a sociologist-demographer), I studied mortality, morbidity, and biostatistics at Georgetown University and learned how to read biomedical research. I have maintained a personal interest in, and spent the last 30 years keeping up with, medical studies about women's issues. So, I am not ignorant of the strengths and shortcomings of various drugs used to deal with women's "complaints." The bad news is this--all synthetic drugs have bad side effects. Sometimes they are worse than what ails you. Synthetics simply aren't as good as the original, and as Gladstar points out, you even have to be careful where the original is involved.

For example, the current evidence for HRT with estrogens made from mare's urine is conflicted. Unfortunately, for ages and ages, males were the only medical subjects in scientific studies. So, it will take awhile to find out just how effective and/or damaging therapies like HRT are. In the interim, my daughter's midwife recommended herbs known to women through the ages and I am taking these to deal with the symptoms of menopause.

Ms. Gladstar discusses the clinical reseach associated with each of the herbs listed in her book, including those of interest to me at this phase in my life. Thank goodness, she doesn't limit herself to research conducted in the U.S. And, unlike the European herbalists, she includes herbs known and used by American Indian women.

I have a number of favorites, many I've known about since I was a child. I will never forget discovering the cure for warts from a little classmate in 4th grade. I rushed home to tell my mother because my sister suffered from warts (all over her hands). Mom had tried everything, but this procedure worked. I tried it years later on a horse that broke out with warts all over his body--they are caused by a virus--and he survived the virus and lost all his warts. My little friend was only nine years old, and had an amazing knowledge of home remedies. Of course we know these are just old wives tales.

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This book is a pleasure to read and a gem for every woman concerned for her health. As an acupressure practitioner I find Rosemary Gladstar's advice invaluable, and her recipes and herbal suggestions complement nicely my books on Chinese herbs. The teas, tinctures and salves are easy to make, and the explanations are clear and knowledgeable. The Materia Medica at the end of the book is extremely useful. I particularly enjoyed Ms. Goldstar's suggestions for younger women's skin problems, have made without any problems and with common kitchen appliances the range of facial prducts described in the book, and am enjoying them immensely. Not only are they better than any commercial brand of skin care (because they only contain the best and purest products) but one has the satisfaction of taking an active role in caring for her own health and beauty. Even if you already own several herbal books, do not miss this one. It will become your favorite!

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this is the best [price] you can spend on your health! I own a herb store and have been working with herbs for years but periodically pull this book out and learn something new every time. I've told dozens of people to buy this book, for themselves and others. The recipes are simple and really effective. As both a beginners guide and for an experienced herbalist it just can't be beat. buy it!

-maggie

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I bought this book a few months ago becuase I've been showing symptoms of endometriosis and also have fibroids. I used her herbal formulas and castor oil packs as recommended and my symptoms have improved dramatically. I would recommend this to any woman who's having "female trouble". We really can take our health care into our own hands, contrary to what doctors would have us think....

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American Victorian Costume in Early Photographs (Dover Fashion and Costumes)

The Victorians put their (mostly) best foot forward in this collection of period photographs. Most of the photos are obviously studio pieces and catch our ancestors at what they considered their best, but a few, like the picture of the little girl missing a coat button, seem unplanned.

The photos are grouped by decade and show men, women and children of all ages and social classes. The editor's notes are conveniently placed near the photos and contain clear and interesting details about the costumes. Together the notes and the photos provide a useful resource and fun browse for all those interested in Victorian costume and manners.

This book contains useful illustrations representing all ages and classes of American society. Ms Dalrymple wins my approval by basing some of her conclusions on dated photographs; in other words, she uses photographs as documentary evidence, not just as illustrations.

-But important source information, ie. the format of the photograph, the photographer's name and geographical location, etc. has been moved to the endnotes, and the captions consist of stating the obvious; ie. "man in patterned trousers". With a few exceptions, the captions do not explain why the photographs were selected for the book and do not enhance the illustration. In her well-written chapter introductions, the author demonstrates her knowledge of the field and uses interesting and significant quotations from primary sources. (I like the footnotes.) So I wonder... was there an editorial decision made to "dumb-down" a potentially useful piece of work?

Finally, reproduction of the photographs is adequate, but not exciting. It is sometimes difficult to see costume detail.

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The arrangement of the book is refreshingly neat. It is firstly chronological, and then subdivided into men, women and children. The text is brief. No deep history lessons, more of a broad overview of each decade. The pictures are wonderful though. So it's a good "look book". If you can't or don't collect antique photos to reference, this is a good alternative.

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For such a thin book it certainly is loaded with photographs something like 280 of them! The best part is there are plenty of men's styles included books of this sort tend to lean very heavily toward the women's fashions. As a male Civil War era living historian/re-enactor, I rely on original photos to help me perfect my impression. One cannot always count on the sutlers to sell accurate reproduction clothing and accessories. But, with a book like this, I was, for example, able to pick out the correct style of a bow tie needed for the era I portray. Something as simple as that shows how invaluable original sources like the pictures in this book can be.

Grouped by decade from the 1840's through the 1890's, this collection truly does cover the overall styles of the Victorian era. And there is a short blurb about each picture in this book to help the novice as well as the seasoned veteran along.

And the price is right, especially for the amount of photographs you receive.

(By the way, I wish the author would refrain from using the term "costume." It makes it sound like one goes to the costume shop to get their period clothing and clown make up. Believe me when I say that living historians/re-enactors do not purchase their period clothing from a costume shop)

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I'm a Theatre Costume Design student, and in theatre accuracy is key. When researching the fashion of a certain historical time period, ideally you want to be able to look at the physical garments worn at the time. However, unless you are lucky enough to have a huge museum or costume collection at your disposal, that's pretty much impossible.

Books like this, which feature collections of period photographs, are the next best thing. How can you doubt the reliability of the fashions depicted in a photograph when it was taken in the actual time period you're researching?

This book is an excellent resource and I highly recomment it to anyone interested in historical costumes.

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Prescriptions for a Healthy House, 3rd Edition: A Practical Guide for Architects, Builders & Homeown

As a Building Biologist I work with people who want healthier homes and there is no better resource for creating a healthy home than this book. Every builder, architect and home remodeler needs to read this book before they start their next project. It's cutting edge thinking.

My wife and I are building a new home and I am someone who pays a lot of attention to things that can affect the health of my family. I unfortunately don't trust the world and the government to fully protect us. They do a great job on average, but sometimes the specifics fail (contamination in water supply, cancer causing high voltage lines too close to houses, etc.). Also, in todays world of "build it cheap" the entire contracting industry is pushed towards cutting corners and not paying attention to things that can cause serious health issues. This book is FANTASTIC! It discusses all of the relevant issues in building a healthy home, and finds the right balance between being readable to a layperson like me, and yet organized well for the contractors (things to include in your spec separated into the 16 Divisions, which is how the contractors look at building a house). I could not recommend this book more highly and already sent another 3 copies to friends and family.

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This book is so valuble. Every builder or renovator should read this, as well as anyone who wants a healthy home. I learned about this book from several people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, who told me that this was the book that helped them build a home they could live in. That's a rare thing to be able to do, as many people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities cannot find a healthy building they can live in.

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This book is a must have for a homeowner that wants to use building products that are green and admit no VOCs. We're doing a green remodel. This is the best book for beginners who need someone to tell them what products should or should not be used. The author covered all sorts of information that is really necessary to have a healthy house. Make sure you read the whole book and mark the parts that you need for references. I'm buying the book for family and friends because it is such a valuable resource.

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I have read hundereds of books and articles on non-toxic homes and lifestyle and this book is top notch highly recommended.

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Moving Toward Balance: 8 Weeks of Yoga with Rodney Yee

Things I like about the book:

1. It's incredibly beautiful! I love LOOKING at it, and it's inspiring.

2. He talks about emotional aspects as well as physcial ones, and gives you good information on anatomy, aspects of the asanas, and building a practice for yourself.

3. The structure of the course in general is excellent, and there is a great deal of knowledge put into each sequence. He has good reason for placing asanas in the order he has.

4. The photos make it easy to follow the daily sequence

5. He offers alternative postures for every asana.

WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE BOOK:

1. It seems like a book a beginner could use, but as a long time practitioner/instructor, I find it falls short with simple things like positioning of the feet or the hips in certain asanas.(eg. Trikonasana requires that hips are facing the side and the rear foot should be at a 45degree angle, etc)

2. The meditations don't give much for a beginner to go on, and seem flimsy at times for those who do have experience. It could quickly frustrate a beginner or turn them off from an essential aspect of a full yoga practice.

3. There are no warnings about postures that are potentially dangerous for beginners, or information about postures like back bends, that for many people may take years to work up to.

4. Frequently the alternative postures are too difficult for students with limited abilities and the presentation implies that the alternative is the 'easy' pose.

If you are a beginner, or are not confident with your own knowledge of asana/the physical body...please, please, please find a qualified person to take you through DAY 1 at least. This will give you solid knowledge about which postures are feasible for you at the present moment and which ones you should alter.

Don't be afraid to stray slightly from the book....you don't need to do every posture he recommends...some of them will only create injuries if you force your body into something it's not ready for.

Having said all this, I will say I am living in the Middle East in the middle of the desert and I am using this book as a base text to teach a number of expats in my community. We are all enjoying the program...but I've made several key changes:

i)I've added basic breathing practices(pranayama); ii)I've removed postures that are too difficult and substituted them with something more appropriate for beginners; iii)I've changed the meditations and frequently change the suggested postures for the meditations.

When it's all said and done, personally I really like the book, and recommend it to anyone who has experience with asana classes, and is at the point of wanting to establish a home practice. This book helps you lay a great foundation of 'asana knowledge' that will ultimately allow you to create a personalized practice suited to your needs. However, I have more than 10 years of knowledge and I found that I frequently supplemented with my own knowledge to make my experience more fruitful and pleasurable.

If you buy this book, make sure you also get a book on pranayama/breathing....Like Donna Farhi's book for example and one on meditation...like Lawrence LeShan.

If you want to create a full practice, it's important to incorporate all aspects of yoga, not just asana.

I really loved this book. I've just finished the 8 week program it took me more like 10 to get through with my schedule, but I loved the organization of it.. each week has a different focus, and every day within that week a different angle on the week's focus... there are different versions of each pose so that you can really see how the placement of the body matters. the pictures were quite good and in the end, you have yourself weeks of practices that you can comfortably reconfigure over and over. this is a slow moving practice; generally you hold each pose for 30 seconds to several minutes. it covers a really wide range from standing poses to inversions. I really feel that I can just turn on some music, lower the lights, and comfortably make my own home practice on the fly of any length.

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This book is outstanding for someone like myself who has a little over a year of Yoga and somewhat of a foundation of the asanas.

Part of what Rodney asks us to do in this visually appealing, thoughtfully put together instructional book, is to do the asanas from different perspectives from modified to advanced. And even if one feels confident and believes they can just move to advanced wait follow Rodney's advise and do it all. You are not taking one step back when you follow his execution of a modifed version. Instead, you feel the asana from a different perspective that helps you understand the movement even better, making it more meaningful for your practice when you do move to the advanced version. His teaching method allows one to further discover the benefit and beauty of these asanas (and therefore Yoga as a whole).

I love this book of the many DVDs and books I have bought over the last year, this is truly the most valuable Yoga purchase I've made to date.

Nancy New York, NY

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For those of you who want to practice yoga at home, this is a wonderful book. Videos can become very monotonous, but this book encourages personalizing your practice. Throughout the eight week program, the different poses are presented in clear photographs and descriptions with different versions of each pose for different levels. The book moves from the more familiar sun salutation to the more intimidating handstands, backbends and such. There are sequences to familiarize the reader with the poses and sequencing. The book includes specific meditations at the end of each day's work. At the end of the book there is advice about creating your own sequences.

It is a wonderful book for doing yoga at home and personalizing practice.

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This is a beautifully illustrated book with a nice sequence of practices that build up to more advanced routines. There are also many preparatory exercises for difficult asanas and even sequences of asanas to improve body awareness before moving to more advanced positions. I really like this aspect of the book and a lot of this information is well presented.

What I didn't like about this book is that I don't think it offers enough warnings or fine points on asanas for beginners. While the routines take things slowly and build up to more advanced positions, it would actually be a monumental task for a beginner to reach these levels without a good teacher because the book lacks sufficient detail. However, it could be adequate if you have a good teacher or attend regular classes with a qualitifed instructor.

I'm glad I bought this book and I have used some of the ideas from it in my practice. However, I would augment it with something like "The 30 Essential Yoga Poses" by Judith Lasater which provides more detail and warnings on performing asanas correctly or "Dancing the Body of Light" which goes in to great detail about the asanas.

If you have a bad back, then I would start my yoga practice out with "Back Care Basics" by Mary Pullig-Schatz. She is an Iyengar instructor and M.D. with lots of experience using yoga to rehabilitate people with various types of neck and back problems. In fact, this is how she became involved in yoga.

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