Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way: Revised Edition

My first child was born after we attended Lamaze classes. Nothing in that birth was as I 'planned' and everything I did not want to happen...happened. I was an observer of a process that did not feel related to me.

During my second pregnancy we bought this book and attended the Bradley classes. This birth was excellent and wonderful!! I delivered a 10lb 3oz. baby boy with absolutely NO interventions (IV, drugs, epesiotomy etc.) and LOVED every minute of it. It was MY birth!

This book and the associated classes made all the difference in the world!! This book is not meant for those looking for the 'middle ground'. Bradley childbirth is NOT the 'middle ground'. If you are looking for reassurrance, practical relaxation techniques and guidance for your coach AND you are planning for a natural, personal childbirth THEN this is the book for you!!

I found this book extremely informative on Bradley technique but kind of scary when talking about alternatives and hospitals. After having two babies using medications, I was desperate to find another option. The book is extremely good about detailing the feelings you have during pregnancy and childbirth. Working on the birthing techniques with my husband was priceless and helped create a special bond between us. After having our third child without medication I have got to tell everyone how much better a drug free birthing experience can be! I only paniced once. I had praticed the pushing visualization so well it only took three pushes for our daughter to be born! The scary part can be avoided by skipping the information on Lamaze, hospitals, and doctors. It is out-dated and frightening. Move on to the excercises and have a wonderful birth experience!

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Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way is an excellent resource on the Bradley Method. Author, Susan McCutcheon introduces you to the Bradley Method, explains how it differs from Lamaze, discusses how to choose your childbirth educator and your doctor, explains the importance of nutrition and how to prepare yourself for this life transforming experience.

In addition to the general information she provides in helping you to prepare, she thoroughly walks you through the Bradley Method. Through exercise, illustration, nutrition, and practice, McCutcheon completely covers how you should prepare and deal with both First and Second Stage of Childbirth. Finally, she closes the text with a discussion of various childbirth controversies -episiotomies, caesarean sections and homebirth.

This book excels in preparing you for a Natural Childbirth, as defined by the American Academy of Husband Coached Childbirth -a birth that is without unnecessary medical intervention. However, some view her tone as "fear tactics" or "outdated" ideas. I disagree. Rather, she educates you on the principles of Bradley and provides you with the ability to recognize when the medical personnel are undertaking a procedure for their convenience or for your best interest. In short, she provides you with information and proven tools to make informed decisions and take responsibility for your birth.

Despite the strengths of this book, I highly recommend that, whenever physically possible, the reader enroll in a Bradley class to supplement the reading in this book. If you *really* desire a Natural Childbirth, the class will provide you with the knowledge, practice and support you need to achieve your goals. Though this book is excellent, your instructor is almost essential -she can guide you in recognizing when you need medical assistance and when you do not!

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After having tried the Lamaze method and ending up with an epidural and feeling very "out of control" during my first delivery, I went in search of more information to help me through my second delivery. I happened upon this book at a garage sale and decided it was worth a gander.

While I agree with other reviewers that the book had some dated photos and information, this did not interfere with my personal purposes for buying the book.

Having gone through the process once, I was seeking a method which:

*informed me in detail about what my body was doing through the birthing process and how I could work "with it" (rather than "escape" from it)

*gave me natural alternatives for relaxation and bearing the pain (rather than "panting techniques," how to balance on a birthing ball, focusing on imaginary "special places," getting an epidural when I couldn't take it anymore, etc.)

*gave me exercises to prepare my body ahead of time for the physical demands of labor

*gave my husband information so he could be part of the process and feel confident in his ability to coach me through

Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way proved to be the book that would meet these needs. Putting this information to use during my second labor was amazing. I was able to use the relaxation techniques at home for as long as possible. My husband was able to correctly judge when to get me to the hospital. We were able to get through the transition stage, knowing what the signposts were and that I was "almost there." I was only at the hospital an hour before my son was born. I felt great afterwards without drugs and was more than ready to go home the next day.

Having read this book "with a grain of salt," overlooking the harsh opinions about the medical profession, my husband and I used it as a tool to educate ourselves about my body. It gave us the confidence that with God's help and with an understanding of the design for birth, we could make it through. I was personally also grateful to have a very capable doctor and nurses who were very willing to work with me, and actually stated that they were very refreshed to see my husband and I working together for a "natural" birth.

In conclusion, every birth is different, but I see this book as a great tool to be used with an open mind, not knowing exactly what your personal labor will be like. It is important, however, to invest time in learning and practicing the methods in the book if you really want to reap the benefits.

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For a book that was revised in 1996, the information about hospital practices is very dated, and the author is antagonistic towards hospital personnel. As a labor and delivery nurse I know of no hospital (in my area at least) that straps a woman to a delivery table or condones the "routine" use of episiotomies and assisted births (forceps or vacuum). Also, rooming in (mom and baby not being separated) is the norm, rather than the exception. The descriptions of what happens pysiologically during labor and delivery are good and I find the relaxation information helpful, not only for my next birth, but to help the mom's I'm working with relax. Get the book, skip the skewed views on hospitals and medical personnel or get the low down on the hospital you'll birth in from several people who have birthed in the same hospital

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How Big is a Placenta Bowl?: And Other Weird Questions You'll Ask When Planning a Home Birth

Finally, a concise, well-researched and matter of fact guide for women considering a home birth. The author isn't preachy her main goal is to educate those who want to explore home birth but aren't getting the information they need. As a home birther herself, the author peppers the book with her own experiences and presents the material she wishes she had as a first time, home birthing mom how to choose the right midwife; how to deal with inquisitive relatives, friends and colleagues; state by state guides to midwifery; checklists; and advice for the partners and husbands sharing in the journey. The result is a one of a kind reference for pregnant women, mothers, midwives, and ob/gyns. What really sets this book apart is its fresh and funny perspective the writer doesn't take herself too seriously. What she does take seriously is the amount of thought that she put into every chapter of this invaluable resource.

As a home birth midwife, I liked the premise of the book. Many clients want to understand what home birth is like. However, the author states too many of her biases i.e.

I like her distinctions between a doula and a midwife (p. 22) as well as her tips for interviewing a midwife (p. 27) but I did not agree with her specific requirements of a midwife (p.29) Not every client needs the most experienced midwife for their birth. Not every state licenses midwives. Not every client wants to needs a CPM, CM or CNM, a lay midwife can be an perfectly acceptable option for some clients. Not every state allows formal backup arrangements (the state of CA, where the author is from and gave birth, requires it, but not every state even allows formal backup). I found her presumptions of a skilled midwife misleading (p.30 and p.31) ("maybe the midwife doesn't do a great job preparing moms for the rigors of childbirth or maybe she doesn't offer enough comfort in labor" when on page 22 she clearly states that a midwife is not a labor support person or a doula.) I'm so glad that this author had a pretty straight forward and manageable labor and home birth but not everyone does and it's not the mother's fault nor the midwife's fault if labor isn't managemenable and a mom needs to transfer from home to hospital. The author blames herself for feeling pain during childbirth "I wasn't skilled enough to avoid pain" (p43), and didn't know anyone who had given birth on a birth stool (p46). While in CA, a home birthed baby needs to see a pediatrician within 24 hours, that is not the rule in other states.

I bought 6 of these books at the recommendation of a client with the intention of passing them out to clients but there is too much misleading information for me to share them with anyone.

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This seems like a very unual and helpful book to me. Not a book for deciding if homebirth is right for you as much as considerations you will need to make after coming to that decision. It does have some helpful charts like the legal stats of having a midwife and insurance issues. It was a pleasant read.

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This book is very informative; with great humor and advice. If you are planning a home birth, it is an excellent source of information.

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FrameWork for the Knee: A 6-Step Plan for Preventing Injury and Ending Pain (FrameWork Active for Li

I recently had arthroscopic knee surgery and although I had professional therapy afterwards I was looking for a book I could refer to and perhaps learn more about the knee. I had to wait for this book to be published as it was brand new, but well worth the wait. It is clearly written and has loads of information on the knee and ways to protect it and strengthen it. I highly recommend it.

This was the fourth book I read regarding knee injury and rehab, and by far the best. All gave basic anatomical info on various knee injuries, but this is the one for those who want to put themselves back on a course for vigorous physical activity. DiNubile provides not only the background, but a course of action for us middle-age athletes with osteoarthritis, as well as others with specific injuries. If you are going to buy one book, this is it.

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I highly recommend this book for anyone who has torn their ACL & have other knee issues. This is the best book I've found to date, containing current (2010/11) information, exercises, and checklists to gauge predisposing factors. I wish this book was manadory for all highschool gym teachers, and any person involved in teaching young adults pivoting and running sports. In my opinion the information here should be taught to all young athletes. It is truly aimed at baby boomers as well...and gives an "AFTERWORD" addressing upcoming advances in treatment. This is one of two books I believe is worth owning, but if you want to be sure, you can probably find it in your library. I truly found this book exceptionally well laid out.

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Well written and easy to understand. Provided me good information to help understand what is going on with my knee and allowed me to ask intelligent questions. Talked to my doctor and physical therapist about items in the book.

Would recommend to anyone with knee problems or someone wanting/needing to understand what is going on with a friend or family member.

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I bought this book for the reviews I read. I would say the content is very good. the doctor does a good job teaching you; but, the quality of the binding is terrible. I already have loose pages. content 5 stars, binding 1 star. average 2 stars.

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Milk-Based Soaps: Making Natural, Skin-Nourishing Soap

If you are an inexperienced soapmaker and you read this book, I think it is probably going to scare you to death. You'll drop the book and run away screaming and never give another instant of thought to making milk soaps. MILK-BASED SOAPS was an informative book and I feel that it taught me some useful things (I have my own soapmaking business), but I was making goats' milk soaps long before I read this book and it just isn't as hard as she makes it sound, I promise.

I was really, really puzzled by Makela's instruction to cool the milk/lye mixture down to 80 degrees F while having the fats/oils at 120 degrees F and THEN mixing the two together. She says in the book that the milk/lye mixture will want to keep separating and falling to the bottom of the pot while you stir -there's a reason for that, you know. It's because there is not enough 'synergy' between these two substances that are being combined at such wildly disparate temperatures. You know what? I bring my milk/lye mixture and my fats/oils mixture both to 110 degrees F for a 6 pound batch of soap and I have NEVER had any trouble. And I do NOT use all the multiple pots and blenders to scoop the raw soap back and forth, etc. I use one heavy stainless steel pot, one sturdy plastic Rubbermaid pitcher for the lye/milk and one stick blender. This does not have to be a group effort. Makela tends to make this sound as if you need a tag team of willing friends dressed in Haz-Mat suits standing at the ready to assist you in your time of need.

Truly. I make this soap all by myself. I do it all the time. It only has to be a big hairy deal if you intentionally make it that way.

One part where Makela is dead-on right is when she says to put the milk (in its pitcher) into a cold bath -I stop up one side of my sink and add cool water and ice cubes -and then pour the lye flakes slo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-owly into the milk. She is correct when she says that this should be AT LEAST a fifteen minute process, which is one of the reasons why I charge more for my goats' milk soaps. I owe Makela a thanks for the cool water bath idea -it's a great one and I have never had trouble with the goats' milk overheating since I've done that. I appreciate that advice immensely. When you stir rhythmically, add the lye slowly and keep the milk nice and cool, you'll always have a sunny yellow milk/lye mixture that will easily combine with the fats and oils to make a really beautiful, creamy, buttery beige-colored soap.

There were some nice recipes in this book and some worthy advice for marketing your handcrafted creations. All in all, it was a good book. Buy it -and don't let yourself be intimidated by what is not really a difficult process at all.

This is one of the better books I've read so far. The recipes are large, but the first few batches you make will probably be given away, so these are big enough for you to keep some as well as give away.

The history given is helpful, it was a pleasure to read. As for the methods she uses with the blender, it is alot of work, but it is faster than stirring by hand. Personally, I use my stick blender, less work all around.

It is not nessasary to use palm or coconut oils in soap, and they aren't even the base for all soaps as another reviewer wrote. My best soaps have olive oil as the base and no coconut or palm at all.

Milk soaps aren't for someone completely new to soapmaking.. try making basic soaps first. The recipes are all over the internet, but this book is easy enough to follow that someone who has been making soaps for a month or two will have no problems following it. Actually someone who has never made soap would be able to follow it, but a little experience before trying something that is tricky like milk soaps, wouldn't hurt.

Overall, for the money spent this book is worth it. Much more detailed and well thought out than another soapmaking book I read recently.

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The recipes are good, but too many of my questions remain unanswered (and I have been making soap for 10 years). Like why put so little honey in the honey and milk soap? And why is sugar an ingredient in the basic recipe? What purpose does it serve? What is the purpose of encouraging experimentation and then not giving enough information to experiment wisely? She says to do something or not do something without giving specific reasons all too often.

I learned to make soap from Carla Emory's book, _Encylopedea of Country Living_ and the information there was much more sketchy than this. Still, I like it better in that it is at least sharing all it knows, while I feel the author of this little book is holding back what might well be the most vital information.

I like some of her ideas but I'm not sure it was worth the money. I suppose the method of handling the milk was worth it though as to make milk soap was why I bought it.

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I liked Caseys recipes but..it was almost tiring just reading her instructions,like...start with this pan,then put the mixture in that pan...then stir both pans at the same time.I make and mix my soap in one pan,it's really not that difficult.I agree with another reviewer who said it does'nt have to be a team effort.The best soapmaking book I have ever bought is "The Everything Soapmaking Book" by Alicia Grosso. This book has all the information you will ever need to make really beautiful handmade soap.

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If you have a degree in chemistry and feel comfortable working in a laborary environment this is a good book for you. I have found making milk-based soaps easy and fun but not as a result of Makela's book, which makes it seem intimidating, time staking and well, down right confusing. If you crave simplicity pass on this soapmaking book.

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CANCER IS GREAT FOR YOUR HEALTH

This is a very much needed book our society's health has deteriorated dramatically with a massive increase in chronic disease diagnoses, and prescription medication.

Linda's book shows how, with a variety of simple daily principles, and basic understanding of how our bodies function, anyone can improve their health and vitality.

Most important is that it's easy to read and understand, and the questions & exercises in each chapter, will help the reader create their own individualized health plan.

Highly recommended for those family members and friends whom we would love to see take better care of themselves.

This book is a very short read and can be completed in a single setting. It challenges the conventional wisdom that our medical professionals and drug companies have bestowed on us. Instead of running off the cliff like lemmings when diagnosed with a chronic disease, Ms Kedy opens your eyes to an alternative that has proven to be very successful in treating these diseases.

Even through the author is not a trained medical professional, it is obvious that she has spent time studying and analyzing a wide range of alternative medical choices. The book provides a plethora of suggestions on what we can do to take ownership of our bodies and to improve our own health. As she introduces different options she explains the benefits and why you should utilize it.

My younger sister was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer before she was 30. I wish I had this knowledge 20 years ago when she was first diagnosed. People can take responsibility for changing the dis-eases that exist in our body. Ms. Kedy provides a vast list of resources that you can reach out to to find out more information to help yourself.

In summary this short read book tells you that you have the option to control what happens to yourself when you receive diagnosis of a chronic disease. It provides a wide range of options that you can take today to make those changes and why you need to make these changes. If you or anyone in your family or friends is diagnosed with a chronic disease you should pick up this book and read it.

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Having gone through a cancer diagnosis with my brother several years ago and his subsequent passing, it would have been great to have faced the battle head-on with a book like Linda's. Knowledge is power and Linda provides that knowledge.

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Great book for everyone, healthy or not! This book is a great road map for anyone who has an interest in being healthy, happy and at peace with themselves. This is the future of healing and preventing disease.

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Linda takes the cause of dis-ease and breaks it down into easy steps that will help you get to the root of your problems and in so doing get to the root or cause of dis-ease, ie cancer. She then shows you how to take that root and either destroy it or change it so that you can start healing yourself from the dis-ease. She walks you through the steps and even has pages that can help you ask yourself the questions to start working on the dis-ease from the inside out. The book was clearly laid out and a very easy, simple read.

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The Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start: Lose Weight, Get in Shape, and Start Living the Biggest Loser L

I love reading the Amazon reviews & always look at the negative ones to see the shortfalls. After two weeks on the diet, this 60 yr old, who spent 2 weeks without cheating on South Beach without dropping a single pound, has lost 13 lbs even though I have been on a plateau for 5 of those days. I'll try to remember to update this at the end of 30 days.

A few responses to "Disappointed and Impractical"'s review, who felt the diet didn't work for a single person because some of the recipes are for a large number of servings:

As a single, I've been been adjusting recipes for years and had zero problems doing so with this book. What recipe book only shows recipes for single portions? Most are for a family of 4. Yes buying for a single can be a problem, but no more for this book than any other one. So I'm doing the same thing I've been doing for years, keeping a soup pot in the fridge and freezing items I don't use.

I did adjust the recipe for some of the soups, and the chili for the number of months I thought I would be on the diet and freezed them. I LIKED the idea, since after the first 30 days, I'll still be eating healthily but with greatly reduced meal preparation time.

And if you don't like something, common sense tells you what to replace it with. One dark leafy green for another, etc, just as they recommend substituting when they talk about the exercising. If you don't like to walk, substitute something you do like, such as an exercise bike or swimming. If you like it, you'll do it.

More importantly first of all, this diet WORKS for me, and the older I get the harder it is to lose weight. Food wise it certainly is well balanced and nutritious. The variety seems to address each craving I have. . Just when I want something crunchy, there are the almonds, or tacos. Just when I want something sweet, there is a peanut butter and sugarless jelly snack. The meals are, in my view, delicious for the most part, and the snacks are timed to keep your blood levels stable so you metabolism doesn't shut down. And I ADORE the way the exercising increases each day. And the daily thoughts are great. Just when I hit my plateau, there was the talk about plateaus. And if I want more insight, I go to the NBC Biggest Loser Website and look in the nutrition blog in the Exclusive section for more information. (the NBC site has lots of helpful hints that are not on the other Biggest Loser websites.

I work out in the early morning to get it out of the way and raise my metabolism for the day. The breakfasts in this book are huge, so if you eat first, you'll have loads of energy to work out. The dinners are on the light side, sort of the way the Europeans eat. I thought that would be hard, but I've had no problems with it so far.

To date this is the best diet book I've ever tried. The one recipe I thought I would not like was the fish tacos and actually they were just great (I used Orange Roughy as a substitute fish).

After 40 years of dieting, I think I've finally faced the fact that diet and exercise is intrinsically intertwined, and that getting in shape MUST involve both. For me this book is the best vehicle I've found to address both factors.

I can't wait until the new Biggest Loser season starts on the 15th. I plan to be right there with them: my and my 30 day jumpstart diet book.

This book is 308 pages of pure inspiration. I defy you to look at it and not be moved to live healthier. Basically you'll learn what to eat -and what NOT to eat -and how to exercise. If you are familiar with The Biggest Loser reality show on NBC, this book uses the same knowledge and guidelines from the same experts. It is "a 30-day blueprint for improved health, weight loss and a whole new life."

Don't be fooled by the cheesy cover. Inside are nicely designed pages with photographs and lots of color. The food shots, in particular, are beautifully done, and make you want to try the recipes. Advice from TV-show contestants and trainers is sprinkled throughout.

One of the big tips to losing weight and getting fit is being organized; this book follows its own advice. The recipes are easy to follow and the exercises are also accompanied by photos of someone demonstrating the workout.

First you meet some of the Biggest Loser contestants, nine people who had to follow this 30-day plan at home. Each person has a photo, a bio, a quote about why they are ready to lose weight, and a week-by-week diary detailing their progress. Next are chapters introducing the basic tenets of healthy eating and exercising. The guts of the book come next: the "30 days of transformation." Each day tells you exactly what to eat, including recipes, and what your exercise should be, including diagrams.

Recipes include some real winners: Confetti Couscous, Frosty Pumpkin Smoothie, Vanilla Poached Pears and Fish Tacos.

The back of the book gets a little cheesy again, though, as a few pages are devoted to advertising the Biggest Loser product line of books, DVDs, equipment and protein powder.

Here's the chapter list:

1. Ready... Set... Jump!

2. There's No Place Like Home

3. The What, When, and How of Eating

4. Building a Fitness Foundation

5. 30 Days of Transformation

6. Now What?

Contributors

Acknowledgments

Index

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I bought this book and was extremely disappointed. While it does lay out a different menu for each of the 30 days, grocery shopping for these menus would be completely impractical. I sat down to write the list for the first week and by the time I got to day 3, it was two pages of ingredients in small quantities which is impossible to shop for. While the variety is enticing, it's not expected that you'd find one slice of reduced fat swiss cheese or two butter lettuce leaves for sale. You'd end up buying all this food to only use a small amount the book doesn't reuse certain ingredients enough within a week's time that you'd actually benefit from buying the entire package of swiss or the entire head of butter lettuce. Also, some of the recipes are for WAY too many servings for example there's a recipe for 24 mini blueberry bran muffins, but you only are instructed to eat four of them in the 30 day period. Similarly there's a recipe for 12 servings worth of chili but you only eat one. Unless you've got a freezer the size of a closet, I can't see this working out well. Variety is great, but when it becomes expensive and impractical it doesn't make sense. The Biggest Loser contestants didn't pay for the food and there was more than one of them on the diet at the same time, so buying the ingredients in bulk in a situation like that would make sense. For a single person, this plan doesn't make good sense at all. Overall, I was extremely disappointed.

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Last year I bought this book in March. By April I had lost 25 pounds.

I stuck with the diet tips & went to more advanced, intense workouts and lost another 35 pounds by July.

The diet works. The exercise program is excellent for people COMPLETELY out of shape.

You CANNOT follow this book exactly, nor can you any diet. You will have to adjust. The book gets 4-stars for not showing you how to adjust or be flexible.

This is what I did.

Don't like a recipe? Find something else from another day and substitute.

Don't have an ingredient? Improvise. If you add calories just skip calories elsewhere.

Follow the exercise plan. You can do that.

If you miss a day just move on. Don't try to catch-up. That's a recipe for frustration.

DO NOT MISS TWO DAYS in a row. If you do skip a rest day and insert a workout there.

Read each day's entries completely. This will keep you on track. Reading & learning about nutrition will help most. Most diets give you it all up front, then just follow with a long list of recipes or exercises. Having a slow progression to read each day helps you absorb more info. This is the book's real secret.

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I started out cooking the recipes, and following Jillian Michael CD's, rather than the suggested daily exercises, I was so sore but wanted to continue exercising. My husband asked me to look a Richard Simmons Sweatin to the Oldies video tape and before I knew it I completed 58 minutes of dancing, singing and smiling to the Oldies with Richard and loving it. Combining the recipes with Richard Simmons workouts, six to seven days a week, I lost 10 pounds in 20 days. I found it hard to eat all the food each day, I often left out one snack, and had days I skipped a meal but did eat the snacks. I mixed up the recipes, didn't follow them in sequence, ALL the recipes are wonderful, I am big on spices and herbs, added herbs de provonce, garlic salt and pepper mix to the amazing mushroom soup, it was perfect and so delicious as well as the portabella pizzas, banana oatmeal, flank steak, turkey burgers, not much I've made that isn't fantastic and I LOVE to cook and of course eat! I look forward to cooking the recipes in this book, and with three adults in our home we use any left overs for lunches or save them for the next day. I did eat the same meals for a couple of days, its calories in and energy expended that is key to loosing weight. I can see myself making these recipes for the rest of my life. BTW I've done Weight Watchers and never lost weight this fast, even when I followed it faithfully and walked 30-45 minutes daily. Hands down this is a five star cookbook and fast weight loss is easy with a Richard Simmons Sweatin to the Oldies!

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15 Minute Total Body Workout (+DVD)

This book is perfect, exactly what I've been looking for, and the best thing is the DVD. It's incredible! It's so easy to follow, and so quick I'm done in 15 minutes and on to the rest of my day. There's no stress on me to take 15 minutes a day to spend on my body. I can easily spend this much time experimenting with a new lipstick color. Everybody can find 15 minutes to exercise!

There are 4 different workouts and the variety keeps things interesting. The format is the same for each one: You warm up for 3 minutes, do 10 minutes of a really good routine strength training plus heart-pumping intervals and then cool down for 2 minutes with full-body stretches that remind me of Yoga. You can do it at home with just one set of dumb bells or a fitness ball.

And it's not just for women. My husband could do this and should do it! He thinks that if you can't spend 4 hours working out it's not worth it; but that's overwhelming, so he doesn't do anything. The 15 minute workout is a good way to get started and be consistent. You can always add on and do more...

Many people do not have time to go to a gym or do not like the gym-atmosphere. This book has the solution to these problems. Instead of trekking to the gym three times a week, spending the money on gas, this book enables you to work out in the comfort of your home. Pagano, a personal trainer for more than 20 years, starts the book by introducing basic principles of fitness, including the healthy range of bodies, the BMI, fitness testing and the benefits of cardiovascular fitness.

This easy-to-read book is very colorful, filled with glossy pictures. In order to exercise the whole body, various exercises are introduced that target specific parts of the body. Each pose or move is artfully demonstrated using an actual photograph. Hence, those using this book have a clear visual of the expected pose and chances of error are lessened.

The author also provides short descriptions of the procedure so that those moves not demonstrated in the photographs can also be executed. A live action DVD is also included in this book, making it even easier to follow the steps. The best part of the exercise regimen is the fact that not many types of equipment are required to get the full effect. A body ball, two dumbbells and a mat is all that is needed.

This book will enable anybody to get real results without leaving the comfort of their home. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting a more healthy and fit lifestyle.

Armchair Interviews says: Nice solution to the time-related problem of gym use.

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I have a huge collection of exercise videos, and this dvd-book combo has got to be the most effective one that I own. Each unique 15 minute segment is superbly crafted into a cardio and weight training combo. I feel that, at last, I am doing exercises correctly with the proper form. The production quality of the dvd and book is excellent. I have been alternating these exercises with Alycea Ungaro's "15 Minute Everyday Pilates" which I also highly recommend.

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I am a woman in my 70s who has fortunately discovered this remarkable exercise book, The 15-Minute Total Body Workout. While I do own other exercise books, I find Joan Pagano's current publication of greatest value to me. The included DVD makes it easy to follow each routine. Starting slowly, I've now used the first section, Step-Touch, for two weeks, alternating it with twice a week exercise sessions at my local senior center. Now I'm ready to become familiar with the other routines.

In addition to the DVD, each section in this flexible book offers wonderful photographs for easy-to-follow moves. For all senior citizens interested in staying fit, let this become your exercise Bible, as it's becoming mine. What 15 minutes of exercise can do to enhance your energy level is truly remarkable.

N. Keefe

Salt Lake City, UT

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I am 24 years old and looking to get in shape for my sister's wedding this spring. I wasn't looking to lose weight, but to tone. I want to have nice, defined arms and a taught tummy for her big day!

This book/dvd is awesome. It can be done in your living room with 2 sets of weights and a medicine ball. I was skeptical about a 15 minute workout and how much I would feel, but you sweat! I normally do 2 15-minute workouts at a time and end up huffing and puffing by the end. But it's not like the other 8-minute workouts where the first 2 minutes aren't bad and then the last 6 are impossible. It is done at an even pace that is manageable throughout all 15 minutes. And you cover it all: you warm up, do cardio, do weights, and cool down.

The voice-over on the DVD is great. She tells you how to do it, what your other body parts should be doing/feeling, how to breath, where you should feel it, and how to slow it down or speed it up depending on your comfort level. The video also references the page the move is on in the book so you can look it up if you are having difficulties with it.

I'm really glad to have this book/dvd. It isn't too time consuming or too much of a hassle to do, but yet you feel it and notice a difference. I've been doing it for a month and people have already commented on my newly trimmed hips. I highly recommend this book for all ages and all levels of fitness. You won't be disappointed.

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