Living Well: 21 Days to Transform Your Life By Montel Williams

November 21st, 2008 — Book Review, Meals, Weight Loss Journal, diet, recipe 

Montel Williams is a pretty popular talk show host with a rabid following, and given his journey with his own personal health, it is not surprising to see a book from him. This was actually a fascinating read that will provoke a lot of thought and we were not prepared to like it as much as we did. While the suggestions in this book are not for everyone, they do offer an alternative to getting healthy and losing weight.

The main premise of this diet plan is that you have three weeks to rethink your food choices and how much exercise you get. Montel provides food and exercise diaries that are designed to guide you and help you track your progress over these three weeks. Diet diaries are already known to be very effective when it comes to losing weight, so this is solid advice that anyone can benefit from.

He lost us a bit when it came to the “green drink,” which is a bit nasty in our opinion. Basically, it contains a bunch of what Montel calls “superfoods” that are designed to help you get your health on track. The ingredients are always changing so you run a low risk of getting bored, but we just couldn’t get past the whole yuck factor with this drink. That said, even if you aren’t brave enough to try the drink, the advice in this book is pretty sound and should be beneficial to most readers.

The main problem facing Montel is that he is not a diet expert or guru, but then again, that hasn’t stopped thousands of authors from hitting the best seller lists. While he may not have a lot of training, the book comes off more as a personal journey, with tips that worked for him. Considering that he does have Multiple Sclerosis and has managed to stay pretty healthy despite that, it does seem as though his personal diet and fitness plan is working for him.

This is one of the few diet books on the market that is really geared towards men, although women can still get a lot out of it. The recipes and food suggestions are perfect for guys that are used to filling meals and eating a lot. The recipes should help men stay full and still get the benefits of eating healthy. There are a few issues with his recommendations, and many of the foods are not perfect, but when looking at the big picture here, it is clear that this is a diet plan that may actually work for most people.

We really didn’t think that we would like this book, but it managed to avoid the pitfalls that so many celebrity diet books have. There are a few problem areas, but overall we found the diet advice sound, the fitness principles largely accurate and the recipes delicious. If you are stuck with diets that are not working for you, this may be the answer to your problems.

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5 Ways on How To Start a Fitness Plan and Keep It

November 18th, 2008 — activities, alternative ideas, exercise, goals, motivation 

Aerobic Warm Up If you are ready to make that commitment towards getting healthy and losing weight, you'll need to come up with a fitness plan that works for you. While it's great to set really high goals, it's all too easy to become discouraged and give up if you can't reach them. In order to build a fitness plan that is going to work for you, you'll need to keep the following considerations in mind.

1. What are you physically capable of handling?

If you are just starting out, there is no way you're going to be able to run a marathon. Instead of setting sky high goals, try for the more reasonable ones. For example, start with 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every other day. This makes it much easier to begin and you run much less risk of being disillusioned.

2. What type of exercise fits your personality the best?

If aerobics make you homicidal, then don't pick this type of plan. It's all too easy to give up if you're ready to wring your instructor's neck. If you like to keep to yourself, try spinning instead. If weight lifting is more your scene, don't waste your time on exercises you won't be interested in. The key is finding what fits you, not forcing yourself to fit into something.

3. What will your schedule allow?

It is all too easy to claim that you're too busy to exercise. Work can get in the way, but there are ways around this. Don't schedule your exercise for parts of the day that you won't be motivated to keep. For example, if you are not a morning person, an exercise plan that starts at 7am every day is not for you. It's just too much to ask to reinvent your whole life. Pick a time that is convenient and you'll be much less likely to skip it.

4. What exercise do you enjoy?

It's pretty easy to say none, but there are creative ways that you can exercise and have fun while you're doing it. Try a couple of different methods and see which ones you enjoy the most. Then, stick with those, at least at first, so that you'll be able to stay motivated.

5. Find an exercise buddy.

We can always shirk off exercise time when it's just us, but if you have a committed buddy, it gets a lot harder. Just make sure that your buddy is really motivated. It won't do you much good to pick a partner in crime, since the temptation to cheat will be too high.

Once you have figured out what type of exercise is right for you, start slowly. You can't climb Mount Everest today! Start small and then gradually add in more time each. As you start to see the results, you'll be more motivated to keep going. If you fall, get back up again and start over. By sticking with your plan, you will get results.

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