Customer Reviews

Fit at Fifty and Beyond: A Balanced Exercise and Nutrition Program (A DiaMedica Guide to Optimum Wellness)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

The gut that comes with age doesn't have to stay there. "Fit at Fifty and Beyond: A Balanced Exercise and Nutrition Program" is a health guide for those who have reached age fifty (or close to it) and don't want to miss a step in maintaining their health. Good physical fitness is very much possible past fifty, but age is a cruel mistress and some things must be approached differently. "Fit at Fifty and Beyond" is well worth the investment for those who have passed the half century mark.

I have a collection of diet and exercise books, and this is the best ever. I am giving it to all my friends in their sixties and seventies. They are the ones who complain about gaining weight without eating more, and most of them already exercise. I am now running around Baltimore looking for practical sources of l0-20 grams of protein to have within 30 minutes of a rigorous exercise session! I also love the fact that "the ability to adapt is a sign of intelligence." The book is easy to read, and the pictures make it easy to try the exercises. Who would think of dong some with a chair and an iron in a hotel room?

I am impressed with this book. It does a good job explaining how our bodies function after age 50. There are lots of helpful hints on how to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle. It is a book for the ordinary person, not just for movie stars.

My Early Reviewers copy of Fit at 50 and Beyond, extruding a dozen colorful markers, creased along its thin spine on the front cover, stained with juice on the lower edge and stocked with gritty black and white photographs of people over 50 exercising, is not a pretty book. It is the kind of book that one lives with, not the kind that sits unread on the coffee table.

The text, like the rest of the book, is plain, straightforward and lacking any kind of gimmicks. I love it. At just 168 pages, Fit at 50 and Beyond is an exercise book on a diet - all facts and no puffery. This is a book for people who think Ms. Senior America is someone special, and she does in fact appear in some of the pictures.

I have fifteen books tagged "diet" in my library, but this one is unique. Dr. Gloth is not selling anything - not a sports drink, or special exercise equipment (one picture is of a man lifting a chair - "chair curls" - hah!). He is not pushing expensive pre-packaged diet food or memberships in anything. I felt throughout the book as if I could trust him to give me the unvarnished scientific facts of diet and exercise. For example, some books I have claim that all calories are equal. Now I understand that is an over-simplified approach. Dr. Goth explains how carbohydrates, fats and protein are metabolized differently in the body, and how that affects weight gain or loss.

He also gives tips such as the best time of day to exercise and why, and what to eat after exercising and why. I was born asking "Why?" and I like it that Dr. Gloth's explanations are clear and concise.

Dr. Gloth, like a good coach, includes all the effective diet and exercise pointers I am aware of, some that I didn't know before, and doesn't waste my time with silly alternatives. I wish someone had given me this book when I turned 50! But as he points out, it is never too late.

The main part of the book is devoted to exercise, with pictures and tips on good form and not causing yourself injury. There are short and sensible chapters on healthy eating, what to do to prevent a lapse in your program or if you have a lapse, how to maintain diet and exercise when traveling, and more.

Thanks to Rudy Speckamp, C.M.C. this handy little book includes recipes from an award-winning chef, at the end of chapters like a treat for your progress, and a whole chapter of them later in the book.

If you or someone you know is turning 50, this book would be a useful gift, but it could help any adult design their own effective diet and exercise program.

I was disappointed in this book. The authors briefly touched on several tips for getting in shape but brought nothing new to the table. The only redeeming aspect was a few appealing healthy recipes.

Fit at 50 and Beyond: A Balanced Exercise and Nutrition Program by Dr. Michael Gloth is a short book aimed at the over-50 population looking for fitness advice specific to their age group. It begins with a chapter on aging and evolution and the principles of overcoming obesity and then moves into chapters on eating and exercising with a progression from general guidelines to more specific eating plans and exercise programs.

The book has some notable flaws, which I'm not sure might just have to do with the fact that my copy is an Advanced Reader's Copy, so some of the flaws may be taken care of in the final publication copy. First, though there is an index listed in the Table of Contents, there is no index. Secondly, the photos of the people doing the exercises are of very poor quality. Also, adequate explanations for some of the exercises, such as Straight Arm Pullovers, are not given. Another design element of the book was very annoying for me. There is a section of recipes as the final chapter, but recipes are also sprinkled throughout the book. This makes using the recipes difficult, though the final chapter does contain the explanation that the book isn't intended to be a cookbook. If the book is indexed before final publication, I suggest adding an index entry for recipes and subheadings for each recipe so they are easier to find.

The strengths of this book are first of all the title. It tells someone who might be looking for a book that addresses the needs of an older person wondering about fitness that this book might fit that need. Also, the short length might make it less intimidating for someone just starting out on a fitness program. The best part of the book is Chapter 10, the final review and summary.

Fit at 50 and Beyond is a great book to help you take back your health and restart you life.

I hate to say it but I am rapidly approaching 50, and I'm very interested in getting back a little more of that energy that I seem to be loosing each year. This book was just what I was looking for! It is a quick and easy read, not diving too deeply into the horrors of growing old, but simply supplies the knowledge you need to help reduce the ravages of time. It informs the reader with basic facts on your aging body, the food that you should be eating and the exercises that you should be doing. The book is full of useful suggestions and has examples of exercises as well as recipes to help with nutrition. The book is not overly long, so it will not scare the reader away but has a surprising amount of information for it small size. The book is well thought out and gives plenty of encouragement, now that I've read it the ball is in my court. Hopefully my willpower will be up to the task!

This was a waste of money for me. I am 60yrs old and I felt that this book was written for people over 70 who have never exercised.