Look Hot, Live Long: The Prescription for Women Who Want to Look Their Best While Enjoying a Long and Healthy Life [Paperback]

Christine Lydon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2003

The best way to cure illness, as renowned nutritionist Dr. Christine Lydon explains, is to prevent it. And illness prevention begins with good nutrition, weight management, and fitness. "Look Hot, Live Long" offers Dr. Lydon's simple, proven prescription for women who want to look their best, feel their best, and live a long, healthy life.

Using scientifically supported dietary guidelines, cutting-edge training techniques, and practical strategies for incorporating both into daily life, Dr. Lydon explains how we can manage (and lose) weight, tone the body, and promote overall health and well-being simply and successfully. In her program "eating right" is not synonymous with "deprivation and suffering," and "staying active" does not entail long hours devoted to a human hamster wheel.

Part One, which focuses on nutrition, assists readers in improving their nutrition IQ, explaining first how the body uses macronutrients-carbohydrates, protein, and fat-and then how to turn those physiological processes to a health-endowing purpose. Readers will learn strategies for successful dieting as well as dietary techniques to support the heart, bones, digestive system, and mental health, and to combat cancer.

In Part Two, which focuses on strength training and physicque sculptin, Dr. Lydon explains why strength training is an integral element of fitness and health. Readers will find answers to common concerns women have about strength training, such as the time commitment necessary to participate. They'll also learn how to design a weight-lifting program for maximum benefit, whether they want to tone the body, increase stamina, improve athletic performance, and/or bulk up. Dr. Lydon's Appendices offer an encyclopedic reference of healthful foods broken down by macronutirent group and serving size, a glycemic index of common carbohydrate sources, and a variety of strength-training routines to optimize muscle tissue development.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Christine Lydon, M.D., is an independent consultant for several of the world's largest sports nutrition companies. She designed the diet protocol used at an award-winning Los Angeles health club chain and has been a personal fitness consultant to numerous Hollywood celebrities. She is also a sphysique model for numerous sports-fitness periodicals and is widely regarded as one of the premier women's fitness writers in North America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Basic Health Publications; 1 edition (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591200245
• ISBN-13: 978-1591200246
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #914,004 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Book, July 22, 2007

By 

CMCM (Nevada City, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Look Hot, Live Long: The Prescription for Women Who Want to Look Their Best While Enjoying a Long and Healthy Life (Paperback)

This book surprised me. It's one of the best fitness books I've come across in a long time, and believe me, I've read a lot of them! But it seems to fly under the radar of most people, and I noticed no one has even reviewed it for quite a long time. This is too bad, because this is a truly excellent fitness book. The title is a bit dopey, but the content is top notch, and there is a wealth of great information contained in this compact volume.

Some points that I really noticed are:

1. The book is very intelligently written. She doesn't talk down to you, she doesn't over-explain anything, yet she provides clear and useful details to support what she says. She EXPLAINS things well. Some of it might be too technical for some, but if you wish to skip over details, it's easy to do.

2. The material is organized extremely well. And after each section she puts a capsulized review of what she just discussed. For those who wish to scan thru or just find essential points, this is a useful area. It also helps you find areas you might want to review and re-read in more detail.

3. The sections on targeted exercises were excellent. She describes the best exercises for the various body parts, and explains how to perform the exercises. She also explains how the wrong form can affect the exercise, which I found extremely useful. I learned quite a few things in this area...how I was doing certain exercises completely wrong. I have not yet read any book in which this level of detail was included about form. Everything she writes is clear and very concise.

4. There's a great section in the back of the book giving various routines. This is something I had really wanted to find because I always felt overwhelmed in setting up an appropriate routine for myself.

I learned a lot from this book, and one thing I liked in particular is that so many salient points are combined into one very manageable and readable book. Although Dr. Lydon is an M.D., she states right at the beginning that everything she knows about nutrition and exercise was learned AFTER she finished medical school. She is a fitness buff herself and not only has the medical background, she has applied what she preaches. She is a living example of what she teaches. She is very frank and forthright in her presentation, and this has actually become one of my top favorite exercise/nutrition books....and it makes a very good reference, too. I will be using this book a LOT, and I recommend this book for anyone who is serious about getting into good shape and gaining the knowledge to do so.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, November 25, 2003

By 

Amanda J. Resch "amandajr" (Dee Why, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Look Hot, Live Long: The Prescription for Women Who Want to Look Their Best While Enjoying a Long and Healthy Life (Paperback)

I was familiar with Dr Lydon's work as a columnist for Oxygen magazine, & was impressed enough with her writing to purchase this book.
First of all, Chris Lydon is a medical doctor (MD), so she's not hawking the latest fad. This book presents facts, & the research to back it up.
I really like the way Dr Lydon explains why she takes a certain viewpoint e.g. why liquid creatine should not be your preferred option. The point by point review of important points to remember at the end of each segment is also great.
All in all, I found it to be a thoroughly worthwhile book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, easy ready and unintimidating, October 24, 2005

By 

K.H. Blasko (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Look Hot, Live Long: The Prescription for Women Who Want to Look Their Best While Enjoying a Long and Healthy Life (Paperback)

I believe this book is a wonderful gift to bestow amongst your female friends who are interested in living the fitness lifestyle. While Ms. Lydon will break out into medical jargon and get very technical, she also capsizes into bullet format after each detailed section a set of 'cliff notes' for review and easier understanding.

As a doctor, she eschews the woefully mismantled food pyramid and discusses the need for MORE protein and MORE balance. Ms. Lydon does not go for fads and does not believe in starvation tactics. Her section on supplements is helpful as she talks about supps that have real supportive data and what not to waste your money on.

Her training philopshy is basic yet detailed and speaks of the dreaded overtraining syndrome which many enthuasiasts are not careful to pay attention to.

I am extremely impressed with this book and as a personal trainer am likely to buy a few copies to give to clients who would like to walk the walk -- not just talk the talk. Her writing style is charming and upbeat without sounding sophomoric. You get a feeling that she is truly portraying herself and her love of the lifestyle.

I would love to see Ms. Lydon write more books on the subject matter.