Fit Over 40 For Dummies [Paperback]

Betsy Nagelsen McCormack (Author), Mike Yorkey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 21, 2000

Tired of feeling tired all the time? Do you find yourself thinking wistfully of the days when your belt-size was less than your age...your dress size less than your kid’s last birthday? Remember when the only spare tire you had to worry about was the one in your trunk? Do you find yourself gasping for breath at the top of the basement stairs? If any of this sounds familiar, then you’re ready for an over 40 fitness plan. And Fit Over 40 For Dummies is the place to start.

Your complete guide to being fit and fabulous over 40, it shows you step-by-step how to set up a personalized fitness routine and stick to it, no matter what your age, weight, or athletic ability. Packed with practical know-how and inspiring anecdotes it shows you how to:

• Lose weight and inches from your waistline
• Boost your energy levels
• Lower or prevent high blood pressure
• Reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes
• Improve your muscle tone
• Give your skin a healthy glow
• Have a more vibrant sex life
• Rebound from life-changing events more quickly
• Get fitter than couch potatoes half your age
• Live a longer, healthier life

Combing her own experiences with the latest scientific research, retired women’s tennis pro, Betsy Nagelsen McCormack explores what it takes to be fit over forty. And, step-by-step, she shows you how to:

• Assess your fitness level
• Eat right for maximum fitness
• Choose and buying exercise equipment
• Select the right gym
• Develop a balanced program of aerobics, weight training and stretching
• Integrate exercise into your daily routine
• Prevent and working around common injuries and ailments
• Explore sports, outdoor activities, and more

Stop thinking about how great it would be to feel twenty-five again and do something about it. Fit Over 40 For Dummies helps you get on the road to health and well-being.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

During her 23-year professional tennis career, Betsy Nagelsen beat Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, and Pam Shriver on the court, and now she's beating the clock with a no-nonsense approach to fitness over 40. Presented in the classic For Dummies series style--simple language and easy-to-read pages peppered with icons, cartoons, and lots of sidebars to break up the 28 chapters in this 330-page book--Fit over 40 increases the most lethargic mouse potato's (the term for computer-age slouches) understanding of the aging process, while offering a practical game plan for "turning back the hands of your body clock."

Described by Monica Seles as "one of the fittest people I know," Nagelson McCormack is respected in the athletic community for her dogged devotion to keeping fit, and, with the help of veteran health writer Mike Yorkey, she inspires readers to follow suit in an entertaining, informative, and collegial way. As this U.S. Open Senior Women's Doubles Champ educates you about metabolism (once it slows, you'll automatically gain a pound or two a year unless you exercise), the three pillars of fitness (cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and stretching), the fundamentals of good nutrition, choosing the right exercise program, and even tips for checking out a gym, you'll feel as if you're getting the skinny from an informed friend.

Filled with black-and-white photographs of Nagelson McCormack exercising, Fit over 40 is designed for busy people (indeed, she advises readers to initially commit to a workout that's just five minutes long) who want to skip between chapters and absorb vast amounts of information quickly. To liven things up, you'll even find sidebars on soccer star Brandi Chastain's sports bra, a critique of fitness magazines and Web sites, and a list of inspiring fitness movies. --Deborah Geigis Berry

About the Author

Betsy Nagelsen McCormack has won three U.S. Open Women's Masters Doubles titles as well as the Wimbledon 35 and Over Ladies' Invitation Doubles crown. Mike Yorkey is a veteran writer and editor.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (November 21, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764553054
• ISBN-13: 978-0764553059
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #106,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good advice, it seems., July 26, 2002

By 

S. M. Ferguson (Grew up in St. Paul's Crocus Hill, now in New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fit Over 40 For Dummies (Paperback)

I'm a 45 year old overweight male whose primary exercise over the past decade has been to push my PC's mouse. High cholesterol, achy joints, and bouts of depression have impelled me into taking action. One component of my program is going to a gym to lift weights and do aerobic activity. I'm finding Betsy's book extremely helpful, because she speaks directly to my needs and my situation. (If I was an athlete, would I be looking for a book like this?)

She is both positive and realistic in her approach. For example, she suggests that rather than planning to exercise three or four days a week, you should plan to do it every day. She reasons that if you miss two days on a seven-day schedule, you're still exercising for 5 days, and that's good. By contrast, if you miss two days on a three-day schedule, you've only exercised once during the week, and that's useless. Huh, who'da thunk it.

If you're over 40, sedentary, and feeling the need to get into better shape, I most definitely recommend this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars For absolute beginner dummies only, November 11, 2007

By 

Hermes (The Open West) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fit Over 40 For Dummies (Paperback)

I'm a bit disappointed with this book. It seems to be aimed at people who wouldn't recognize an exercise bike if they bumped into it. After 40, most people train for health rather than aesthetic amusement. So I was surprised to see some potentially injurious exercises demonstrated. (Maybe that's why the author has had seven knee surgeries.) Although she never claims to know what she is talking about. Perhaps she should have written a book on tennis.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Speaks to all levels., January 19, 2007

By 

Eric A. Oertell "Batfan" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fit Over 40 For Dummies (Paperback)

I am a former athlete that my 20s and 30s that got the best of me. Now 50 pounds heavier, with high blood pressure and lower engery levels I want to make a change. What I liked best was how this book was an easy read the first night read over 50 pages. The key fundemental that was repeated was get up and do something constintantly even if its taking a walk for 15 minutes for 3 times a week and then increase steadily. This book also gives people a little embrassed about getting back to the gym.