If you’ve ever been to this site before, then you know that when it comes to getting healthy, we believe it’s about more than just what you eat and how you move—it also has a lot to do with how you talk to yourself and how you treat yourself. So with the title of the new book Think and Grow Thin: The Revolutionary Diet & Weight-Loss System That Will Change Your Life in 88 Days, well, we were on board. Any book that is focused on how our thoughts can influence our ability to live a healthy lifestyle is A-OK with us. But did the content live up to the title? We dove in to see…

First, you should know that this book is written by former President Bill Clinton’s trainer, Charles D’Angelo, which, while there are a lot of celeb trainers out there, not many can say they’ve trained a president. So there’s that. Also, this book is less book and more magazine, which is a nice change of pace. Full of big photos and graphics and pull-quotes with tons of tips and divided up into easier-to-digest sections, it’s kind of like Choose Your Own Adventure, fitness style. And with sections on tools to transform your mind, how to become motivated, designing your destiny and maintaining your weight (so many books skip what happens when you get “there!”), it does a dang good job of giving you a plan on how to harness the power of your brain to get healthy.

The next things you should know about Think and Grow Thin is that Charles isn’t shy about sharing his successes—or his physique. You hear his full inspirational story of going from self-hating and overweight to fit and self-loving—and there is photo after photo of him in the book. Many with his shirt off. With full-on male Glamour Shot pose. Some are full pages. One is shirtless in front of his hot car. So if you’re into that kind of thing (it got old to me), there’s also that. Additionally, and I hate to criticize a book for this because I’d always rather have too much rather than not enough, but there’s so much info and so many tips and steps in the book that I can imagine a newbie being overwhelmed or not knowing where to start.

So my advice? Digest this one slowly. (That way the glamour shots don’t come in as rapid-fire succession, too.) Because really, the advice and the focus is good. —Jenn

Lucy Danziger with her new book, The Drop 10 Diet. Credit: Andrew Walker/Wireimage for Self

This post is written by our NYC contributing writer Margo Donohue, who’s a fitness professional and blogger at Brooklyn Fit Chick. Since Margo lives in the Big Apple, she’ll be helping us cover events every now and again—just like this recent Self magazine event!

Recently, on behalf of Fit Bottomed Girls, I was lucky enough to be invited to a fit and fabulous shindig—The Drop 10 Diet book-launch party hosted by candy diva Dylan Lauren (of Dylan’s Candy Bar) in honor of Self magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Lucy Danziger. The oh-so-chic event was held at The Standard, New York (which is located right next to the glorious Highline on Washington Street), where we were treated to a tasty menu created by Chef Dan Silverman of The Standard Grille.

It was a jammed-pack night of great-looking people in high heels and tight black dresses nibbling on yummy treats featured in the book. The Drop 10 Diet: Add to Your Plate to Lose the Weight was written by Lucy, along with her top-notch editors, and features the 30 superfoods you need to eat to keep fit and healthy, as well as dozens of easy-to-follow recipes and sample workouts to help zap calories and manage stress.

Somehow I was lucky enough to chat with Lucy herself (she was really busy greeting well-wishers). During our chat, she told me that she was inspired to write The Drop 10 Diet after her own (post NYC-marathon, mind you) 25-pound weight loss. After keeping the weight off for over five years (and without deprivation), she decided to share her well-earned knowledge about living a healthier life with all us.

Dylan Lauren, Lucy Danziger and Kelly Choi at The Drop 10 Diet launch. Credit: Andrew Walker/Wireimage for Self

I asked her of all of the “superfoods” identified in the plan (that includes salmon, lentils, olive oil and kiwi) what is her all-time favorite, and the quick response was almonds. They bring “instant energy!” she enthuses.

Being the editor-in-chief of Self magazine, I knew she would have an interesting reply to the question: “What is your favorite workout?” Lucy stated “intervals,” adding that if you need to blast calories fast and get toned, too—getting in some intervals to your workouts will bring quick results. The one question I wanted to ask but did not get the chance to was whose design Lucy was wearing. (I fell in love with her cute outfit. See above!)

I also had a chance to briefly chat with Dylan Lauren, the impossibly charming and beautiful owner of Dylan’s Candy Bar in New York. She not only hosted the party but also provided the chocolates in the goodie bags. Of course, she was surrounded by admirers all evening, but I did get to quickly ask what her favorite candy is right now and her favorite workout. Turns out Dylan loves Cadbury Creme Eggs (I agree!) and weight training. Dylan insists you can get more results in less time by introducing strength training into your workouts. (Again, agree!)

It was a fun evening of good food, a party atmosphere plus an appearance by the insanely pretty Kelly Choi of Top Chef Masters who has a pair of legs up to HERE! Can’t wait to go undercover at the next chic get-together on behalf of Fit Bottomed Girls, but I must say, this one will be hard to top!

Are you interested in The Drop 10 Diet? Lucy’s sane and livable healthy living advice? Craving a Cadbury Egg? Let’s talk amongst ourselves, shall we? —Margo

When a book has an endorsement from Parker Posey, Kelly Ripa and Demi Moore (that woman looks more fit every day year, I swear), you have to wonder what Kool-Aid they’re all drinking that makes them look so fabulous. Apparently, Physique 57 is the beverage of choice, and it goes down with highly targeted moves and a clean diet that isn’t joking around. While we sent Raquel to a Physique 57 class a few month ago and we reviewed the Physique 57 DVDs back in 2009, we decided it was high-time we review the popular workout’s book: The Physique 57 Solution: The Groundbreaking 2-Week Plan for a Lean, Beautiful Body.

Let me first say that Physique 57 creators Tanya Becker and Jennifer Maanavi wrote a darn good book. So often fitness books seem repetitive or simply state the obvious over and over in slightly different ways. But this book? Well, it does have many of the basics, but it goes much further into the science than you usually get in a book. And it does it in an easy-to-understand way. No easy feat. The two explain how they developed the Physique 57 moves and workouts, and go into a good amount of detail as to how and why it affects the body. (People, there are words like actin and myosin—and all kinds of muscle-building knowledge!) If you’re not into that stuff like I am, you can easily skip past those sections of the book, but I think it’s worthy of your eyeballs—even if they slightly gloss over when they start talking about Physique’s 57′s Interval Overload.

After giving you the whys and hows of the Physique 57 way of working out, they dive right into the moves. Needing just your bodyweight, a chair and some light weights (they think up to 8-pound dumbbells are “heavy,” but I beg to differ—hehe), they have photos, good descriptions, modifications and tips on how to do everything from push-ups to tricep pressbacks to thigh dancing with a ball (it is as awesome as it sounds). The moves are then put together for two 57-minute Physique 57 workouts. Because the weights are lighter, know that the rep count is higher than usual weight lifting. Numbers in the 20s and 30s aren’t uncommon.

The book wraps up with eating guidelines, snack and meal ideas/plans, recipes and a kick-ass index. (I think every book should have an index, for the record. They’re underrated!) Now, the two-week diet plan—with combined with the workout plans promises to deliver up to a 10-inch weight-loss—is intense and restrictive. No dairy, no wheat, no soy, no corn, no added sugar, no alcohol—no processed foods. Yes, it’s how we should eat, but it requires a lot of planning, cooking and vegetable eating. (And this is coming from the girl who’s obsessed with kale.) So just know what you’re getting into before expecting big results.

Overall though, this is a solid read. I think the workouts are well laid out, I love the science side of it, and it’s well written. I wish the diet had a bit more wiggle room and detailed healthy eating guidelines that were more inclusive of a permanent lifestyle change (because I need wine in my long-term healthy life plan), but besides that, it’s like getting the Physique 57 treatment in book form. Which is pretty cool. Whether it’ll make you look like Demi remains to be seen…

Have you read The Physique 57 Solution Book? Done a Physique 57 workout? Tell us about it! —Jenn

Today’s post is a part of FBG’s second-annual Love Yo’Self Week. After all, what better way is there to love yo’self than by becoming your very own coach who pumps you up to be healthier?

I already understand the power of a good life and wellness coach. So a book that promises to help you actually coach yourself to be healthier (the word “thin” in the title does make my butt twitch a bit, but I’ll chalk it up to book marketing)? Well, I was pretty intrigued. Coach Yourself Thin: Five Steps to Retrain Your Mind, Reclaim Your Power, and Lose the Weight for Good is a six-part book that shows you how to find and harness your inner weight-loss and wellness coach.

Part 1 includes a quick intro and then the usual stuff you’re used to reading in weight-loss books: why we as a nation have gotten heavy and why quick fixes don’t work. Then Part 2—”Seven Undermining Obstacles to Weight Loss”—gets to the good stuff. With a very similar-to-FBG mindset, authors Greg Hottinger and Michael Scholtz (who have helped create the Biggest Loser Club and the Flat Belly Diet! Online) dive into how to stop the obsession with the scale, ditch the all-or-nothing thinking and become more in tune with your body. Part 3 then shows you how to set yourself up for success by selecting the right environment, believing in yourself and even awakening your own intuition (Oh, how the hippity-dippity in me rejoiced at this one!). Parts 4 and 5 tackle tips on healthy eating and exercise, respectively. The information on nutrition and workouts isn’t anything you’ve never heard before, but it’s solid information.

And then there’s Part 6. Titled “Discovering Your Positive Inner Coach,” this was the section that really made the book stand apart from others on the market. Yes, the other sections are good, but this is really the meat of the book, in my opinion. This part includes eight chapters that take you through the process of being your own wellness coach. From creating your wellness vision (I loved doing that!) to setting goals and preventing setbacks like emotional eating, it’s basically a step-by-step guide or workbook to use to get you from where you are now to where you want to be. There are exercises that help you to visualize your dreams, create affirmations and even help you to rebalance if you fall off track. So much of it was the process I used with my wellness coach, so it was cool to have it all written down in an easy-to-follow way for myself.

For a book that promises to turn you into your own coach, I think it pretty well gets the job done. Of course, you have to actually have the discipline and motivation to follow the plan and check in with yourself. Part of the greatness of having someone else coach you is that you have to be accountable to another human being. Also, a properly trained wellness coach can be there to help talk you through any setbacks and brainstorm ideas to work around sticky situations. I can’t tell you how many times my wellness coach suggested solutions that were pretty obvious yet I never considered. Sometimes when you’re so involved with living your own life, it’s hard to get an outside perspective. The fit bottomed line? While the book is as good as you can do without hiring a wellness coach, I still recommend getting a coach if you can afford it and are serious about change.

Want to read Coach Yourself Thin? Leave a comment with what goal you’d like to coach yourself to reach, and we’ll select one lucky U.S. reader to win in about a week. The winner will be randomly selected and will be contacted via email and in the comments. G’luck future self-coaches! —Jenn

You know how they say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? Well, we’d like to add, “Don’t judge a book by its size,” too. Because this little-bitty book—The Little Book of Diet Help by Kimberly Willis—is seriously a girl’s best healthy eating/losing-weight friend. Especially if said girl is hippity-dippity in the slightest.

About 175 pages of little nuggets of information that are helpful for losing weight and finding the motivation to eat right and work out, The Little Book of Diet Help is truly a book of facts, tips and tricks. While there’s no actual diet or workout plan, this book is written by a life coach and hypnotherapist who gets that, most of the time, we have trouble living a healthy lifestyle because of what’s going on between our ears. With chapters on overcoming emotional eating, looking after your liver (take good care of it—it detoxifies your body!), using the power of your mind, the wonders of exercise and achieving your goal, Willis covers everything from fighting cravings to improving your mood.

While you’ve probably heard many of the facts in the book, I can almost guarantee that the tips and tricks Willis shares will be new to you. A decent amount of the book centers around “tapping,” which is a form of accupressure that you can do to yourself by literally tapping different points on your body. In addition, the book suggests doing different affirmations to boost confidence and willpower, and there’s even some self-massage techniques that are recommended. Overall, it’s not the diet book you’re used to, and it can work with any type of workout and healthy eating plan that you’re following. Although it won’t exactly tell you how to lose weight, it does give you some additional tools that can certainly help. There may not be a lot of text in this book, but what’s there is encouraging, motivating and totally handy!

Want to read this book for yourself? Leave a comment telling us why you’d like to win it, and we’ll select one lucky U.S. reader to win a copy of the book in about a week! —Jenn

When I first heard about The Beauty Blueprint: 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams, I honestly thought it would be a stretch to write about for FBG. Sure, we’re all about building your life so that you feel your best, but beauty? Well, we’re not much into that in the traditional mascara, eyeliner, blush sense. In fact, the closest we really come to “beauty” is a post-gym beauty routine where you do your best to not look like a hot, sweaty mess.

But yet, I went ahead and got a review copy because something about the cover image resonated with me. Just look at that chick. Sure, she’s pretty and has impeccable eye make-up, but she just looks glowy. And oh-so peaceful. I want twinkly stars like that around me, too! So off I went, readyto get my beauty blueprint—and soft glow.

Written by Michelle Phillips, a celebrity make-up artist and life coach, this is a beauty book, but it’s like no other beauty book that you’ve ever read. In fact, there’s not one diagram or drawing on how to pencil your eyebrows. Instead, it’s filled with inspiration, examples and exercises to help you get in touch with the beauty you have within. With chapters that build on each other, it’s a full self-help personal discovery plan that involves everything from positive affirmations to dream boards to setting intentions and to discovering what you really value and want out of life. And then, once you’ve figured all that out (and that takes the majority of the book), you can get your shop and make-up on because you know what style you’re going for because you’ve figured out, in a sense, who you are and who you want to continue being. The “beauty” part of what to wear and how to wear it is almost like the cherry on top of a dessert that was already freakin’ delicious to begin with.

I know you’ve heard the cliches that beauty is really on the inside and that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but, dude, Michelle lays out a comprehensive plan that shows that how we feel about ourselves really is the key to developing and appreciating our outer beauty. She then shows you how to honor that, hone it and make it even more beautiful and awesome. It’s very much like how we at FBG value exercise and eating right as a way to take care of yourself and love yourself, which leads to a happier, more fulfilled and authentic life. The Beauty Blueprint? Well, I’d call it a Life Blueprint.

Do you want to read The Beauty Blueprint? (You should!) Leave a comment below telling us what beauty you see in yourself when you look in the mirror, and we’ll select one random U.S. reader to win a copy. Mirror, mirror, on the wall… —Jenn

Today’s post is part of FBG’s Back to Basics Week that features the best beginner fitness and beginner nutrition posts that help you to be a little healthier and—in theme with the week—a little smarter. We’ve decided to include this book review because it hones in on the more mental side of health and wellness, and shows that real fitness comes from the inside out!

Over the years, as my own personal fitness and wellness journey has evolved, I’ve learned that fitness isn’t just physical. To both get in shape and stay in shape, you can’t just mindlessly hit the gym, hoping to get results. Nor can you even begin to imagine what your physical body can actually do when you put your—wait for it—mind and soul into it. Part of the reason we started FBG back in 2008 was to let people in on this secret: Taking the time to take care of yourself and love yourself with regular workouts and eating right can actually totally open your life up to be about 1,000 times better than you expected. Yes, we want fit bottoms, but it’s never been just about that. It’s been about more, much more.

But sometimes you have to put the cart before the horse. Sometimes, instead of using fitness as a means to get to self-love and confidence, you need a little something else to get you to feel good about you—so that you then want to work out and take care of yourself. And when you need that little aha moment to get you going on the right (aka healthier and happier path), we recommend a cheery little blonde by the name of Gabby Bernstein. We reviewed her first book back in spring of last year, and really, really liked it. And Gabby’s second book, Spirit Junkie? Well, it’s more of the same awesome—plus more.

Sometimes I just want to bow down to Jillian Michaels’ greatness. Reading her most recent book, Unlimited: How to Build an Exceptional Life, was one of those times where I wanted to pull an “I’m not worthy!” that would make Wayne and Garth proud. (And not just because the week before I read the book, Jillian named FBG as one of her top three favorite blogs. WE DIE!) This book is really good, guys. Like life-changing good. Which is its point.

Two-hundred-and-forty-four pages of Jillian Michaels giving you the loving smackdown, this book lays out a plan for you to do whatever it is you want to do: lose weight, get a new job, find the love of your life…in a nutshell, be your best and happiest self. While the hippity-dippity lover in me rejoiced at the advice in this book (including plenty of mental tips and tricks for busting through emotional blocks, dealing with your past and replacing negative self-talk with positive thoughts), if you’re someone who isn’t into the foo-foo feel-good stuff, then this is your book. It’s totally in Jillian’s tone and with her personality. So, there’s no BS, no beating around the bush, no flowery language. She even drops an F-bomb or two (which I totally loved). You also get insider stories about Jillian’s emotional struggles with weight gain and self-defeating behavior (truly fascinating, and she’s so darn honest and open), along with a few behind-the-scene bits from Jillian’s time on The Biggest Loser and Losing It.

The best part of this book though isn’t the tone or the voice or even the inside scoop on what makes Jillian tick. It’s the page after page of ah-ha moments I guarantee you’ll have. From better understanding yourself to redefining past and current relationships and issues in your life to taking the steps necessary to stop holding yourself back (you are in charge of yourself and your destiny after all, Jillian says), Unlimited pretty much helps you take any goal you have, grab it by the proverbial horns and do the dang thing. While fitness and health isn’t overtly discussed and there are no workout plans or nutrition advice given, this book is a must-read for anyone with a fitness or weight-loss goal.

If you’ve ever wondered how Jillian gets the results she does on The Biggest Loser, this is how. While the tough workouts and improved nutrition add up to weight loss, it’s the mental work that really makes a difference in changing a person. And Unlimited shows you how to do just that. —Jenn

I may have run a marathon, but the idea of doing a triathalon still intimidates me. I know a lot of people who do them regularly (including our very own FBG Kristen—woot, woot!) and love them. No matter the distance, the thing that really gets me is the gear and, to be honest, the lingo. A brick? A transition area? A sprint vs. an Olympic? There’s much to be learned. But if you’re a newbie like me, your life just got a whole lot easier with The 12-Week Triathlete by Tim Holland (you may recognize Holland from his time training Good Morning America host JuJu Chang to compete in her first triathlon).

This book isa guide to triathlon training for triathletes of all levels. As someone who doesn’t know much about the sport besides that it involves a swim, a bike and some running, it was a great read for decoding the aforementioned lingo and getting a really good sense of what it takes to train for and complete a triathlon. With chapters on each part of the race, nutrition, strength training, flexibility, and what to do before, during and after the race, Holland pretty much covers it all. He tells you what gear is essential and what you can save on—an incredibly beneficial part of the book for any tri newbie.

He also lays out detailed 12-week triathlon training plans for all the of the tri distances (sprint, Olympic, half Ironman and full Ironman), each with a beginner, intermediate and advanced option. While the advanced plans are complicated enough to make your head spin a bit, the beginner options for all of the distances—especially the shorter ones—are extremely realistic and doable. In 12 weeks, his plan can literally take a mildly active person into a sprint triathlete with not even that much of a time commitment. Cool beans.

What’s really nice about this book, too, is that there are pictures! Lots and lots of color pictures. Many of them are of Holland, which seems kind of odd page after page, but they really liven up what could start to feel more like a triathlon-training textbook if it was just straight text. The stretching and strength-training exercise photos are particularly helpful, and I love, love, love that his plan puts such an emphasis on these two areas, as many endurance racers tend to focus on cardio, leaving their strength and flexibility to suffer (I sooo skimped on those two things during marathon training and may have gotten injured because of it.)

While seasoned triathletes probably won’t get a whole lot out of this book besides the training plans (which still are very helpful), I really think tri newbies and intermediates who are looking to take their triathlon training to the next level would benefit from reading the book.

Want to read 12-Week Triathlete and see if you agree with our review? We’ll select one random U.S. reader to win a copy! Just leave a comment with why you’d like to win this triathlon training book, and we’ll select a winner in about a week. The winner will be notified via email and in the comments below. G’luck triathletes (or soon-to-be triathletes)! —Jenn

Yoga is just one way to de-stress. Credit: lululemon athletica

We all know that stress wreaks havoc on our minds and bodies, including packing on the pounds. And while de-stressing sounds easy enough—do a few yoga poses here, take a few deep breaths there—understanding the weight-loss and stress connection goes a little deeper than just getting a massage every month. Committing to a healthy lifestyle isn’t just about what you do outwardly, it’s also about what you think, what you say and how you treat yourself.

I’ve known this to be true for quite awhile now (Oh, how I’ve had my own ah-ha moments as this blog has grown over the years), but I’ve never seen a whole book dedicated to the sole concept of actively managing your mind and body to handle stress over the long term to achieve optimal health and wellness. Stress Less, Weigh Less by Holly Mosier honestly surprised me.

I thought it would be another diet book with super-basic advice (as if we all don’t know that yoga de-stresses), but this stress and weight-loss book went deep into the mind-body connection and provided a road map of how to go from unaware of your thoughts and your body to keenly tuned in through series of exercises, tasks and games (whee!). Sure, the old relaxation standbys of doing yoga and trying meditation are there, but there are definitely new ones. Read on for six tips to truly Stress Less, Weigh Less.

5 Tips to Better Understand and Manage Your Stress and Weight

1. Stress adds up over time. Most of us think of stress as an event—a late night working on a deadline, a fight with a boyfriend or a child who just will not stop crying. But the stress that really affects our health and our waistline is the kind that builds over time, straining our minds and bodies. Mosier says this increases your appetite, suppresses your immune system and makes it harder to sleep. Making the commitment to decrease stress EVERY DAY—not just when we’re feeling stressed—is essential.

2. Discipline your thoughts and the behavior might follow. Although the word “discipline” takes me back to sitting in the corner for talking too much in first grade, in Mosier’s book (quite literally!) “discipline” is just being aware of your thoughts and not beating yourself up time and time again. We’re all for treating yourself like your best friend!

3. Make focused breathing a game. Deep breathing has been shown to reduce your blood pressure and lower stress levels. But to make focused breathing a little more fun, Mosier suggests seeing how many breaths you can take that are truly focused (you’ll know you’ve lost the game once your mind starts worrying about what you’ll wear tomorrow to that work luncheon). The game is to always try to be focused for longer and longer periods of time.

4. Be grateful for what’s going right. Oh, the power of gratitude! Instead of focusing on the size of your thighs or how your husband can never put his clothes away, be grateful for how strong and powerful those legs are and how your husband always mows the grass without you even having to ask! It’s all about perspective.

5. Eat protein at breakfast. Our nutrition can greatly affect our stress levels. Start your day off right by eating some whole-grain carbs, a little healthy fat and some protein. The protein keeps you feeling full and your blood sugar stable, so that you stay energized to tackle your day—and win that focused breathing game!

Stress Less, Weigh Less is chock-full of more good tidbits, advice and information on helping you to reduce stress (and therefore drop unwanted pounds) in ways I promise you haven’t heard before. Truly a must-read, ladies! How do you beat stress every day? —Jenn