fbpx ;

Yes, We’re Fitness Book Nerds

Erin and I are well-known for being book nerds. In our free time, if we’re not working out or writing away, chances are that our noses are in a book. While we both like reading classics and guilty pleasure titles alike, we also enjoy reading about—surprise!—health and wellness. Below are two books that have landed on our reading radar.

Triathlon For Girls Like UsTriathlon For Girls Like Us

When it comes to endurance events, I always considered myself more of a runner than a multi-sport gal, but since my injury after the marathon, I’m beginning to rethink that. I know many runners who have switched from pounding out long distances on the road to triathlons because the variety of high- and low-impact training is so much easier on the body, and even the mind. It makes sense, and at this event I really learned that tris are the bad-ass-woman thing to do. And I am a bad-ass-woman. (As are you!) So when this easily digestible book on triathlons (I read it in just two days!) found its way in the FBG mailslot, I darn near took it as a sign from God to sign up for one. (For the record, I haven’t…yet. I’m still recovering from said injury, remember?)

Author Gloria Safar, a motivational coach and certified personal trainer, does a great job in this how-to book explaining the ins and outs of tris. What are they? How do you train? What do you eat? What gear do you need to buy? And, for crying out loud, what the heck do you wear? She answers all that and more. And she does it with women having fun in mind. The tone is encouraging and it makes me, ahem, YOU want to do one. If only tris didn’t require so much darn gear and getting in a pool…

Clean, Green and Lean

CleanGreenLeanbookcoverYou’re not supposed to judge a diet book by its cover, but this cover is so pretty and light and cheery that I liked it from the get-go. And even though I’m not a huge fan of book titles that include phrases like “Drop the Weight in 30 Days,” the book itself, Clean, Green & Lean, did speak a lot of sense.

The author, Dr. Walter Crinnion, focuses a lot on the insane amounts of toxins in our environment—and how they can be hurting people’s honest efforts at losing weight. The doctor discusses numerous success stories of his patients who improved their health and dropped weight after cleaning up their food and their environments. (He even goes over the steps to detoxifying your home: No air fresheners! No carpet!)

The doctor also talks about the conundrum of eating fresh fruits and vegetables while at the same time ingesting toxic pesticides. His so-called dirty dozen that are highest in pesticides are also sadly all of my favorites: apples, bell peppers, carrots, celery, cherries, imported grapes, kale, lettuce, nectarines, peaches, pears and strawberries. These are the fruits and veggies you should make an effort to buy organic.

It’s an interesting take on additional factors that may be contributing to weight gain. So if you’re worried about how the environment could be hurting your weight-loss efforts and you want to lead a cleaner, greener life, this book may be the one for you!

What fit books are you reading right now? —Jenn & Erin

Want to win a copy of Clean, Green & Lean or Triathlon for Girls Like Us? Comment below for a chance to win! Winners will be notified via email. U.S. residents only, please.

Some of the above text is an excerpt from the book Clean, Green, and Lean: Get Rid of the Toxins That Make You Fat by Dr. Walter Crinnion. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., from Clean, Green & Lean, by Walter Crinnion. Copyright © 2010 by Walter Crinnion.

FTC disclosure: We often receive products from companies to review. All thoughts and opinions are always entirely our own. Unless otherwise stated, we have received no compensation for our review and the content is purely editorial. Affiliate links may be included. If you purchase something through one of those links we may receive a small commission. Thanks for your support!