10 Steps To Your F.I.T.: Faith Inspired Transformation

One of the most photographed fitness models in America is speaking out about the one thing that took her from overweight in her 30s to the cover of the top fitness magazines in her 40s, and the answer may surprise many: it was her faith in God.

Kim Dolan Leto is now passionate about helping other women experience their own faith-inspired transformations that affect their physical, mental and spiritual wellness. To do so, she wrote the book 10 Steps to your F.I.T: Faith Inspired Transformation. This book guides women through every aspect of living a whole, healthy life, from diet and exercise to forming healthy thought processes about your body, and finding your true identity in Christ. Dolan Leto encourages readers to stop focusing on societal pressures to fit a certain standard and begin focusing on understanding what God says about faith, fitness and self worth. (publisher)

My Review: Kim Dolan Leto is a fitness expert, speaker, and author who chose to make some changes in life to lose weight and become more healthy. She has an approach that incorporates both healthy food decisions and spending time with God to create a balance that nourishes the body and the spirit. The book is divided into 10 different chapters, each with great ideas and strategies to transform your lifestyle and eating patterns, as well as inspirational Scripture and lessons to be learned and encouraged with as you progress. There were suggestions, especially for an early morning "Power Hour" that really resonated with me. I'm not in the habit yet, but I confess that my days do seem to go much better when I heed these suggestions.

Questions at the end of the chapters help one to put it all into perspective, and made me think that keeping a journal of progress, and even setbacks, would be a great way to see my progress and to pinpoint areas that need a bit more work. Her common sense approach, combined with practical advice and spiritual inclusion truly do make this approach to finding a healthy body, mind, and spirit doable, no matter where your starting point is.

I received this book at no cost to myself from Shelton Interactive in exchange for a fair and honest review.

GIVEAWAY!! Shelton Interactive is offering a copy of 10 Steps To Your F.I.T.: Faith Inspired Transformation to one of my readers. Leave a comment no later than 11:59pm CDT on Thursday, March 26, 2015 to be entered.

Till We Eat Again by Judy Gruen

Judy Gruen's new book, Till We Eat Again: A Second Helping, is a humorous journey of her efforts to lose 15 pounds in time for the reunion of her college housemates. From the benign to the bizarre, Gruen tries one diet and exercise program after another in her quest to find the plan that works best for her---and allows chocolate. Boot camp, belly dancing, Bikram yoga, Pilates, spinning, and a vast array of  in-home exercise equipment, Judy tries them all and more! The self-proclaimed experts who give conflicting advice, result in some of the diet plans that cause her family to regard meals with suspicion, and lead to an outright rebellion by Judy in one hilarious instance. Even a trip to the shoe store is a far from simple task as she is offered a dizzying array of choices.

Download a sample chapter here.

If you are looking for a light-hearted read that is both entertaining and informative, this is a great book. I had never heard of some of the diet or exercise programs she attempted...and I know to avoid a few of them now. You will certainly cheer Judy on as she struggles to rid herself of that extra weight, and may get motivated to start taking better care of yourself, too. A good sense of humor can go a long way in the effort to weigh less, and Judy helps you to see the funny side while you are on your own sojourn.

 Judy Gruen is a humor writer and editor who lives in Los Angeles. She is also a wife and mother of four great kids. Check out her Off My Noodle columns on both her web site, judygruen.com, as well as MommaSaid.net, and also a whole slew of other humor pieces on Aish.com.

** "Till We Eat Again: A Second Helping" is a revised and even funnier version of the original, award-winning "Till We Eat Again" book from 2003.

 I received an ARC courtesy of the publisher & NetGalley. I was not required to give a good review, and all opinions are my own.