Saturday, January 7, 2012

Book Review: No-Fuss Fitness by Lee-Anne Wann


Title: No-Fuss Fitness: Your Guide to Working Out in the Real World
Author: Lee-Anne Wann
Publisher: Penguin NZ
RRP: $35.00
Copy Origin: Review copy provided by Penguin NZ

I am ashamed to admit that I have had this book to review since late September and I actually read most of it the day that I received it.

I loved Downsize Me (shown on TV3) and was excited to read the book that Lee-Anne had written.

I was gripped from the first page of the introduction; an introduction that shows that sometimes the face that we present to the outside world is different to what is going on inside us. I was blown away by Wann’s frank and openness about her breakdown and subsequent “healing”. It certainly made me realise that at the end of the day we are all just human beings and that there is a certain level of fragility in terms of our emotional/mental state.

Over the years I have read so many books about health, fitness and nutrition. I can honestly say that ‘no-fuss fitness’ is one of the best. It is so clear and easy to understand. As you can see from the photo above I have used post-it’s to mark parts of the book that I go back to time and time again.

The beginning of the book details the basics i.e. getting your ‘foundation’ right and posture, figuring out your body type, how much activity should you do and food. It even made me realise that my posture/stance is not great.

Wann has made it easy to figure out which workout choices are the best based on your body type. So for me (body type: overweight) I can do the ‘Beach Burn’ or ‘Fast & Furious’ among others; exciting right? Here is a book that finally makes exercise fun and achievable whilst still being challenging.

Then in the second half of the book are all the different workouts that you can do from home to work to the beach. During a time when people are busier (and some have mainly sedentary jobs) than ever; these workouts are fabulous and designed to fit in and around your life; even if you only have 15-30 minutes to exercise each day.

I can also appreciate that gym memberships and personal trainers might be the first things to do away with when people/families etc. are trying to save money. The beauty of this book is that you do not need a gym to do these exercises. You can use things from around your house or office i.e. a chair, water bottles, your front steps etc.

So whether you are ready to start or re-start your health and fitness journey then this a fantastic book to read and get you going and what better time to start than a brand new year! 


A side note: Lee-Anne actually came and spoke at Mark’s work just before Christmas. He explained to me that the whole time he was listening to her he kept thinking “I have seen her book somewhere…..” and then he realised that it was on my bedside table. On our way home that day he could not stop talking about her and what she had said and how it all made perfect sense to him. For Mark a light went on.  To be honest he was a little peeved that I had her book and already knew a lot of what she had talked about; competitive much.

1 comment:

  1. Sounds like a great book Ness, may have to see if I can track me down a copy and get started on the fitness trail at home. :-) Keep up with good work hun.

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