Staying Fit Over Fifty: Conditioning for Outdoor Activities

I am one of the 30% of very fat adults. I have always been overweight and don't really know how to exercise and get fit. This is a good book, well written but it is not the kind of book i need right now.It is scientific in tone and attitude, full of good facts and the kind of knowledge that is testable in a college classroom. Weak on motivation and push to get and keep going. The first half is a introduction to exercise physiology, with the chapter on the brain(6) especially well done. The second half is a introduction to several different outdoors sports to open up vistas to the already fit---skiing, swimming, running, walking, rowing. And that is the problem for me with the book, it is preaching to the choir, those who are already fit. Who exercised through their 40's rather than reading and playing with the computer as did i. So if you are in the targetted audience this is a very good book, but if not it is just ok....Motivation, push, desire. These are the things needed by novice walkers, not provided by the book. It assumes you are already on the positive feedback curve where you feel better because you are fit and now need a variety of things to do with your body. Assuming this type of person the book is a very good buy as it will give you a few new facts and lots of choices to investigate.So it is not directed to me, or the rest of us need to get fit bfore the fat kills us....But rather to the rest of you who approach 50 worrying that the best years are behind you. This is a good place for you to start.

I used this book, along with "Body for Life", to work out a routine that matched my lifestyle and capabilities, and get rid of 30 pounds of fat that I had accumulated since college days. I just finished my first Power Walk marathon this spring, and am training for my first 10K next year at age 70. This book leads you through many, many options; swimming, hiking, walking, running, bike riding, etc. with great advice on each. I keep it filed with my jogging shoes and my hand weights for quick reference. It's not the only book you will need to get in shape, but it is one of the few, and it is one you will refer to weekly as you progress from couch potato to 'ramblin Grandpa'.

This book teaches a lot about the body, its production of energy, diet, and philosophy behind a training program. It's focused on aging jocks. It's weak on specific examples for non-jocks like me. But it does explain what happens to the body as it ages and how physical activities are affected and what can be done about it (and, at times, what can't), which no other book deals with that I've seen. I'm glad I bought/read it. I can now converse with my cross-country runner & cyclist 17-year old son! For more specifics on exercises you'll need another book, such as "Conditioning for Outdoor Fitness", authored by Musnick & Pierce.