Strong Women Stay Young

General information is useful, but book was written 20 years ago. Ankle weights were in style then, but now there is a worry about stress on knees. This book does mention getting "rest days", so readers will have time to get stronger

Fourteen months ago, my size 12 blue jeans were starting to feel just a little bit more than tight. I had just seen the pictures of myself at my sister's wedding...and they weren't pretty. They made me realize that I had gone from always having been extremely slender to well, to put it politely, junoesque. I started this program March 4, 1999, after reading an excerpt from Strong Women Stay Slim in the Reader's Digest. I was looking for a program that I could do for the rest of my life. It had to be one that did not involve going to a gym, since I have a 100% failure rate with exercise dependent on a gym. It had to be one that helped me drop the 30 lbs. I had picked up since taking a sedentary job in the suburbs. It had to be forgiving of my sometimes irregular schedule. It had to get me back in shape for my 25th high school reunion.After six weeks of following the exercises in the Reader's Digest Article, I was already seeing results, so I bought Strong Women Stay Young, and added the ankle weight and abs exercises from the book to my program. I also started taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator, and walking to the store instead of driving. (I did do the program an average of three times a week, rather than the recommended two.) By the time my high school reunion rolled around, I had dropped the extra 30 lbs (without dieting -- just sensible eating). So many people at work have commented in the change in my appearance and have asked how I did it, that I've taken to carrying Reader's Digest reprints of the original article around to hand out when asked. My thighs and my upper arms have slimmed down and firmed up. My belt went from too tight on the largest hole to too loose on the smallest. I continue to get stronger and to improve my sense of balance. And my jeans are now a size six...Some of the other reviews raise concerns that this program is too mild to be effective. Perhaps that's true, if you're looking for serious bodybuilding, or want to train for a marathon. But as for me, I wanted to be stronger and slimmer. I am. I wanted a program that I would actually do, instead of one that I would drift away from. Fourteen months later, I'm still working out. My experience is that this works, if you actually do it.

I am recommending this book to all the adult women in my life. It contains a hype-free, do-able program, along with lots of encouragement, user-friendly advice, interesting medical/fitness info, and the results of scientific research into how this program has transformed the lives of ordinary women. I am a 40 year old certified fitness instructor, and I'm constantly encouraging my clients to get their hands on this book. This is one book most women should have in their library. The info contained therein will help you to really understand and get excited about what strength training can do for you, which can help motivate you to take the first steps, (or to hang in there if you've already begun) to a stronger, healthier, more energized you.

The book was recommended to me by an orthopedic doctor I was seeing about my frozen shoulder. She told me that being a blue-eyed blonde woman, I fit the high risk profile for osteoporosis and could benefit from doing the exercises in this book. I read it and it seemed to make sense. I bought the weights (a set at a time as it wasn't easy to carry the 20 lb. set for one leg let alone having to carry an additional 20 lbs. for the other leg -- and then the ones for the arms!!!!) and have been doing the exercises for about 3 months. I am increasing the arm weights slowly because of my shoulder, but am progressing well. The exercises are described well, and since there are only 8, they do not take too much time and are easy to remember. The exercises are done slowly and you mostly do only 2 sets of 8 repetitions. If you are doing them right, that is all you are able to do. The book suggests doing the routine 2 times a week, but I find I like to do it every-other-day if I have time. There seems to be the extra benefit of relaxation which results by the time you finish the routine. There is also a video you can order which is helpful to check to make sure your form is correct. I am 47 and was in fairly good shape before starting, but I have noticed my body is more toned since doing the exercises and my balance is improving, something I didn't realize I was beginning to lose. However, I also do some stomach crunches and the like in addition. The lifting seems to give me the energy to do more. I definitely am getting stronger as I now can lift heavier weights than I could before I started. I probably would never have thought about using weights before reading this book, but the exercises seem to be doing me good and I intend to keep doing them. It is easy to make the time because you can do them while watching TV or reading or just talking to someone.

After "baby sitting" my mother during a recent hospital stay by my father, I realized I had to do something. My mother is now in her 70's and was diagnosed with osteoporosis several years ago. She has be going downhill ever since with the classic widow's hump. A woman who was 5'7" that now barely comes up to my shoulder and I am 5'6". After doing some research on osteoporosis I realized that strength training was a key component to preventing osteoporosis. I borrowed "Strong Women Stay Young" from a friend and the book aroused my interest enough that I bought my own copy along with my weights. (You should have seen the man's face at the sporting goods store when I requested 20 lb leg weights.) I started out at age 47 with 3 lbs on the triceps lifts, 4 lbs on the biceps lifts, and 5 lbs. on each leg. I will admit I could barely complete both sets of reps on the triceps at 3 lbs. Now, 17 weeks later, I am lifting 9 1/2 lbs on the tri! ! ceps, 10 1/2 lbs on the biceps, and 16 lbs on each leg. And still progressing at a slow rate as each weight becomes easier. I love the way my muscles feel. . . toned and tight but not bulked up. I plan to continue my lifting for the remainder of my life in order to keep from ending up with problems like my mom. I have also started my 16 year old daughter on the program. She is fit, healthy, and active in sports, but I feel that the program will benefit her long after the school sports have been left behind. I would like to start my mom on the program, but she doesn't think she can do it because she is so weak. Maybe one day. Buying Strong Women Stay Young and my weights and committing to the program was one of the best decisions of my life, which I hope will be a long and healthy one.

By my age I've seen any number of self-improvement books and I tend to be skeptical, but Stephanie Gold's review made me think Strong Women was worth a look. I bought it, I read it, and I found it convincing, so I bought the weights and started the program. Sure enough, only 12 weeks later (and believe me, I am no jockette and I haven't been 100% on schedule with this every week!) I actually AM stronger. My balance is better. I walk taller. And I enjoy my physical being more than I have since I was a kid! The book is easy to read, informative, based on persuasive research, and outlines a program that just about anyone can do. Women in their nineties have benefited! For me one of the main selling points was the assertion that women who do the program also increase their general physical activity, and it's true--it seems to just happen. I do more activities better and I enjoy them more. I was already conscientiously walking a couple of miles a couple of times a week, but now I walk faster and more often. I used to swim half a mile; now I often swim a mile. I've started to learn Tai Chi, and best of all, I've bought a little sail boat. By now, at 12 weeks, I am reaching the point where my progress is supposed to slow down, and the authors predict that my enthusiasm will wane, but they are realistic about this and have good motivational suggestions. I think this is a life-long program, so I'm going to hold on to my own copy, but I think it will make good gift book for practically every woman I know.