The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide: How to Win the Battle Against Eating Disorders, Amenorrhea, and Osteoporosis

I am a male coach of female soccer players. I would go so far as to say that the depth of knowledge contained in this book is beyond that which many coaches of team sports would search for. However, coaches who are interested in getting the best from their athletes, rather than having athletes fit their own personal coaching agendas, will find in these pages essential truths that will illuminate their coaching. There has been a strong social tendency for women's understanding of ability and success to be measured by male standards (the sense of athletic body image in connection with performance, which is dealt with in detail, is only one of them driven by this perspective), and this book is thankfully one which reminds us that women are not only entitled to be judged as women, but need and deserve to be so. As coaches, and certainly as male coaches, we cannot help our female athletes realise their potential until we understand them better and give them credit for being who they are, and encourage them to be who they are. This book helps us do just that.

Books which honestly deal with the pressures and concerns of female athletes are rare, and this one should be required reading for every active woman from twelve to sixty. There is lots of information out there on how to be thin but far less on how to be fit. Otis and Goldingay are among the very few to acknowledge that they are not one and the same. This is not a book about eating disorders - though they are intelligently discussed. Nor is it a book about how to get in shape. It's much more. The authors honestly address medical issues such as amenorrhea and osteoporosis, provide information on nutrition, injuries and maintaining optimal energy for performance. Most important of all, they are medical professionals finally urging athletic women to be as strong as they can be. For anyone who's ever struggled between the twin camps of thin and fit, this book MUST go to the top of the pile.

The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide covers a gamut of issues concerning women athletes including eating disorders, amenorrhea, osteoporosis, body image. One of the most important chapters is on getting and giving help, forming a support team, getting referrals, the journey to recovery while continuing training, and communicating effectively with family, friends, teammates, and coaches. The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide concludes with an excellent chapter on "Peak Performance: Preventing the Triad" and sites specifically what the woman athlete can do, what her friends can do, what her family can do, what schools and organizations can do, what their men can do, and what coaches and athletic departments can do to assist the woman athlete to thrive, prosper, and perform in the competitive world of athletic competition. Highly recommended for personal, professional, and athletic department reference libraries, The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide is enhanced with references, resource lists, and a comprehensive index.

This book is very well written and I highly recommend it. Specifically, it contains essential information for young women, as well as adults, who encounter body image pressures in their environment. Dr. Carol Otis and Roger Goldingay did an excellent job addressing these important topics. And providing guidelines for a healthier mind and body. A must have for women with active lifestyle!

This book is a must for all active women. This book has everything! I especially enjoyed the comprehensive case studies of accomplished women athletes and how they took control of their health issues. This book covers, in depth, eating disorders and how to overcome them. It also covers all women's health issues from menstruation to injuries to everyday aches and pains. Extremely valuable information and sound and compassionate medical expertise are key elements of this book. I highly recommend this book for ALL women, young or old. It is a valuable resource.