[.ca] The Mind-Body Makeover Project (ISBN 0071425284)

From Amazon.com:
Nutrition and exercise are only two pieces of the puzzle of how to get fit and lose weight, writes Michael Gerrish. The other "UFOs" ("unidentified fitness obstacles") are barriers to getting fit. These might involve sleep, work addiction, food allergies, or a number of medical or emotional conditions or lifestyle issues. Gerrish, an exercise physiologist, personal trainer, and psychotherapist, gives a self-test to see which of the 58 UFOs are yours and describes how you can conquer each one. He includes exercise information, with descriptions and illustrations of recommended strength training and stretching exercises, and a general diet plan. He also describes energy block acutherapy, a self-help breathing and tapping sequence to treat fears, addictions, cravings, self-sabotage, and post-traumatic stress. More than one-third of the book is devoted to "The Makeovers"--stories of real people who "stumbled, fell down, and got up many times, transforming themselves as a result." We get to know these people through their journal entries, photos, and communications with Gerrish as they progress through their 12-week program. Gerrish is married to personal coach Cheryl Richardson, author of Take Time for Your Life and Life Makeovers. The Mind-Body Makeover Project is recommended for people who struggle with weight loss and are ready to look at the bigger picture. --Joan Price

Mind Body Makeover Project:
Wish I had this book 10 years ago when I went from doctor to doctor and they couldn't figure out what my symptoms meant. (The doctor who finally diagnosed me used a longer version of a test similar to the one in the book since medical tests didn't show anything)! After reading the book my husband got tested for sleep apnia. Tests revealed he had it and it was treatable. He'd been to several doctors and though he mentioned problems none suggested being tested. Another example of the need for us to be aware of what's going on in our own bodies. Thanks Michael for a very valuable and needed tool!

Inspirational:
I found this book to be very inspirational. I've tried to lower my bodyfat in the past but after a few weeks I would feel deprived and frustrated. The Mind Body Makeover Project gave me several ways to identify how I was ruining my own success. I've been on track and getting leaner every week for the past 14 weeks! When I need extra inspiration I simply read one of the stories of the people who have followed Mr. Gerrish's advice.

Inspirational and "How To" Live Healthfully Manual for Life:
As a daily athlete for over thirty years who took to the roads to run long before women's running shoes, I have seen and read it all regarding books and theories on how to get fit. Michael's book is the real thing. That's because Michael is the real thing--a well-educated, thoughtful expert who lives what he preaches. He walksthetalk and that comes across in this book which should be mandatory reading and a life manual for people of ALL ages and ALL abilities. It is well-researched, well-written, and a reading experience that can provide each of us with the skills and knowledge to change our own lives. Few books speak to such a wide audience from exercise hopefuls to exercise hounds. This book is for beginners, resistant exercisers and long-term fitness fans. Combining well-researched wisdom with inspiration, Michael's assessment tool enables any person to identify the physical and emotional health issues (UFOs) that can get in the way of getting to the gym or taking to the road. So it will help you learn how to start up with health-promoting exercise. Recognizing that a person's response to exercise, the ability to reach your top potential, is not one-size-fits-all and changes with time, Michael's assessment tool is also an amazing way for people like myself, who have pursued health-promoting movement and playing with weights for decades, to identify factors and health changes that may be impairing top enjoyment and performance. More than identifying obstacles, Michael Gerrish provides actionable solutions. As a psychologist working with people competing on life's fields of sport and work and people dealing with genuinely extreme challenges like life-threatening illness and disability, I know that an assessment is only as powerful as the recommendations that it generates. The Mind-Body Makeover provides customized recommendations that you can implement daily to improve the quality of your workouts and, more importantly, the quality and enjoyment of your life. Buy this book. Keep it by your bedside. Use it today and through your lifespan to identify and solve your current obstacles to being the best you can be. Each time you read it, you up the chances of optimizing our health through your life's stages. And you increase the chances that you will learn to love playing in the gym and eating in the way that is healthful for you. With this book, you can learn to inspire your self to promote your physical and emotional health throughout your lifespan so that you can fully experience life's wonders and deal effectively with its curve balls.

Highly recommended:
I just finished Michael Gerrish's book and I was so impressed by the presentation that I felt compelled to contribute a review on his behalf. In essence, this self-help fitness book is intended to assist people who are "stuck in a rut" in their efforts to become physically fit. As a method for doing so, Michael provides the means for identifying the "Unidentified Fitness Obstacles" that are preventing you from accomplishing your goals. First of all, let me say that this is a very practical and effective approach because, in analytical problem-solving of any type, people often overlook the most fundamental starting-point in finding a practical solution... and that is, before you can begin to fix a problem, you first have to determine exactly what the problem is. The exercise of pinpointing your personal impediments is a revelation in and of itself, and that alone is beneficial, but Michael then uses his considerable expertise and experience to propose solutions which are tailored to overcome the individual's unique hang-ups. I appreciate Michael's "no pain, no gain" honesty in his advice. He doesn't delude readers into believing that there are any "quick-fixes" to these dilemmas. Michael makes it clear that any improvements to one's general health and fitness can result only from a comparable change in lifestyle, diet and exercise regiment and he provides specific recommendations and resources to effectuate that transformation. His proposals are detailed, yet easy to comprehend, and the "makeovers" help to personalize the process while providing the inspiration to get you motivated. Whether you are a person who wants to get into shape but keeps putting it off, or you're someone who works out regularly but has hit a wall, this is an extremely helpful book and I highly recommend it.

A refreshing approach to weight loss that really works:
As someone who has spent most of her life bouncing from one weight loss plan to the next with little success, I was delighted to find that this refreshingly holistic program finally had the answers I needed. The author's amazingly accurate self-diagnostic test helped me to identify the real physiological, nutritional and emotional issues that were preventing me from losing weight. Once I understood the role that attention deficit disorder, hormone imbalances, weak boundaries and self-defeating beliefs were playing in my life, I was able to address these problems and select the diet and exercise program best suited for my unique needs. Following the progress of the book's seven makeover candidates gave me the encouragement I needed to stay on track. Best of all, I got honest-to-goodness results!