Fitter Faster: The Smart Way to Get in Shape in Just Minutes a Day

Robert J. Davis

AMACOM Softcover $16.99 (240pp) 978-0-8144-3771-1 Honest, humorous, and helpful, this is a great presentation of exercise for those feeling reluctant to begin.

Fitter Faster, from health journalist Robert Davis and fitness trainer Brad Kolowich Jr., is an easy, entertaining introduction to exercise. With honesty and humor, the book encourages easyto-follow fitness programs that could turn into a lifetime of healthy habits.

Four sections cover motivation, how exercise affects the body, maximizing exercise with food and pain management, and a recommended fitness program. The fitness program is as comprehensive as it is simple, with a seven-day plan that works the entire body, encompassing cardio, weights, and stretching, with specific exercises for those at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels of fitness. An impressive reference list at the end of the book speaks to the fact that the information presented is backed by research.

The book’s ample information may surprise even those who have studied fitness in the past. The book asserts that starting a workout with disliked exercises will make exercise unpleasant, but “if, on the other hand, you begin with your favorite exercise and save your least favorite for last, research suggests you may view exercise as more enjoyable.” Additionally, well-established rules of exercise, such as aiming for ten thousand steps a day, or hydrating throughout a workout, are challenged, with evidence offered to separate fact from belief.

For those who do not like to exercise but who want to do it anyway, the information here is quite helpful. The authors are forthright in stating that exercise is not always fun but is not as tortuous as it is portrayed. Advice on how to get motivated, on what kinds of motivation actually work, and how to maximize results will help even