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Book review: “Fitness Confidential” by @VinnieTortorich

March 14, 2014 by Wendy S

I was sent the e-book version of “Fitness Confidential” to review.

Since I have been working out with a trainer for the last few months, I was curious to see what this book is about.

Vinnie Tortorich has years and years of experience in fitness and nutrition. In “Fitness Confidential” he shares his story and all of this knowledge.

The book is divided into 4 main sections: Eat to Lose, Exercise to Win, Life into Living, Cut the Crap

Eat to Lose

He talks about societies habits, the changes in our food and how we try to make things sound healthy. He dispels many of the myths and warns of the hazards around some of the diet fads that exist. There is a lot of information about how our bodies work and how it handles different types of food. He believes that it’s best to eliminate sugar and grains and he describes that people need to eat the right foods to become and/or stay healthy.

Exercise to Win

After being bullied as a kid, he started working out, changed his body and changed how everyone looked at him. He started eating properly and exercising and got in shape. He gives some tips on choosing a gym that is right for you and tips on how to approach your workout routine. He reminds the reader that what you eat is most important for losing weight and many other valuable pieces of advice.

Vinnie describes some of the exercises that will give you the most out of your workout in the least amount of time. Like his discussion on choosing the right gym, Vinnie discusses what makes a great trainer. And, his best infomercial-type style, he tells you want the best piece of fitness equipment you can buy. (I’m not giving it away. It’s too funny not to read.) He goes on to explain that even with all of these things, you still need to be mentally willing to put in the work.

Life into Living

This section of the book threw me for a loop! There’s no way for me to get into detail with out ruining what happens. But it’s truly amazing what Vinnie is able to accomplish.

Cut the Crap

This final chapter is filled with examples of why you just need to get off your butt and get moving. He spends the whole chapter motivating you to start on a new path but keeps it real. He wants people to be able to help themselves and be working out and eating better for all the right reasons.

My thoughts:

When reading the book you can tell that it was written with the same inflection as if Vinnie was talking to you. He’s blunt, he swears, and he doesn’t beat around the bush. He will open your eyes to some of the myths that we have come to believe are fact. He likes to knock down some of the media hype that surrounds a lot of the existing “healthy” products and ideas that retailers would like you to think are good for you.

I like that at the beginning of each section, there are some real-life examples of what he will be focusing on. Many times he’ll give some history about himself and what were his motivating factors that moved him to where he is today. As he discusses nutrition, exercise, and habits that people need to be healthy, he declares himself as the readers trainer. He’ll have the reader reflect on their own lives and then he gives them things to do to start changing their lives. Even if it is just a small things.

This personal story, mixed with facts and fitness knowledge, is a great way to show people that anything is possible. You need the right knowledge and motivation to get you going and keep you going. If you’re looking for a book to get you started on a healthy journey, or need a good refresher as to why you’re working out, this is a good book to read.

Title: Fitness Confidential

Authors: Vinnie Tortorich and Dean Lorey

ISBN: 978-1939337924

Publisher: Telemachus Press, LLC (June 27, 2013)

Format/Length:Paperback 248 pages (kindle edition 638 KB)

From the Publishers:

America’s Angriest Trainer, Vinnie Tortorich, exposes the nasty underbelly of the fitness industry while getting you into the best shape of your life. For over 20 years, Vinnie has been Hollywood’s go-to guy for celebrities and athletes looking to get fit fast. Now, in this hilarious and often r-rated memoir, he holds nothing back. What’s the best piece of fitness equipment money can buy? What’s the fastest way to lose weight: diet or exercise? Why are health clubs worse than used car lots? In FITNESS CONFIDENTIAL, Vinnie tells all. So get ready to get fit, get inspired and get the dirt with Hollywood’s most outrageous personal trainer!

To learn more about Vinnie Tortorich, check out his website: http://vinnietortorich.com/

And you can listen to his podcast by subscribing here: The Podcast

Like him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angriesttrainer

Follow on twitter: @VinnieTortorich

You can purchase the book on Amazon.

book review: iPad Apps for Kids for Dummies

January 31, 2013 by Wendy S

iPad Apps For Kids for Dummies

Description (from the publisher http://ca.wiley.com)

Get the scoop on the best kid-friendly apps iPad has to offer!

How do you find good apps for your children? Read iPad Apps For Kids For Dummies, that’s how! With over a half-million apps in the App Store and that number growing, this great new guide cuts through the clutter and points parents in the direction of the best apps for kids of all ages. From apps for dinosaur lovers to fashion fans, puzzle masters to avid adventurers, and everything in between, you’ll find apps to both educate and entertain. Which apps have strong girl role models? Which apps help kids with special needs? Which ones will keep the whole family entertained on the road? This handy, full-color book by tech-savvy, USA TODAY Kid-Tech columnist Jinny Gudmundsen covers it all.

Helps parents find the best of the best iPad apps for children of all ages in the crowded App Store
Shows parents which apps are worth the price and those that are free and fabulous
Demonstrates how to use an iPad to make learning fun, apps for kids with special needs, age-appropriate apps for each child’s age, and how you can avoid in-app purchase mistakes
Draws on the experience and expertise of Kid-Tech columnist Jinny Gudmundsen, who has taken countless apps for a test run and shared her findings in USA TODAY and in Gannett newspapers nationwide; Jinny’s work has also been published in the Los Angeles Times and Child magazine, and online at ABCNews.com, and she has appeared on national TV and radio
Don’t waste anymore time plowing through the App Store for kid-friendly apps on your own! Get iPad Apps For Kids For Dummies today and get your kids excited about learning.

About the author (from http://ca.wiley.com/)

Jinny Gudmundsen is the Kid-Tech columnist for USA TODAY and the Gannett newspaper chain. An authority on technology for kids, she also works for Common Sense Media, the nation’s leading nonprofit source of reviews on children’s media.

What I liked:

As with all Dummies books, I like their little icons that alert you to special things. My favourite is the “Warning!” icon to let parents know when something might not be so child-friendly.

At the beginning of the book, Gudmundsen explains how she chose the apps to highlighted in the book. She looks at entertainment value, education value, ease of use, appropriateness (content, advertising and enticements to spend money with in the app), use of iPad technology and value. When I first read this, I hadn’t even thought about advertising. They are common in all the apps that I use, but ad aren’t good for kids.

Before even getting to the apps, she talks about using the iPad, protecting the iPad and privacy issues to protect your kids. The points about privacy are great, like turning off links to social networks).

The apps are divided up into many chapters based on age, games, educational and by different topics. And then at the back is an appendix showing a table of all the apps and which ages they’re appropriate for.

My daughters look through the book and found many new apps that they want to try. I got to read about them, learn what is involved and be able to decide if it really is an app for them.

Another great thing about the book is you can check for updates to the book — http://www.dummies.com/go/ipadappsforkidsfdupdates

What I didn’t like:

I wish there had been more free apps. There a lot of free apps in the App Store that could have been suggested. Though that might be a topic of a new book.

How do you pick apps for your children to play?

If you’re looking for help on picking good quality apps, this book will definitely help!

book review: character is the key

October 26, 2009 by Wendy S

Parenting isn’t easy. And there are many books out there that try to help you raise your kids to be the happy, successful, independent adults that we hope they can be.

Sara Dimerman has written a book, “Character is the Key” which helps parents to understand their own core characteristics in order to help model these as their children grow up.

The basic concepts that are discussed in the book are something that we can start now and continue to build on as the girls get bigger. But our girls are still little and the activities suggested for he Family Plan and for each of the characteristics would be way over their heads. I can’t really hold a family meeting with a 2 1/2 year old who won’t sit still for a full episode of Toopy and Binoo

The way Sara Dimerman has organized the book will make it easy to review it in the future. Each chapter has a “short and sweet” review of the ideas and concepts that were discussed. The Family Plan has worksheets to help each family member define themselves and their goals and these can be found on her website. And the last part of the book takes each characteristic and goes into detail of how it can be a part of your life. She suggests having a monthly family meeting to learn about these characteristics.

I’ll definitelykeep it on hand for when the girls are old enough to participate and give feedback. Until then, it will be up to BigDaddy and I to make sure that we teaching and showing the girls how to be the best people they can be.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Character Is the Key: How to Unlock the Best in Our Children and Ourselves and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.