book overview
Book Overview
The hardest part of exercising is saying “yes” - especially for mothers. Finding a way to answer the incessant question, ‘Can I fit it into my schedule?’ with the reply of ‘It is my schedule,’ is the mission of the book. The fact that exercising regularly is so important for health, increased energy, brighter moods and lifelong fulfillment underscores the essential idea of this book. Its goodness is omnipotent, beginning within and naturally radiating outwards, enlivening whole communities of people, particularly our own children and family, and other mothers ready to jump on the bandwagon. To the millions of mothers for whom The Power of Exercise is written, my message is short and sweet: Exercise every day is the single best thing you can do to promote good health, feel beautiful both inside and outside, awaken enormous pools of creative potential, and increase your usable energy. When we Moms are fueled by positive experience and our own accomplishments every day, our world thrives.
The enriching and transformative qualities of exercise are what I define as the power of exercise, a concept I believe in to the core and what has become my life work as a motivational speaker, sports psychologist, world-class athlete, author and mother of two active daughters. The transformative qualities of fitness enable all mothers to shed negativity, transcend their low energy state and move to a stronger body, mind and spirit way of being. The power of exercise is a winning prescription for all humanity; if more people exercised, the world would be a happier (better) place. A team led by Dr. Lykken from the University of Minnesota, discovered that we each have a happiness/productive set point - approximately 50% is genetically generated, the remaining 50% is learned. Further review of the literature and studies on happiness and productivity by a team of positive psychology researchers confirmed Lykken's genetic findings and uncovered that of the remaining 50%, 10% is circumstantial - such as our level of wealth, marital status, and job. The other 40% is determined by our habitual thoughts, feelings, words and actions. What better way to create the greatest positive impact on this remaining 40% than by a daily workout to achieve all things positive.
Got energy? Got happiness? Got fuel for laundry, cooking, cleaning, working, friends, husband, being a great mother everyday and forever? Get exercise.
The book is a symphony of my own exercise philosophy and experiences, anecdotal material from 100 other mothers who discovered empowerment through exercise, and the practical nuts and bolts of fitness training and lifestyle. What makes this book so effective is that all the facets together provide a very powerful result from a very simple idea: exercise every day. The message of this book is delivered authentically, in simple no-nonsense language (real-life experiences versus technical scientific terms and statistics) with a level of enthusiasm, insight, and clarity that is captivating and infectious. This book is a practical guide about exercise for all mothers and teaches us how to cope with feelings of being overwhelmed, overworked, overtired and unfulfilled. It encourages us to find joy and freedom in movement, to trust our own body and untapped potential.
My approach is simple: find the right time each day to exercise, explore and discover what you like, commit to it, live it, love it, breathe it, be transformed by it. My grander vision develops throughout the four sections of the book. It begins in Section 1, Motivation, with my own story of how aspirations to be active and athletic - often in spite of sleep-deprivation, professional demands and daily family pressures - were accomplished with a personal mantra, ‘a little is better than none.’ New discoveries about my body’s capabilities and energy capacity led me to become a world-class champion triathlete during motherhood. Individual stories from all of the other mothers who contributed to this book further inspire that exercise is the single best thing you can do to ‘have it all.’ We mothers understand the psychological inhibitions and physical discomforts when beginning to exercise. Our stories ring true to these issues, and bridge the difficulty with solutions for establishing a new frame of mind and lifestyle. For all of us, let the experience of dedicating yourself to something so good move us. Everyone wins through exercise! Energy begets energy.
The Power of Exercise for Mothers is NOT a fitness encyclopedia nor a weight-loss or anti-aging manual, nor just another book of ‘daily inspirations.’ It is a must-read guide for energizing motherhood and encouraging the best possible lifestyle - one of deep personal fulfillment that produces meaningful consequences - as a result of a special fuel, exercise. Every mother will pick up this book, love it, and have the desire to live it.