Fit and Female (eBook)

GERALYN B. COOPERSMITH, MA, CSCS, is an exercise physiologist with sixteen years of professional fitness experience. Coopersmith is the Senior Manager of the Equinox Fitness Training Institute. She has written articles for and been featured in Elle, Glamour, Mademoiselle, Family Circle, Cosmopolitan, and other popular magazines. She is currently the resident fitness expert on the Fine Living Channel's lifestyle makeover show, Simplify Your Life.

Acknowledgments.Introduction.1. What We Want to Look Like—and Why.2. What We Do Look Like—and Why.3. The Secrets of Female Fitness: How We Get Fat, How We Stay Fit.4. The Six Female Body Types: What Shapes We Come In.5. Which Woman Are You? Finding Your Body Type.6. Which Exercises to Do—and Why.7. How to Work Out for Your Body Type.8. How to Put It All Together: From Warm-Up to Cool-Down.9. How to Think about Diets and Dieting.10. How to Eat for Your Body Type: Your Body Type Eating Plan.11. How to Embrace Your Shape: Loving Your Body Type.Appendix: Getting Geared Up: A Fitness Checklist.A Glossary of Common Fitness Terms.Resources.Index.

Coopersmith, resident fitness instructor on the Fine Living Channel's Simplify Your Life, has devised a fitness and nutrition plan to accommodate the needs of women of all shapes and sizes. Observing that "fitness is not one size fits all," Coopersmith divides her approach to address six basic body shapes: the endo-pear, endo-apple, meso-pear, meso-apple, ecto-pear and ecto-apple. Each shape, she claims, requires a customized workout and eating plan, though all incorporate components of a cardio workout, muscular fitness segment and flexibility training. For instance, the already slim ecto pear focuses on shaping muscles while maintaining weight and should not overdo aerobic exercise, while the bulkier meso-apple needs to zero in on cardio work to trim the waist and abs. Illustrated exercises are provided for each body type. Noting that "fitness must fit into a busy woman's life," Coopersmith modifies each sequence, offering a "bare minimum," "ideal" and "gung-ho" work out. While Coopersmith's methods are individualized, her message to all women is to give up their notion of a "Barbie body," work with what they have, steer clear of fad diets and eat healthfully. Perky and friendly, Coopersmith offers an accessible plan and outlook that many women will warm up to. (Aug.) (Publishers Weekly, May 22, 2006)