Giveaway Post - The Great Fitness Experiment!
Wednesday March 2, 2011
I don't even know where to start!
Do you eat too much? Do you eat too little? Do you obsess about workouts and missing them? Do obsess about food? Do you work out too little? Do you work out too much? DO YOU HAVE PROBLEMS & ISSUES IN LIFE? Do you look in the mirror & see one thing while others see something completely different?Do you want to try circuit training? Do you want to try CrossFit? Are you curious about The Primal Blueprint way of life? What about Kettlebells or HIIT?
I could go on but you get the message here. Charlotte has tried it all in her quest for health & fitness. BUT, she has also learned some very hard lessons about going too far or ignoring warning signs which actually effected her health & mental well being in a bad way.
This book by Charlotte of The Great Experiment blog was amazing! I had trouble putting it down! I knew some of Charlotte's "antics" as I read her blog. I also know some of her back story from reading her posts. What I did not expect is to learn even more of her back story in the book. She is honest & open & blatantly frank about her obsessions, problems, life experiences, her wins, her defeats & just about everything else that goes along with that.
You will laugh and cry & laugh a lot!! You will learn! Charlotte is really an amazing writer & it is like you are right there & she is telling you her story in person - or that is how I felt reading her book.
You also will get some interesting info on different workouts if you are looking for ways to change it up or spice up your current workouts. I always said that working out is NOT boring! Charlotte proves it!
I think the things I like best of all are & it is hard to pick a best BUT here they are:
1. Charlotte's relationship with her friends & family. LOVE THAT! Amazing friends & family!
2. That she mentioned at least a couple times that if you have the right genetics, women can build some decent muscle. I have been saying this for years. I know magazines & fitness shows do not want to scare women away from weights because as I write on my blog too, they are so important & wonderful for you. BUT, it is a fact that some women, maybe not the majority, but some can get decent size with weights & I am one of them. One of her gym buddies too.
When I lifted to compete in my late 30's, people thought I was on drugs. I was not. My body just responded to weights . I am also a sort of gymnastic type body so I got big pretty quickly with heavy weights. I always warn women that can build quickly that they may have to change it up if the heavy weights make than bigger than they prefer. I love having muscles but some want more of a toned look. If you want to get big, all is cool! Many don't have the body type to do this but there are some of us. OK, I will post more about this another time!
3. LOVED that you will learn that we all have to find what works for us. I say this a lot too! We are all different & what works for one does not necessarily work for another. PLUS, we want something we can live with long term as a lifestyle & that point right there is a must! Charlotte discusses how some things worked for others & not her OR it was just something she could not live with long term. LOVE THAT POINT! Find what works for you but just find it & do something!
4. Charlotte wrote this & you will just have to read the book to see the context of why she wrote it: "That nobody should be afraid of making mistakes; the only important thing was to try."
5. I found this quote something to think about also: "The real growth comes not from doing what you already do well, but from trying what you suck at enough times that you get better." From Jody: To me, it made me think of that dreaded fear of failure that holds us back!
Interesting side note from Jody - I read this near the beginning of the book: "It doesn't help that my hobbies include reading about fitness, writing about fitness, and talking about fitness. And don't forget, you know, actually exercising." As I read that, I thought, oh no, I might relate too much to this book & have a disorder!!! Actually, I related to quite a few things Charlotte wrote but thank goodness not enough to make me think I have a disorder but I know there are areas I can work on! Charlotte, I bet you can guess some of them!
So, I guess you get that I LOVED this book! A must read in my humble opinion! I had trouble putting it down! And you can win one too!!!
GIVEAWAY - 1 copy to a lucky reader for:
1. The price of a comment on what is the most important thing you have learned or the most important take away for you along your fitness/health journey?
2. Another chance to win if you share this post on Facebook. Please leave me a separate comment.
Winner announced Wednesday March 9th. U.S. & Canada only.
I received a copy of the book for free from the publisher for review.
I love Charlotte's blog anyway but I am so sincere in saying that this book is such a journey of a read!
PS: Don't forget my GIVEAWAY post from yesterday!
I don't even know where to start!
Do you eat too much? Do you eat too little? Do you obsess about workouts and missing them? Do obsess about food? Do you work out too little? Do you work out too much? DO YOU HAVE PROBLEMS & ISSUES IN LIFE? Do you look in the mirror & see one thing while others see something completely different?Do you want to try circuit training? Do you want to try CrossFit? Are you curious about The Primal Blueprint way of life? What about Kettlebells or HIIT?
I could go on but you get the message here. Charlotte has tried it all in her quest for health & fitness. BUT, she has also learned some very hard lessons about going too far or ignoring warning signs which actually effected her health & mental well being in a bad way.
This book by Charlotte of The Great Experiment blog was amazing! I had trouble putting it down! I knew some of Charlotte's "antics" as I read her blog. I also know some of her back story from reading her posts. What I did not expect is to learn even more of her back story in the book. She is honest & open & blatantly frank about her obsessions, problems, life experiences, her wins, her defeats & just about everything else that goes along with that.
You will laugh and cry & laugh a lot!! You will learn! Charlotte is really an amazing writer & it is like you are right there & she is telling you her story in person - or that is how I felt reading her book.
You also will get some interesting info on different workouts if you are looking for ways to change it up or spice up your current workouts. I always said that working out is NOT boring! Charlotte proves it!
I think the things I like best of all are & it is hard to pick a best BUT here they are:
1. Charlotte's relationship with her friends & family. LOVE THAT! Amazing friends & family!
2. That she mentioned at least a couple times that if you have the right genetics, women can build some decent muscle. I have been saying this for years. I know magazines & fitness shows do not want to scare women away from weights because as I write on my blog too, they are so important & wonderful for you. BUT, it is a fact that some women, maybe not the majority, but some can get decent size with weights & I am one of them. One of her gym buddies too.
When I lifted to compete in my late 30's, people thought I was on drugs. I was not. My body just responded to weights . I am also a sort of gymnastic type body so I got big pretty quickly with heavy weights. I always warn women that can build quickly that they may have to change it up if the heavy weights make than bigger than they prefer. I love having muscles but some want more of a toned look. If you want to get big, all is cool! Many don't have the body type to do this but there are some of us. OK, I will post more about this another time!
3. LOVED that you will learn that we all have to find what works for us. I say this a lot too! We are all different & what works for one does not necessarily work for another. PLUS, we want something we can live with long term as a lifestyle & that point right there is a must! Charlotte discusses how some things worked for others & not her OR it was just something she could not live with long term. LOVE THAT POINT! Find what works for you but just find it & do something!
4. Charlotte wrote this & you will just have to read the book to see the context of why she wrote it: "That nobody should be afraid of making mistakes; the only important thing was to try."
5. I found this quote something to think about also: "The real growth comes not from doing what you already do well, but from trying what you suck at enough times that you get better." From Jody: To me, it made me think of that dreaded fear of failure that holds us back!
Interesting side note from Jody - I read this near the beginning of the book: "It doesn't help that my hobbies include reading about fitness, writing about fitness, and talking about fitness. And don't forget, you know, actually exercising." As I read that, I thought, oh no, I might relate too much to this book & have a disorder!!! Actually, I related to quite a few things Charlotte wrote but thank goodness not enough to make me think I have a disorder but I know there are areas I can work on!
Charlotte, I bet you can guess some of them!So, I guess you get that I LOVED this book! A must read in my humble opinion! I had trouble putting it down! And you can win one too!!!
GIVEAWAY - 1 copy to a lucky reader for:
1. The price of a comment on what is the most important thing you have learned or the most important take away for you along your fitness/health journey?
2. Another chance to win if you share this post on Facebook. Please leave me a separate comment.
Winner announced Wednesday March 9th. U.S. & Canada only.
I received a copy of the book for free from the publisher for review.
I love Charlotte's blog anyway but I am so sincere in saying that this book is such a journey of a read!
PS: Don't forget my GIVEAWAY post from yesterday!
Posted by truth2beingfit at 3/1/2011 9:53 PM 
Categories: Challenges, Fitness, Weight Loss, Life, Inspiration, Giveaway, Exercise, Workouts, Cardio workout, Weights, Weight lifting, Dieting, Life Experiences, Reviews, Blogging
Tags: The Great Fitness Experiment giveaway Reviews acceptance body image body workout challenges control Diets expectations fitness inspiration life experiences lifestyle motivation overcoming the past workouts
Categories: Challenges, Fitness, Weight Loss, Life, Inspiration, Giveaway, Exercise, Workouts, Cardio workout, Weights, Weight lifting, Dieting, Life Experiences, Reviews, Blogging
Tags: The Great Fitness Experiment giveaway Reviews acceptance body image body workout challenges control Diets expectations fitness inspiration life experiences lifestyle motivation overcoming the past workouts
(I would love Charlotte's book!)
Oh, man, so much I've learned and so much more to learn. I'm taking away from this journey that it is okay to be vulnerable -- vulnerable to new experiences, ways of doing things, making mistakes, criticism -- being vulnerable isn't going to kill me. Trying to NOT be vulnerable, on the other hand, silently suffocates me.
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Hi, again! I shared this post on Facebook. (Not sure how to prove it).
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I love Charlotte! I've known her since I first started writing on line. I owe it all to V02 Max
Fear of failure has never stopped me! Knowing I would fail, that's different.
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This is a book I would love to win but even if I don't I'm going to get it. Sounds fantastic. I love experimenting with different things to see what works.
The most important thing I've learned: you have not failed if you're still trying.
Never, never, never give up. Weight loss has been low for me (some of it I found out was medical, some from splurging too often) but I've never given up. Still in the game.
Also, don't compare yourself to others. BIG lesson there.
Don't be afraid to fail or you'll never try anything new.
Those things have been life changing for me.
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Oh wow - Thank you Jody!!!! You are so sweet!I am so glad you liked my book. Thank you for this beautiful post and for sharing your fitness journey with me too
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I've learned a lot... what to choose? How about the great quote "Progress, not perfection."
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For me it's been consistancy. Just DOING it and then KEEPING ON doing it.
Working through a few injusries ahs taught me how to listen to my body and know how to take care of myself better...
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The most important thing I've learned is #3 -- different things work for different people! Just like we were talking about on my blog post a few days ago, some people due to hormones, genetics, age, gender, what have you, do better on a clean diet; some people can eat whatever they want. Everyone's body responds to things differently!
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For me, it means less is more! Less time in the gym with more effort always wins!
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I think it is hard to narrow it down to one important thing I have learned there are so many things.
One important lesson has been to focus on progress and not try to be perfect.
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