Quick Fit: The Complete 15-Minute No-Sweat Workout - Softcover

Bradley III, Richard R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0743471032 ISBN 13: 9780743471039

Verlag: Atria, 2005

Inhaltsangabe

Most Americans know they should exercise -- but they don't. The number one reason? Lack of time. Now there's an answer: Quick Fit -- a daily workout that takes just 15 minutes. And it's no sweat, literally! You don't need to change your clothes first, or even shower afterward.
Quick Fit takes no more time than a coffee break, yet it provides a complete workout: Ten minutes of aerobic activity; four minutes of strengthening exercises; one minute of stretches. This program is perfect for anyone with a hectic, demanding schedule. Can 15 minutes really make a difference? Yes, according to mounting research evidence. Quick Fit is safe -- and it's effective.
This book provides everything you need to begin a more active lifestyle:
• Fully illustrated step-by-step instructions, with simple self-tests to help you customize • Exciting new information about the surprising benefits of brief workouts • Innovative suggestions for getting started -- and sticking with it • Motivating quotes from men and women who are using Quick Fit successfully
If you wish you were fitter and trimmer, but can't find time to exercise, Quick Fit is for you!

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Richard Bradley is the author of the New York Times bestseller
American Son: A Portrait of John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Harvard Rules: The
Struggle for the Soul of the World's Most Powerful University. His writing
has appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Rolling
Stone, and The New Republic, and he was the executive editor of
George magazine. Bradley lives in New York City.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Chapter One: Fitness Should Be Simple

I'm sedentary by nature. I walk my dog, but it's not aerobic activity. I'd like to get myself moving without holding a leash.

-- Janine

I exercised regularly for about ten years. Then I accepted a promotion. Previously, I was responsible for ten people; now I'm responsible for 1,500 people. I start work earlier in the morning and finish later at night. My fitness routine has been disrupted, and I want to reestablish it.

-- Anthony

Since my mother's death a few years ago and my husband's cancer diagnosis last year, I've gained a lot of weight. My diet is pretty good, but I have trouble exercising enough to burn extra calories. I'm hoping to learn a routine I can do daily, one that's simple and quick enough so that I remain motivated.

-- Tina

Do you wish you were fitter and healthier? You know you should exercise -- but it's just not happening. There's no time, and you don't really enjoy it, so you can't get started. Maybe you're held back by extra pounds, bad knees, or another physical problem that limits your mobility. Or perhaps you're facing one of those life challenges -- unemployment, a crisis with a teenager, serious illness -- that makes even eating and sleeping difficult. So exercise has gone out the window.

Believe me, I understand. I've been in the fitness business for nearly thirty years. Over the decades I've worked with kids, frail senior citizens, new moms, executives who clock sixteen-hour days, professional athletes -- you name it. I know how tough it can be to make exercise a regular part of your life. That's why I designed Quick Fit, and that's why I wrote this book.

Quick Fit is a complete workout, but all it takes is fifteen minutes a day. And I really mean fifteen minutes. This is no-sweat exercise. You don't need another five minutes to change clothes before you start, even if you're wearing dress-for-success business attire. You don't have to allow ten minutes to shower and get dressed afterward. Quick Fit can be done at home, at work, or anywhere your travels take you. The program is simple and realistic; it's safe -- and it's efficient.

Janine, Anthony, and Tina aren't sedentary anymore. They've become consistent about exercise. You read what they said before they tried Quick Fit. Here's what they reported less than two weeks later:

I started the exercises and have done them seven out of the last ten days. This is huge progress for me. I think the program is terrific!

-- Janine

After laying off exercise for a month, it feels good to get back. I do Quick Fit first thing in the morning, and it starts the day with a real boost.

-- Anthony

On the first day, I began with the first exercise, thinking I'd do as much as I could. I wound up going all the way to the end. The ease of the whole thing -- the small amount of time, not needing to go anywhere or to wear special clothing -- makes it work for me.

-- Tina

Janine, Anthony, and Tina were part of a group that tested the program in this book. I want you to know something that makes me particularly excited about their success: They started Quick Fit in mid-December, right between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Imagine learning a new exercise program -- and finding the time to do it -- during that hectic period. What an accomplishment! But Quick Fit is so simple and convenient that they didn't want to wait -- and they didn't have to. I promise: This program will get you moving, too.

The Story of Quick Fit

I'm one of those people who actually prefers running to sitting. My mother tells me I was born moving. (She also tells me, "Slow down!") Because I enjoy physical activity so much, I've always coaxed others to join me. I take it as a personal challenge to convince anyone who's sedentary -- even people who say they hate exercise -- to give it a try. I've converted thousands.

In college, at the University of Maryland, I joined the Gymkana Troupe, an exhibitional gymnastics team. Unlike other collegiate gymnastic teams, we didn't compete. Our purpose was to have a great time and to promote healthy drug-free living through our performances in schools and community centers. I loved it! I know this sounds crazy if you've never been a gymnast, but even now, when I'm past fifty, I still do handstands on the parallel bars in my basement. My wife, Judy, shakes her head when she watches me turn upside down. "Rick," she says, "no wonder your hair is still red."

During my freshman year in college, I heard about a field called industrial fitness. American businesses, inspired by the Japanese, were incorporating exercise into the workplace. They had learned that when you boost fitness, you boost productivity. I knew this was the perfect career for me; I loved the idea of working with companies to help their employees get fit. I majored in physical education and exercise physiology, and graduated from the University of Maryland with honors in 1975. The following year I received national certification in occupational health from the YMCA.

My first job out of college was as program director for Health and Fitness at the local YMCA. Three years later, I joined the Occupational Health and Fitness Program at the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) -- and I've been there ever since.

Throughout my long and happy affiliation with DOT, I've also consulted on fitness. In the early 1980s I was flexibility coach for the Washington Redskins football team under their legendary coach Joe Gibbs. I started my own company, Creative Stress Management, in 1983. Through this business I've conducted seminars on health and fitness for hundreds of companies, schools, churches, community centers, and other organizations.

The Best Program in the World

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, the fitness regimens I recommended required forty-five minutes a day: thirty minutes of aerobics, ten minutes of strength training, and five minutes of stretches. I thought this was the best program in the world. Of course, by the time someone showered and changed clothes, the whole routine took more than an hour. As far as I was concerned, that seemed about right. But people kept telling me: "I don't have time for this." Or they'd do it for a while, then begin to skip exercise sessions, and finally quit.

It wasn't just average folks who had trouble sticking with the workouts I designed. When I worked for the Washington Redskins, I came up with a stretching program for the team. I explained to these massive guys how much it would help them if they stretched: "Your muscles contract all the time. Here's a routine that will stretch them out again. It will improve your performance and reduce the risk of injury. All it takes is forty-five minutes a day."

You know what they said? "Fat chance."

Over the years, I've watched people start many other exercise programs. Members of the DOT Fitness Center often bring in the latest books to ask me what I think. You've seen these books. Some of them feature "before" pictures, showing flabby men and women with dull skin and stringy hair. In the "after" pictures, they're not only trim and muscular, they've also got shiny skin and attractive hairdos. Isn't that amazing?

But what I want to know is: Where are the "after after" pictures? Most of these programs are demanding, with lengthy, shirt-drenching workouts. I recently saw a book that called for a minimum of five thirty-minute aerobic workouts per week, preferably involving strenuous activities like jogging or climbing stairs. You could climb a skyscraper in thirty minutes. Do you know anyone who does that five days a week?

I'm not knocking these books. People who consistently follow their recommendations get great results. If you can keep up an hour-plus...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Atria
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2005
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0743471032
• ISBN 13: 9780743471039
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 258
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Simon and Schuster Netherlands BV, GPSR Europäische Union; info@simonandschuster.nl; ; Herculesplein 96; AA Utrecht; 3584; Niederlande