Start Something New with DK Canada!

Okay, so did you make New Year's Resolutions? Did they involve your health? And.....how's it going? I don't know how many years I've made great plans, started off great.....and kinda let things peter out. Well, this year, I started in December with the idea to do nothing more than eat healthy and move. And you know what? So far so good!

DK Canada has a great selection of books to help you start something new - maybe it's your health, a new hobby or learning a new language. There are lots of choices in the Start Something New Boutique - all at 30% off.

I'm looking for lots of tips and hints to keep me on this path to better health.  Susannah Marriott has come up with quite a few them of them in her book 1001 Ways to Get In Shape.

Marriott has approached improving your health from many perspectives. The book is broken down into chapters including: Think Yourself in shape, Healthy at Home, Workout in your Work Life, Active and Outdoors, Have Fun Getting Fit, Family Heath Fix.

A couple I've put into play already:  When I really, really think I need that bread and butter, I've been doing 10 minutes of activity instead - turning on the stereo and dancing is fun - and then re-evaluating if it's really worth eating what I was craving. For the most part, the answer is no.

The workplace tips were really helpful. I spend a lot of time on a computer - there's a great piece on self-help reflexology for your hands and wrists.

There are recipes, exercise suggestions, calming strategies and so much more. And being a DK book, it's incredibly readable. Lots of colour pictures and well laid out on glossy stock. 1001 Ways to Get in Shape is one of those fun pick up and put down books - you'll always find another snippet to catch your eye and interest!

Now, Canada's fitness guide recommends 150 minutes of activity a day. I'm meeting that time frame most weeks. I started off with a fairly low key intensity but have been ramping things up slowly but surely. I ran when I was younger and have never forgotten how good it feels to just run. I would love to do it again. So....how to do it safely and correctly?

The Complete Running and Marathon Book seems to have the answers I'm looking for.

The book starts off with the basics - an anatomy lesson on how the body works when we run. Getting ready to run - shoes, nutrition, stretches. And a handy chapter labelled - If You are a Beginner. That's the one for me!  Extra chapters include training programs for various distances, strengthening exercises, how to avoid injuries and more.

Now, the marathon is way beyond me, but I have high hopes for a shorter distance. Check in with me in the fall.

The Complete Running and Marathon book is replete with colour photos and very clear, concise information. DK books simply produces the best 'information' books around. They're always my first choice.

Do you have a favourite DK book? Enter the I Love DK Contest (Canada) and you could win a $250 shopping spree. Ends January 30/14. Enter here.

Get Energy - Denise Austin

I have been reading Get Energy by Denise Austin off and on for the last couple of weeks now. I was expecting sound advice on exercising and eating right, but I was pleasantly surprised by the wider scope Austin has taken. In fact she herself states that Get Energy is not an exercise book, but is a "book about empowering your body and loving your life and tapping into the volcano of energy within you . Energy involves not just what you eat and how often you move, but how you think, how you choose to feel, and how well you take care of yourself, body, mind and spirit." Having been sick a lot this winter and being sick of winter, I found her advice quite constructive and motivating. Just what I needed to give myself a kick start to revisit my goals.

The book starts off with a look at what is zapping your energy, with some great questions. Based on your answers, some of the following chapters are recommended for the areas you need to focus on the most.  But I found all of them worth reading.  Changing your outlook, balancing life, finding pleasure in every day and powering up at midlife were the chapters I most identified with.

The third part of the book is a great two week plan, laid out with suggestions and alternatives to change your existing habits to ones that will help invigorate you throughout the day. This section is great and one I'm going to utilize.

There is a section on stretching included as well as some interesting little 'revive in five' and peace pocket boxes scattered throughout the book with great ideas to stop and revitalize in a short amount of time.

I really enjoyed this book and will be rereading it again and certainly putting into practice many of the positive ideas presented. Most of them are simple and doable. We just have to start!

 Read an excerpt of Get Energy.

You can find Denise on her website, Twitter and Facebook.

And thanks to The Hachette Book Group, I had three copies of this wonderful book to giveaway. Those winners are:

1. cookster 77
2. jholden
3. ladydoor1

I've contacted you by email for your mailing addresses. Please respond within 72 hours. Thanks to all who entered - check the sidebar for ongoing giveaways.