Shape Your Self by Martina Navratilova

I'm a huge fan of Martina Navratilova, but I wasn't all that excited to read yet another celebrity diet/fitness book. I was pleasantly surprised to see a solid plan that takes you through the mental and physical steps you need to get to a healthier you. The meal plan includes some interesting, tasty recipes and the exercises offer some great variety and a focus on functional training. Martina's focus on whole health is refreshing and inspiring.

In her book, Shape Your Self, Martina outlines 6 steps to get into your best shape. For each step (from creating an 'athlete's mentality' to changing your eating and exercise routine), Martina offers advice followed by specific steps to help you follow through on your goals. Her focus is on whole health and lifestyle changes and she really emphasizes the importance of treating your body well for a better quality of life. I really enjoyed the tales about her tennis career and how she used these steps to become the great player she is. The steps themselves are nothing terribly new, focusing on a healthy mindset, support system, healthy eating (she recommends raw foods, juicing and eating organic), exercise and recharging your batteries. The nutrition plan calls for 2-3 servings of veggies, fruit, power carbs, dairy, lean protein and 1 serving of healthy fats each day. She includes a chart of serving sizes and 28 days worth of meals with simple recipes using quality foods so you eat less but get more nutrition, taste and satisfaction. The exercise plan focuses on functional training using a variety of balance, stability and strengthening tools. She includes 4-week strength workouts for beginners, intermediate and advanced exercisers that include moves like wall squats, bridges, planks and woodchops. I found the workouts to be challenging and interesting. Overall, this is a good book that will appeal to older women or beginning exercisers who want a healthier life.