Total Health and Fitness

From the expert editors of Fitness magazine, here is everything you need to know about exercise, nutrition, and well-being in one comprehensive volume, The Complete Book of Fitness. Hundreds of entries are organized alphabetically in four sections: Strength Training offers effective, illustrated workouts for every muscle group. Cardiovascular Training includes invaluable information on fat-burning and metabolism. Diet and Nutrition demystifies eating for health, strength, and athletic performance. Wellness provides an introduction to alternative therapies and healing, rounding out your total fitness package of mind, body, and spirit. So whether you want to flatten your abs or firm your thighs, you're looking for a stretching routine or cross-training ideas, you want to carbo-load or unload a few pounds, or if you wish to increase your energy or reduce your stress, finding the answers is literally as easy as A-B-C. Clearly written for the layperson, The Complete Book of Fitness serves as a primer on fitness basics, from biceps to water aerobics, from antioxidants to yoga. Packed with easy-to-access information, it is also a gym bible and can be used to customize a detailed fitness regimen to suit any lifestyle and body type. This first-of-its-kind fitness encyclopedia is a must-have for every health-conscious household.

Because it's so effective and easy to use even at home, the Swiss ball has become an essential part of a total fitness regime--especially in tandem with free weights and a medicine ball. These exercises--from beginner to advanced--will help you utilize its full potential for building core strength and more, as they work the muscles in the midsection, chest, back, shoulders, arms, and legs.