Book Review: "Ready for a Change"

It seems that health and fitness fads come and go, but people still struggle to live a healthy lifestyle.  I personally have been on a "committed" health and fitness journey since March 2012, although in the past, I've had numerous attempts at living a healthier life.  I have never been overweight, but my weight has fluctuated throughout my life.  I remember gaining about 15 pounds the summer after my sophomore year of college and it was welcomed at the time.  It seemed more acceptable to have a more plump backside during those days. I never put any effort in to trying to lose this weight, but it seemed to vanish just a quickly as it came.

I grew up on "organic" food before it was being called this.  My Daddy has always had a garden  in our backyard and I was encouraged to always eat fresh fruits and vegetables.  Asking my mother for McDonald's was almost an insult.  I remember her saying "I can make you a hamburger that tastes better than that!"  She most definitely could too...I just wanted the toy in the happy meal!

After having my first son, I discovered that things didn't seem to firm up as I had hoped in my abdominal area.  I gained the appropriate weight in my pregnancy so that was not the issue.  I bound up my belly immediately after giving birth so I thought this would have helped, but I really had to put effort into toning up my mid-section. I ordered a DVD and got to work with good results, but I never really changed my eating habits.  I did eat small portions, but I never payed any attention to how much processed food I was eating.

After my second son, I pretty much did the same things.  I exercised sporadically, but my diet was very poor.  Due to my husband being deployed, I found it easier just to pull up to a drive-thru.  I knew this was not healthy.  When my youngest son turned a year old, I started to notice how I was caffeine addicted, sluggish and while I was still not overweight, my belly was out of proportion with the rest of my body.  At this point I had about 4 different sizes of clothes in my closet because I had accepted the fact that I couldn't commit to being just 1 or even 2 of those sizes for a long period of time.  I thought about how my Mom had neglected her health for years and years despite always staying on top of everyone else's.  I knew my family history contained diabetes, hypertension and heart disease and I knew if I didn't do anything, they would soon appear on my personal medical history.  This was when I became "Ready for a Change."

I began reading "Ready for a Change" by Crystal Neal almost 8 months into my journey.  It was confirmation from God that I had purpose in my actions. This book is not full of any gimmicks and it is not just about weight loss.  The principles of the author are straightforward and simple enough for the novice, but even the more informed reader will pull away with things to apply to every aspect of their life. I love that the author promotes an overall lifestyle change that will challenge you to take the steps necessary to changing your mind, body and spirit from the inside out.  So don't wait to make a New Year's resolution you probably won't keep.  Be "Ready for A Change" today!

Visit crystalneal.com to purchase your copy.
You may also find Crystal Neal on YouTube providing weight loss tips and fitness demonstrations.