October Review

Fitness Magazine
I started this particular magazine with some preconceptions. It seems as if monthly fitness magazines aimed at women promise a new life changing exercise routine every month. While intellectually I understand that that is how they make money and sell magazines, I still feel overwhelmed when I see a new routine every month.  Fitness was, however, perhaps the magazine I got the most out of so far in my reviews.
It has some very good "shorts" about athletes making a difference. I was particularly impressed by Zoe Romano, who decided to run the entire Tour de France course and raised more than $200,000 for the World Pediatric Project. An accomplishemnt such as that inspires to me think of things I can do myself to make a difference. And is wonderful to see so many athletes working towards a goal of helping.
The exercise routine was exceptional. I decided that I needed to try one before I shut it down. There were actually two and I chose the Slimmer in 7 Days. It has two sets of exercises, one for Mon/Wed/Fri and one for Tues/Thurs/Sat. They are rather sweat inducing, and the guidelines suggest that beginners do one circuit and work up to three. I decided to do one circuit the first week, two the second week and, hopefully, three the third week.  The first set I found rather enjoyable after fumbling around for a few days.  The second set was brutal, due mostly to the Atomic Burpees the set started with. On the other hand, the next four exercises were a snap once the Burpees were done. I don't know that I am slimmer, I didn't measure before I started. But I am absolutely more toned and my run times have gotten faster. I realized that it is a very good thing to mix in new exercises just to work different muscle groups.While I do vary the types of exercise I do, they tend to stay the same variety. I will be keeping this routine in my mix. And I will be willing to try next month's exercise offering.
I also appreciated the food articles. They had a great article with several different premade breakfasts. I made the muffins (recipe on my Tidbits page) several times and even adapted the recipe to different flavors. And with holiday season coming, it was good to read about snacks that satisfy the sweet tooth but don't ruin the exercise we did that day.
In all, I got a lot out of this magazine. It opened my mind to the benefits of shaking up one's routine. I have a new breakfast favorite. Fitness seems to be a magazine that actually puts health and  fitness above body image-in a culture of where body weight means everything--and that is a remarkable way to inspire.