Don't Lose Out, Work Out - Rujuta Diwekar

Rating – 4/5

One line for the book: An eye-opener for people who spend hours together in the gym without making any progress.

About the book: The book conveys a very important message: “Don’t work hard, work smart” applies to exercise as well.

What I love about the book: The way Rujuta digs into “Exercise Science” so that we work smart and don’t waste our valuable time or injure ourselves.

What I did not like about the book: A bit too technical for a lay person like me. Maybe I need to revisit this book after spending a couple of months in the gym so that I follow the gym lingo.

What I learned from the book:

• Exercise and physical activity are different. You need both for a fit body.
• You need to be regular with your gym.
• You need to practise both aerobic and anerobic forms of exercise to see the best results. Doing just one of them only damages your tendons, bones, ligaments, and joints.
• Eating right and sleeping well is essential for your body to recover from the damage that the exercise brings upon your body. The damage and then the recovery pays off soon in the form of good health.

Women and the Weight Loss Tamasha - Rujuta Diwekar

Rating – 5/5

One line for the book: This book doesn't just impart knowledge, it creates awareness!

About the book: Is there a woman on earth who doesn't want to have a toned body? But why is it that most of us do not make much progress? Rujuta busts our myths and misconceptions, and throws light on what exactly we need to do.

What I love about the book: By emphasizing on eating right and working out regularly, Rujuta sends a great message: “Looking after themselves is the best thing women can do to themselves and their families”. Very often, women put the needs of their families before their own needs. The book is an eye-opener for all such women who have buried their body’s needs, likes and dislikes while trying to be a super-Mom.

What I did not like about the book: Nothing, really.

What I learned from the book:

•  Looking after yourself is the best and the most important thing in your life.
•  Quite often we take it for granted that pain is a part of a woman’s life. But, the book explains how all the phases of a women’s life: from puberty to pregnancy to menopause, transition smoothly if you eat right and exercise regularly.
•  “Doing it all” is just a myth created only to trap women. If you buy into the idea of managing everything on your own, you are digging your own grave.