Diet Novelties .com

…„Diet and fitness books pile up on my desk every week, and lugging them elsewhere really builds the biceps. But a select few actually end up on my reference shelf. Here are some titles worth a second look:

The Abs Diet: The Six-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life by David Zinczenko,

If you like Men’s Health, you’ll love this. Zinczenko is the editor of that magazine, and his book reads like a hard-cover version. That means it’s written in a snappy, chit-chatty style with lots of lists and bullet-points that make it a quick and painless read. It contains a reasonable diet plan - heavy on the smoothies - interspersed with “Abs Diet” success stories. My favorite part of this book: the detailed workout that shows two versions of each exercise - one for weight machines, and one you can do at home with dumbbells.

Powering Through Pregnancy: Keeping Strong and Supple for the Most Important Nine Months of Your Life by Jane Simons, $14.95

This nice oversized paperback is just 104 pages, but it’s packed with exercises to help pregnant women relieve common aches and pains and prepare for labor. Simons, an Australian prenatal fitness specialist who knows her stuff, includes not only stretching and strength exercises but moves for getting out of a chair or relieving lower back pain. Research shows that women who exercise during pregnancy have quicker labors and recovery, and prenatal workouts can help boost energy levels. A nice gift for the mom-to-be.

Hot Bod Fusion by Robin Forward-Wise and David Wise,

No, this isn’t a sex book, despite the sexy title. Personal trainer Robin has crafted a hybrid workout that draws elements from yoga, Pilates and ballet. It’s organized in a Chinese-menu format: do Phase One’s 5-minute warm-up and Phase Four’s 5-minute cooldown, and in between choose two of the eight “Ten-Minute Total Body Targeters” from Phases Two and Three. The result is a 30-minute workout that can be mixed and matched 16 different ways to keep things fresh. There are more than 400 photographs, and Robin tosses in tips for pitfalls and modifications.

Moving Toward Balance: 8 Weeks of Yoga with Rodney Yee by Rodney Yee with Nina Zolotow,

Yoga guru Yee co-directs the Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, Calif., but his book is geared toward home practice. Each of the eight in-depth workouts explores one theme, such as “Being Present,” “Facing the Unknown” and “Turning Inward,” and there are hundreds of photos of the extremely hunky Mr. Yee demonstrating each pose.

He describes the exercises from a physical and spiritual perspective with plenty of variations and modifications for different fitness and experience levels.

The workout poses are on facing pages to make life easier. Practical and beautiful.…”