Described as a "fitness memoir," The Great Fitness Experiment: One Year of Trying Everything showcases a woman's journey to be fit. Each month, she tries a new fitness/diet fad (from kettlebells to karate, double-cardio to veganism) and she shares her results.

If you're looking for a guide or advice on workouts and how to be healthy, you might want to look elsewhere. The author of this book openly admits to eating disorders and an addiction to exercise. This book could be a trigger for people already dealing with these issues.

Readers who enjoy blogs might enjoy this book, particularly if you enjoy reading about fitness and/or diet programs. Readers may learn a thing or two from the author's experiences, but again, if you're looking for technical or expert advice, you're not going to get that from this book.

I liked how honest and like-able the author is. I tried not to like her, actually. My sister told me about this book, and let me in on the author's obsessions/disorders. I thought, "Who does she think she is, writing a book on fitness, when she's obviously not qualified and shouldn't be giving advice in this field?"

But she isn't trying to do that. If anything, I think she'd want people to learn from her experiences to NOT be like her, and to seek help, like she has, if they do suffer from the disordered eating or fitness addiction.

You don't actually learn much about each fitness regiment. The author doesn't follow the prescribed workouts. She often uses her own equipment and adjusts the workouts to her own liking. If you want an actual review of each type of workout or diet, you'll want to look somewhere else.

I felt sorry for the author of the book, but I applaud her efforts. She shares her past openly and directly. The reader can't help but connect with her emotionally. I tried not to, but I found myself enjoying the book.

The book is funny, sharing often comical stories of the author attempting to follow workout plans with friends. It's an entertaining book, but it should definitely come with a warning - she describes a traumatic event in her life, as well as her struggle with disordered eating and fitness addiction.

This is not a fitness guide or a how-to book by any means. It is a collection of blogs, a memoir, and an emotional one at that. If you're interested in fitness and/or dieting, you may be entertained by this read.

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Created Aug 08, 2011 at 7:51am • Submit your own review...