Covert Bailey

My doctor recommended this book to me, because I’m having problems with too much visceral fat. Written 30 years ago, I suspect it was cutting edge back then, but today much is fairly common knowledge. Still, for someone who has not paid attention to health information, it is a pretty solid book. He gives you everything about how your metabolism works, from the Kreb’s cycle to what types of exercise burns carbs vs. fats. The chapters are short and to the point; if you find yourself show more wondering about something you’ve read, it’s dead easy to go back and find where it is and refresh yourself. And it’s got a lot of detail to it; when I first started reading it I thought “oh, this is so boring; I read all this stuff years ago” but found myself learning new things- things that, at this age and physical shape, I needed to know. I have to say I was rather horrified to find that running is the best exercise for losing weight and getting fit, because of the muscles used. Yes, different muscle groups burn things differently.

The book is fast and easy to read, even for something with zero knowledge about metabolism and exercise. You’re guaranteed to learn something about how your body works when faced with exercise, and how to make it more efficient. show less

This is the BEST book on exercise you can get, and it should be required reading as part of a physical fitness program. It gives extremely valuable information about how to exercise to lose weight. The amazing part is that Mr Bailey explains a lot of technical information that you can understand, and appreciate the relevance. Key ideas are "aerobic exercise", "cross training", "wind sprints", "anaerobic exercise".
His Fit or Fat books are important to read as well.

A sound and simple nutritional program for choosing the healthiest foods and achieving permanent weight loss without gimmicks. Bailey employs a unique target system that helps easily balance one's diet to obtain the full range of nutrition and reduce harmful fat.

I read this book in 1989, and it has been one of the most motivating books I have ever read. The main ideas I remember from the book are as follows:

I can choose today to become more "fit or fat." The most important thing I can do to stay fit is to take my daily health "pill." The thing is, it takes 12 minutes to swallow it! Essentially, once your heart rate gets going fast enough, you need to aerobically exercise at least 12 minutes more (i.e., a fast-paced walk).