This was a very helpful & informative book. It goes into depth life changes and healthier lifestyles in relation to walking. It was a very quick read and the associated website the book references is awesome! ( )

iCount: 10 Simple Steps to a Healthy Life is just part of a Wellness Program created by Susan Parks and Patricia Bonavia which focuses on the simple act of walking 10,000 steps daily (the magic number derived from a 40-year-old Japanese study and backed up by more current studies as well). The STAR (tm) Process--which stands for Set, Track, Achieve and Reward--"walks" us through the importance of aligning mind and body through exercise, nutrition, supplements, un-cluttering our environment, challenging our brains, strengthening relationships and most importantly, setting goals to achieve a healthier lifestyle. Making these things a habit--3 weeks; and turning them into our lifestyle--10 weeks, ingrains these things into us where we feel something missing if not done. Of course, they encourage us to discuss this program with our personal physicians to make sure what we plan is right for us.

The authors encourage participants in their wellness program to access and utilize their online diagnostic and tracking site that offers additional information, calculates all the data that they ask your input on and gives you feedback to assist you in staying on the program. No matter where you live, you will always find encouragement and advice from this online community. They also offer tools on the site like pedometers and Nordic poles, that will aid your journey to a healthier, happier you. And, although some people need the support and camaraderie of a team to keep them on task, the book alone has all the information a person needs to get started on a wellness program. Everything they talk about in this book is something that I implemented into my own life after the death of my mom, so reading these things made me feel validated that I had done everything in my power to be a better person. But, the book did show me that I had become complacent in my routine and I needed to ramp up my plan and set new goals.

Every area of one's life can be changed for the better by their practical and simple ideas. Most of the information in this book is common sense things that we all know, but, it's nice to have it all in one concise place to be able to go back to and re-read when we falter in one aspect of the program. The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is that a number of times, they would direct me to their Web site for more information. I wanted that information in the book for my convenience.

For more information, visit their Web site at:

http://www.walkstyles.com/ ( )