Headline: Anyone can get into shape

I received a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Much of the information in this book I had already heard. But, I needed to hear it again. Some of this information was presently in a different way with much better explanation. I have tried similar diet programs where you eat small high protein meals two to three hours apart. I have also tried similar workout routines where you workout for less than 30 minutes everyday.

I used this book to motivate myself to workout while I was out of town. I packed my heart rate monitor and made myself get my heart rate up everyday while exercising in my hotel room. I used water bottles for small hand weights. It didn’t help me lose weight but I think it helped me keep from gaining more weight while I was out of town. Hopefully, the longer I continue with this program the more weight I will lose.

I think this book would be good for someone who travels a lot and needs motivation to stay in shape. If you haven’t already read a lot of diet and exercise books this book will provide you a starting point.

I felt this was a real, straight-up book and that the author intended to help readers. I managed to skim through this book and it did inspire me to squeeze in exercise where I can. Like most, I am desk-bound for work. When no one's looking, I try a couple of squats and lunges because of this book. And, boy, was I sore the next day -- but, that's because I went from 0 to repeated reps of 4-minutes because I was so inspired by the everyday pics in this book. Who knew a non-model type person doing squats while his clothes dry would get me thinking, "Hey, I can do that."

4-MINUTE FIT addresses a serious problem amongst America’s truckers. Soon after the author began his new trucking career, he was alarmed to discover that bad things began to happen: “In less than two months on the job, I had somehow managed to gain more than 10 percent of my body weight.”

The author also noted that he wasn’t alone—a LOT of truckers are in the same boat: “I looked around and saw my new coworkers. Don’t get me wrong. They were— and are— absolutely fantastic people. But they were also, for the most part, overweight and not on a path to live a long life.” In short, truckers have a much lower life expectancy.

The good news is that simple changes can have drastic impact for the better: “Here’s the reality: our war against obesity is winnable. The conflict is preventable.”

The essence of the 4-Minute Fit plan is simply this: Do something vigorous every day without fail. The idea is to “spike” our metabolism in order to “burn fat at an accelerated rate in both the short term and the long term.” The exact activity is not important: “What do I actually DO for those four minutes? And my answer is simple and can be reduced to three words: It. Doesn’t. Matter.” What IS important is that one faithfully that perform vigorous activity every day.

Here are the 7 key points:

1. No matter what, get fifteen minutes of exercise a day, every day.
2. Each workout must include at least four minutes of vigorous activity.
3. Work multiple muscle groups at the same time.
4. Always eat after a workout.
5. Eat breakfast. Then eat something every three hours.
6. Keep healthy snacks within reach.
7. Log your nutrition and fitness.

The author concludes this book with an appeal to DO SOMETHING—because this problem can be overcome: “This is a preventable problem, a reversible crisis, a winnable war. We should be asking ourselves why we aren’t, as a country, doing more?”

All in all, I found 4-Minute Fit to be an encouraging book with a practical solution to a tough problem. The book is easy to read, with some fun photos and illustrations. The author’s fitness plan is similar to the “1-Minute” Workout book.

Advance Review Copy courtesy of the publisher.

The 4-Minute Fit by Siphiwe Baleka has 7 key points to remember:

1. No matter what, get fifteen minutes of exercise a day, every day.
2. Each workout must include at least four minutes of vigorous activity.
3. Work multiple muscle groups at the same time.
4. Always eat after a workout.
5. Eat breakfast. Then eat something every three hours.
6. Keep healthy snacks within reach.
7. Log your nutrition and fitness.
If you're just trying to find ways to get in a workout in your very busy schedule and you've never thought about exercise before, this book will give you some tips on how to get started. Love this book.

Interesting program developed for truck drivers who face a deterioration in their health due to the hours they spend sitting behind the wheel and eating disorderly, as they are pressed by their schedules. Some of the conditions we face when we sit for so long are damage to bone density, elevated blood pressure, obesity, and early death.
The author made the decision to set out on a campaign to create a culture of fitness, designed a 13-week program with the goal of achieving a change in behavior, providing knowledge tools, confidence and habits to maintain a healthy weight by dedicating only a little time.
The book introduces us with very interesting scientific and medical information about each condition related to overweight, high concentration of sugar in the blood, blood pressure, etc.
This plan targets 15 minutes of vigorous daily exercise including several muscle groups, but we can start with only 4 minutes of high intensity, and supplement it with meals every 3 hours of high protein foods. It is presumed that this program will restore your hormonal system, boosting your metabolism and forcing your body to burn fat for energy. The intensity of the exercise should spike your metabolism by hitting that fat-burning zone which is the appropriate maximum heart rate calculated by age, to perform the right amount consistently. The benefit with intense workouts is the growth of mitochondria that are in charge of cellular metabolism and the obtaining of biological energy.
What I liked best about the book is that it is written from a very comprehensive perspective, it has useful information boxes, a fitness goals worksheet, a seven strategy plan, advises us to stay motivated and change our behaviors, and explains the role of biorhythm to make the most of our efforts to achieve our goals.
It is a book that is worth buying and giving away, as a way to collaborate with the author's positive positive intentions of living a healthy life, saving lives, preventing diabetes, prolonging life, decreasing risk of heart disease, reducing cholesterol and inflammatory diseases, improve the bone system, have greater brain efficiency and decrease the risk of Alzheimer's.
My gratitude to the Publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review the book

This book is great for the person who doesn't have time to work out. Who doesnt have four minutes for real. Time saver and it really works! Thank you for this wonderful book to make working out less time consuming and more doable as an adult.

This book has a different take on exercise an how to get and remain fit. His instructions are clear and the testimonials interesting. If you are willing to follow though, this could be the book for you.

This is wonderful book that will inspire the average person to make changes in their daily lives that will have great benefits. It is inspired me to spend 4 minutes every day exercising when I get up of a morning. I have seen an improvement in a short time. I highly recommend the program for people of all fitness levels. It is a great starting point for people who are older or very overweight.

This is a great flexible step by step guide on how to loose weight, keep it off, and work out all in one. Just one week after using the steps in this book I feel more energized than I have in some time.
If you are on the road a lot and think you don't have time to eat well think again! This book gives you the tools to do so.