Zodiaction: Fat-Burning Fitness Tailored to Your Personal Star Quality | 
 enlarge | Authors: Ellen Barrett, Barrie Dolnick
Publisher: Bantam
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $5.14
You Save: $9.86 (66%)
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Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 593289
Media: Paperback
Pages: 208
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.5
ISBN: 0553384376
Dewey Decimal Number: 613.710241335
EAN: 9780553384376
ASIN: 0553384376
Publication Date: May 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Millions of us turn to horoscopes for guidance in our personal lives—but what about our physical lives? Now, for the first time, a fitness maverick and an acclaimed astrologer combine their expertise to show you how the wisdom of the stars can help you achieve a strong, healthy, heavenly body.
Ever wonder why you dread spinning class while your best friend loves it, or why that yoga DVD is languishing on your shelf? Or why you have trouble getting yourself to the gym? It’s not you—it’s your fitness plan. But your search for the perfect exercise practice ends here. This amazingly insightful book examines what makes your zodiac sign tick—and provides twelve customized diet and fitness regimens based on the strengths and quirks of each one. Discover:
• The top-three foods Aries should stock up on
• Why a Taurus will get good mileage out of a treadmill
• Why Gemini should steer clear of candy
• Why Cancer should stick to noncompetitive workout buddies
• What makes Leo queen of the gym
• What type of massage will send Virgo straight to heaven
• How Libra can achieve inner peace
• The peak hours for Scorpio to exercise
• Why Sagittarius’s legs are her most important feature
• Why Capricorn is a cardio all-star
• What kind of personal trainer makes Aquarius jump for joy
• Why Pisces prefers swimming and self-defense
Plus tips to keep your mind and spirit soaring along with your body. Drawing from a variety of disciplines, Zodiaction will have you breaking a sweat in no time—and loving every minute of it.
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| Customer Reviews:
Lots of fitness and nutrition options July 26, 2007
dnk (Boston, MA United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I have a (totally one-sided) love-hate relationship with Ellen Barrett: on the one hand, I like her ideas about fusion fitness and her willingness to combine them in a way that doesn't demand philosophical adherence just to get a good workout. On the other hand, a lot of her offerings feel a little bit dumbed down, as if she assumes her target audience to be complete novices or (stereotypical) teenagers who need a lot of cheerleading. Also, in some of her print workouts she will sometimes throw something into the sequence that would be difficult for beginners or intermediates (such as the Crow posture) and doesn't offer any modifications- odd given my second complaint.
That having been said, I think that Barrett's extensive experiences putting together workouts on DVD and in print really shows in this book. She offers tons of options for toning, cardio and flexibility, but she also explains why they would be good choices for each sign. Obviously, the astrologer who co-authored must have provided some input into motivations and physical weaknesses for each sign, but I'm pretty sure it was Barrett who came up with the best movements for each sign. As a Virgo with a Capricorn rising and Moon in Taurus (astrology and I go way back ;-)), I absolutely recognized myself as someone who has a sensitive stomach, always wants abdominal toning, needs something to help chill her out, and has potential weaknesses in my knees and skin. Tangentially, I can also go through moods where I want a very steady, stable regimen- no bs. However, I recognized more of my fitness tendencies in the Gemini profile- probably a 6th house (house of health) thing for me. Which is fine, and the authors actually encourage you to choose from any of the workouts that appeal to you.
I can't recall all of the options, but Earth signs tended to receive recommendations for steady state walking for cardio, Scorpio the intensity junkie was given a plyo-sculpt circuit, Gemini had recommendations for ballet cardio and toning, Leo was given a Sun Salutation sequence to help with cardio and back weakness, and the recommended Pisces cardio was swimming. Each sign received options for cardio, toning and flexibility, so in all there were a potential of 1728 combinations, give or take. I doubt anyone is expected to try all of them, but no one can complain about a lack of options!
As much as I appreciated the insights and the variety, I felt that the individual components were too abbreviated, at least for someone like me who has been working out for years. For Virgo toning, there were only five or six Pilates-based movements- that just wouldn't be enough for me. For Gemini's cardio, there were three, with about twenty reps each. You could do that in a circuit, but you'd have to do the circuit quite a bit, and I know I'd just get bored.
Overall, I still think this is a good read and it will provide you with insights into your fitness personality, but you'll probably find that this will whet your appetite for more.
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