Yay! It's Finally Happening!

As you all know, I have been promising the release of my fitness book series for several months now. Finally I am thrilled to say that I have finished the first step in their release and they are available now at the Kindle store at Amazon.com and just in time for the Holidays! Amazon offers my books to millions of Amazon customers on Kindle, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, Android devices, PC, and Mac. They will soon be available for all digital platforms as I will be releasing them via Smashwords within a few days. If you do not have a digital reader yet, not to worry! I will also be releasing them in PDF form on my website. One step at a time, however. Right now, they are only available at the Kindle store. Rest assured that I will be offering them in every format that I possibly can as quickly as I possibly can. You can Go Here to buy them now!!

Following is the "Introduction" that appears in the beginning of each book.If you find this information of interest for yourself or anybody you may know, please pass this forward. It is my intention to reach as many people as I can who are truly interested in improving their health through leading healthier lifestyles and hence happier lives.

INTRODUCTION
As a fitness professional with over 27 years of experience in the fitness industry, it has come to my attention that most people don't really understand what they need to do to be healthy. I blame this in large part on commercialism and the media as it bombards people with misinformation in attempts to sell products that claim to be a magic pill, potion, contraption, solution, shortcut, or quick fix to fitness.

Hey, guess what? There is no such thing. And frankly, I think the public is getting sick and tired of being lied to and swindled. If you are one of those people, then I have some good news for you. I decided to write a series of books designed specifically to explain as succinctly as possible what to do once you've decided on a particular fitness objective. The Now What? Fitness Series is intended to break down the subject of fitness into terms anyone can understand.

Written in bite sized, easy to digest format these books spell out step-by-step the necessary components of a safe and effective health and fitness plan in a way that will yield real results in the lives of those who are willing to take the time to learn what they need to do and why. No quick fixes here, just the facts.

It's not rocket science, and my intent is to simplify a very convoluted subject and give you the "straightforward" facts minus the hype, fluff, and filler. All you have to do is check out The Now What? Fitness Series titles and choose the ones that best suit your needs. Or you may read them all. That's the beauty of it. They are succinct so that you don't have to invest hours and hours in reading.

However, rest assured they are jam-packed full of vital information. Each book covers a separate, albeit essential, step on the path to achieving improved health and fitness. In fact, without much of this info, you could waste a lot of time and even risk injury with ineffective and dangerous methods. Worse yet, you may get discouraged like so many people do who aren't armed with the proper knowledge and quit. I do not want this to happen to you. You should treat your commitment to fitness like your life depends on it, because it does. Never quit!

Whether you are a novice or just interested in finally getting the true facts on fitness, I suggest you read these and in this order:

"So You Want to Get Fit...Now What?"
"So You Want to Do Cardio...Now What?"
"So You Want to Strength Train...Now What?"
"So You Want to Eat Right...Now What?"

If you have decided to join a gym then by all means you need to read, "So You Joined a Gym...Now What?"

If you've decided to go solo and try working out at home, read "So You Want to Work Out at Home...Now What?"

Go Here to buy them now! Give the gift of fitness this year!

I want you to realize that it doesn't have to be complicated and that taking responsibility for your own health and well-being is your birthright and your duty. Your life will improve exponentially if you do this, I promise. Your doctor and hospital bills will diminish, and the quality of your life will soar.

I wish you the best of luck. Please do not hesitate to go to the Straightforward Fitness Facebook page to contact me, leave comments, or interact with other readers of The Now What? Fitness Series. You may also contact me at my fitness website at StraightforwardFitness.com for some great free health and fitness info.

Say! Did you know that you can follow me on Facebook? Well, you can! Jump on over to Facebook.com/StraightforwardFitness and "like" my page, please. I post a fitness tip daily. Feel free to leave comments and check in often. Thanks ever so much!

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EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
The Now What? Fitness Series is on sale now at Amazon.com. It's a series of six books that will help anyone who wants to begin a health and fitness program know exactly what they need to do and exactly how to do it. These books are succinct and easy to read yet jam-packed with need-to-know info without all the hype, fluff, and filler you'll find in other fitness books.

I will send out an announcement as soon as I release them on all the other formats! You can also stay on top of the book release news by going to my facebook page!

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EXERCISE OF THE MONTH
This is the part of the newsletter where I picture an exercise and give explicit instructions on its proper execution.

This month's featured exercise is the lat pulldown. I featured this exercise in the August 2008 newsletter, and I figured it's time to bring this all-important exercise into the limelight once again. It amazes me that I still see people doing these pulling them to the back, behind the neck. That is contraindicated and dangerous for the cervical spine shoulders. Always pull these to the front!

Lats are short for latissimus dorsi. Would anyone like to venture a guess as to why we call them lats? They are the V-shaped muscles in your upper back that look like wings when a bodybuilder hits the double biceps pose. When these muscles are conditioned and developed, they help give your back that nice V-shape and they make your waistline look smaller. I vote yes to both, how about you?

Lat Puldowns
Primary Muscle Group Worked: Upper/mid back or lats.

To see a video of this exercise go to: Front Lat Pulldowns.

Preparation: Grasp the bar just past the bend on each side with thumbs up and over the bar. Allow upper body to feel a good stretch and keep a slight natural arch in the lower back throughout the move.

Execution: Slightly lean back (being careful not to lean back too far, as shown) as you pull the bar down to the upper chest. Pause and slowly return to the start position while bringing body back up completely vertical focusing on the stretch in the lats (upper back). Repeat for the desired number of reps.

TIP:Envision bringing the chest up to meet the bar and keep chin slightly tilted up throughout.

HEREIN LIES THE CHALLENGE: Go slow. Do Not Rush This. Pull out as many as you can working to failure. Always choose a weight that makes the last two very challenging yet still doable in good form.

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THE PONDER POND
Okay, peeps! This is the inspirational part of the newsletter known as the "Ponder Pond" where you're welcome to take a swim in the sweet waters of inspiration.

I must admit there isn't much about this video that is deep except maybe that this little girl is brilliant! If you haven't seen this yet, enjoy! And if you have, then if you are like me you will definitely enjoy watching it again. And what about their cute accents?? They make me smile and dance in my seat every time I watch. Hope you like it too!

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Well, that's about it for this time! I hope you enjoyed this month's newsletter and until the next issue, may the wind be at your back and improved health and vitality your new reality!

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please feel free to pay it forward to anyone you think would like it too. That is the best compliment you could ever pay me, and I appreciate it very, very much.

And don't forget to tell everybody about Straightforwardfitness.com where they can get all the free fitness info their heart desires and sign up for this newsletter while they are there.

From my heart to your health,

Linda Burke, CPT