Product Description

At last comes a book which stands out from the welter of fitness advice offered by improbably shaped models and musclemen. For Ranulph Fiennes, described by the GUINNESS BOOK OF RECORDS as 'the world's greatest living explorer', physical fitness is no fad: it has enabled him to withstand the rigours of desert and glacier alike. The book includes research into body types and environmental effects; advice on self-motivation, diet and basic food control and guidance on avoiding stress, illness and injury. Beginning with basic exercises designed to help you maintain a minimum level of fitness and progressing through to training regimes tailored to those who are aiming for greater heights in sport, adventure or everyday life, FIT FOR LIFE provides practical help and encouragement to take you as far as you wish to go.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12148 in Books
• Published on: 1999-11-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Ranulph Fiennes' caution "only the fit survive" at the beginning of this book prepares the reader for what is much more than a post-binge fitness fad. For Fit for Life is, says Fiennes, a way of life; a manner of eating and exercise that can not only make you look better but which will also enhance your energy levels, improve your base fitness levels and probably prolong your life.

With the caveat that most of us probably wouldn't be up to polar expeditions (even if we did have the desire!) Fiennes goes on to convince even the most doubting couch potato that tip-top fitness is within everyone's reach. And the biggest surprise of the book is that he succeeds. Starting at a very low level--"The Fitness Basics"--is a very clever thing to do, because before you know it you have raced through the warm-up exercises, have finished the strength training section and are in the "Moving into the Top 2 Per Cent" chapter thinking "maybe I can run a marathon after all".

Step by step, Fiennes takes you through genetic disposition to laziness, what's good (and bad) to eat and how to choose a sport and start an exercise programme, all the time assuring you that he is really the laziest person in the world who has to be cajoled into movement before every super endurance, life-threatening trek or expedition he takes part in.

Illustrated extensively with photographs taking you through every recommended exercise, this book really is all you need (aside from motivation), whether you just want to reach a good general level of fitness and health, or go on and become an outstanding endurance athlete. Packed with sound advice, a number of training regimes for every level of fitness, (including the I-haven't-got-off-the-sofa-for- 20-years level) and a host of personal anecdotes and motivational tips, Fit for Life is a great fitness book for the real person. Trips to fashionable gyms and expensive lycra do not feature highly in this programme--personal motivation, outdoor sports and sensible eating do. A great antidote to the fitness fads of recent years. --Lucie Naylor

Review
'Ranulph Fiennes' caution "only the fit survive" at the beginning of this book prepares the reader for what is much more than a post-binge fitness fad. For Fit for Life is, says Fiennes, a way of life; a manner of eating and exercise that can not only make you look better but which will also enhance your energy levels, improve your base fitness levels and probably prolong your life. With the caveat that most of us probably wouldn't be up to polar expeditions (even if we did have the desire!) Fiennes goes on to convince even the most doubting couch potato that tip-top fitness is within everyone's reach. And the biggest surprise of the book is that he succeeds. Starting at a very low level--"The Fitness Basics"--is a very clever thing to do, because before you know it you have raced through the warm-up exercises, have finished the strength training section and are in the "Moving into the Top 2 Per Cent" chapter thinking "maybe I can run a marathon after all". Step by step, Fiennes takes you through genetic disposition to laziness, what's good (and bad) to eat and how to choose a sport and start an exercise programme, all the time assuring you that he is really the laziest person in the world who has to be cajoled into movement before every super endurance, life-threatening trek or expedition he takes part in. Illustrated extensively with photographs taking you through every recommended exercise, this book really is all you need (aside from motivation), whether you just want to reach a good general level of fitness and health, or go on and become an outstanding endurance athlete. Packed with sound advice, a number of training regimes for every level of fitness, (including the I-haven't-got-off-the-sofa-for- 20-years level) and a host of personal anecdotes and motivational tips, Fit for Life is a great fitness book for the real person. Trips to fashionable gyms and expensive lycra do not feature highly in this programme--personal motivation, outdoor sports and sensible eating do. A great antidote to the fitness fads of recent years.' - Lucie Naylor, AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW

About the Author
Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Bt, OBE, the world's most celebrated contemporary adventurer and explorer, has been a leader of major expeditions for 26 years, becoming in 1993 the first man to walk unsupported across the Antarctic continent.

Customer Reviews

Any age, any fitness level, this is the book for you!
I was 16 when I first read this book, I'm now 18 and still use the programmes. I hope to run a Marathon either this or next year. My mum read it and has lost 2 stone!!! Whatever you goal, weight loss, to build muscle, to be able to run marathons, or just to live a little longer and more healthily; this book will have advice and a programme for you to follow to get exactly what you want, if you are prepared to give up some time for exercise and re-stock the fridge! May I also recommend you check out some of Ranulph Fiennes novels, may sound like I'm working for him or something but I feel like I owe him something, thanks to this book.

Underwhelmed...
Let's be straight about something -- Sir Ranulph Fiennes is a remarkable man and is a national treasure. If any of us could accomplish 1/10th of what he has, then we could consider our lives well lived indeed.

It is a shame, then, that I found this particular title so underwhelming. I purchased it on the back of the plethora of five star reviews on Amazon, but must confess to feeling slightly misled.

A lot of reviewers trumpet the motivational aspects of this book. Perhaps I'm becoming less perceptive over the years, but I saw no motivation of value. If anything, Fiennes comes across as a scaremonger and somewhat elitist; as another review pointed out, there is enough finger-pointing towards our imminent ills, ailments, diseases, inferior genetics and death that I almost wanted to give up the reading halfway through.

Then there is the practical stuff. I found his "Food Control" method disorganised, unclear and a touch dodgy (skipping breakfast anyone?). There are no set meal plans, but rather a long list of foods with a potted biography of each one. You will know what to stock your kitchen with, but do not expect to learn how to put together a dietary plan. I also did a bit of digging online, and found a review where Fiennes confessed that he didn't actually follow the nutritional guidelines he laid out in the book; to say I found it a touch hypocritical is an understatement. I mean, the guy has accomplished some remarkable physical feats, so why not be upfront about what he *really* does.

The exercise section is fairly bloated and uneven. Most of Fiennes' emphasis is on aerobic training, particularly walking and running. The strength training chapters seem to be spread thin, with set exercises, set repetitions, set weights, and no real program of how to progress. It is also worth noting that you won't get tailored plans for fat loss, a muscular body or anything like that. I have seen *much* better manuals around (and have had great results from them).

Meh. There is more that I could write, but I think it is unnecessary. The general gist is already within the review. Fiennes is an outstanding individual, but this is a second-rate book in the tough fitness genre. To be fair, the fitness genre is a hard art to master; it is so packed with niches and nuances that it is impossible to do an effective all-in-one fitness manual.

Fit For Life could have done with a sterner editing job and a more streamlined vision of goals, and a bit more candour and a bit less preaching from Fiennes.

Excellent for those who want some useful advice
I bought this book a number of years ago. I had been advised to give up playing squash by a cardiologist (he said as I was past 30 that 'squash is a dead mans game' ) I wanted to develop my fitness levels and having been a social squash player I was starting from quite low base. The book takes you through a wide range of issues on fitness including diet and other factors. It helps you identify what you want to do; be it the gym, swimming, cycling, walking etc and provides clear and understandable guidance on how to set and realise achievable goals and then take them beyond if you wish to do so. I would recommend it to anyone interested in reviewing a fitness routine, or their attitude to health in general.