Book Review: How to Roll Like Chris P. Bacon

Book Review:  How to Roll Like Chris P. Bacon by Len Lucero and Kristina Tracy

The book, How to Roll Like Chris P. Bacon, by Len Lucero and Kristina Tracy, is a wonderful book not only for children but for everyone.  In this story, Chris P. tells us more about what he has learned about life.  He talks about being adventurous and encourages us to try new things.  He gives advice on how to handle embarrassing situations and other situations encountered in life.  This is a very uplifting and empowering book; however, it is written in a very entertaining way that keeps children captivated.  The illustrations are bright and colorful, making it exciting to turn the page and see what is next.

I think this book offers great advice for looking at life in a light-hearted, go-with-the-flow type attitude.  This is a great lesson to teach children early on, as let’s face it, when we go with the flow of life the situations that crop up are easier to handle.  My children are serious Chris P. Bacon fans.  They are excited and cannot wait for more Chris P. Bacon stories.

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgment of the product.

http://www.hayhouse.com/how-to-roll-like-chris-p-bacon-hardcover

Book Review: The Tapping Solution for Weight Loss & Body Confidence (A Woman’s Guide to Stressing Less, Weighing Less, and Loving More) by Jessica Ortner

Book Review:  The Tapping Solution for Weight Loss & Body Confidence (A Woman’s Guide to Stressing Less, Weighing Less, and Loving More) by Jessica Ortner

When I first began listening to Hay House Radio, I was introduced to EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) or tapping by listening to Nick Ortner’s radio show.  Immediately, I was interested in this this method to break some negative thought cycles occurring in my daily experience.  When I saw that Nick’s sister, Jessica, had written a book dealing with EFT for weight loss and body confidence, I felt that it would be a “must read” as I have wondered how tapping for weight loss would work.

Jessica has had an experience with weight gain/loss and lack of body confidence that many of us have gone through or are currently going through.  She offers extremely clear, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions on how to use tapping effectively for weight loss.  Along with these instructions, she explains the panic behind dealing with feelings.  Jessica drills down the “why’s” behind emotional eating and how to change our thoughts and beliefs in order to break the cycle of emotional eating.  She offers stories about her own experience and the experiences of others who have used tapping to help with weight loss and body confidence.

I found The Tapping Solution for Weight Loss & Body Confidence to be extremely helpful.  Jessica Ortner covers an unbelievable amount of information in a candid and succinct way.  Almost any question you might have on this subject and how to overcome related challenges.  This book is a “must have” for every woman as a large number of us forget that self-care is not selfish and we almost all have experience or are experiencing at least one of the challenges mentioned in this book.  

http://www.hayhouse.com/tapping-solution-for-weight-loss-body-confidence-1 

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgment of the product.

Book Review: Slimming Meals that Heal: Lose Weight Without Dieting, Using Anti-Inflammatory Superfoods

Book Review:  Slimming Meals that Heal: Lose Weight Without Dieting, Using Anti-Inflammatory Superfoods by Julie Daniluk, RHN

Reviewed By:  April Morris

Slimming Meals that Heal: Lose Weight Without Dieting, Using Anti-Inflammatory Superfoods by Julie Daniluk, RHN is a very interesting book.  Not only does it contain an amazing amount of information, there are over 120 gluten-free recipes in the book as well. 

The book begins with some basic human physiology.  It touches on hormone changes, inflammation, and allergies.  The importance of keeping a food diary to track food allergies and/or intolerances is also discussed.  There is a very informative section on emotional eating that I feel will be helpful for a large number of people.  Emotional eating seems to be a common issue especially among women.  As far as getting to the bottom of allergies/intolerances, I found the food elimination schedule to be helpful and very easy to follow.  Another handy section is a listing of different foods and why they are potentially harmful/not healthful along with healthy alternatives.

The very last section of the book contains some great recipes to help you along on your food elimination journey.  There are recipes for juices and smoothies, breakfasts, salads, sauces, dips, and dressings, as well as main meals, soups, appetizers, treats and snacks.  This book is an incredible find for anyone looking to improve their health.

http://amzn.com/1401945708

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgment of the product.

Book Review: Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender

Book Review:  Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender by David R. Hawkins, MD, PhD

Reviewed By:  April Morris

It was a blessing to have the opportunity to review Letting Go by Dr. David R. Hawkins.  This is an area of my life that I have been working on with varying results.  Surrender can be a difficult concept for some of us to grasp.  I found this book to be an excellent resource to help with all aspects of life from the physical to spiritual. 

In this book, Dr. Hawkins guides you through the different emotions that we experience beginning with apathy and depression and ending with love and peace.  As he dissects each emotion, he provides ways to overcome the negatives and arrive at a positive result.  This book helps one see what is truly important in life and shows that our upsets and disappointments are due to expectations that we carry with us. 

Dr. Hawkins covers the connection between the mind and body.  He outlines ways to combat stress and alleviate physical illness.  The remaining sections of the book discuss the attainment of vocational goals and the impact that those goals have on one’s life.  He not only defines what we need to let go of, but he offers easy to apply strategies and solutions for surrender.

Reading this book and applying the strategies has allowed me to live a more positive life.  I use the concepts of surrender on a daily basis and have found that I have less anxiety and stress.  I plan on re-reading this book several times as I feel there is so much useful information to learn about and apply.

http://www.amazon.com/Letting-Go-The-Pathway-Surrender/dp/1401945015/

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgment of the product.

Angel Astrology 101 Book Review

Book Review:  Angel Astrology 101 by Doreen Virtue and Yasmin Boland

Reviewed By:  April Morris

I was very excited to have the opportunity to read Angel Astrology 101 by Doreen Virtue and Yasmin Boland.  Astrology has always been an interest of mine, so of course when I saw that this book contained information on the angels connected with birth charts, I was interesting in finding out more.

The book itself is beautiful with high quality pages that will not rip easily, an important consideration when there are young children in the house.   The artwork is stunning.  The book begins with the history of astrology and the false beliefs held by some religions.  There is also an explanation of what modern day astrology covers as well as the spiritual side of astrology.   Then an explanation of the connection with astrology and angels is given, which was quite informative. 

In order to use this book to find which angels are connected to your birth chart, you need certain information from your astrological natal chart (sun sign, moon sign, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and ascendant or rising sign).  There is information on free resources to access this information, which is really a nice touch and adds value to this book. 

Overall, I enjoyed locating the angels associated with the aspects of my chart, as well as those for my loved ones and friends.  Keep in mind that this is a 101 (introductory) book, so for someone with more knowledge in astrology it is very basic.  For those who are new to astrology or think they know about astrology but may hold false beliefs, this is a great book to help one understand how the sun, moon, and stars affect every aspect of our lives and how to work with the angels to enhance our experience here on Earth. 
http://www.hayhouse.com/angel-astrology-101

http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Astrology-101-Discover-Connected/dp/1401943055/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399565518&sr=8-1&keywords=angel+astrology+101

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgment of the product.

Book Review: Forgiveness: 21 Days to Forgive Everyone for Everything

Book Review:  Forgiveness by Iyanla Vanzant
Reviewed By:  April Morris

When I first heard about Iyanla Vanzant’s book, Forgiveness: 21 Days to Forgive Everyone for Everything, I was interested in reading it.  I feel that there tends to be a major misinterpretation in society of what forgiveness actually is and that it is indeed not condoning bad behavior, but making peace with a situation.  We often see examples of crimes committed against others with the offended family often stating they have forgiven the perpetrator of the crime.  Then there are comments from people outside the family usually consisting of “how could they even think of forgiving that person.”  In my own life, I have struggled at times with forgiving, not only for others, but for myself at times too.

This book uses several modalities to take an individual through the process of forgiveness.  These modalities include journal entries (topics supplied), meditation (CD supplied), prayer, and the Progressive Emotional Freedom Technique (Pro EFT^TM) or tapping.  I was actually surprised to see the information on tapping, I simply was not expecting to see it as part of the journey of forgiveness.  At the same time, I am familiar with the Pro EFT^TM techniques and know that it works to release beliefs and the emotions tied to them.  After reading the book and working through the 21-day process, I was able to see first-hand how important the tapping aspect is to releasing the past. 

Overall, this extensive process of “forgiving everyone for everything” requires a significant time commitment and a dedication to performing all modalities as described in the book.  I believe this process is worth it in the end.  It will give you a fresh start in the world and allow you to appreciate all that you have in your life.

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgment of the product.

http://www.hayhouse.com/details.php?id=9229&utm_id=3313

The Importance of Strength Training

Several years ago I worked with a personal trainer.  One day she turned to me and said, "you don't need to be afraid of bulking up like a man since women cannot do this due to their biological make up.  The female bodybuilder types are using "enhancers" to develop in this way."  I knew this, having a background in the medical field, but I have found that many women have this concern.  Over the years, I have found that I have had to address this with friends that were afraid of strength training for that very reason.  Strength training offers so many benefits to both men and women.  There is a reduction of anxiety and depression.  It helps prevent osteoporosis.  Strength training helps regulate blood sugar.  Having been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2008, I have found that when I am actively exercising and particularly hitting strength training hard (and not so hard), that I feel so much better.  I have energy and do not feel those MS-type symptoms as readily.  I actually feel "normal."  At this point, even though I am trying to lose weight, I am so happy to see the increase in muscle mass because I know it is so good for me.  Below there is a link to an article showcasing the benefits of strength training.   

http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/growingstronger/why/