Southerland - Fit in 10: slim & strong for life!: Simple meals and easy exercise for lasting weight loss in minutes a day!

This book is intended as a reference volume only, not as a medical manual. The information given here is designed to help you make informed decisions about your health. It is not intended as a substitute for any treatment that may have been prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, we urge you to seek competent medical help.

The information in this book is meant to supplement, not replace, proper exercise training. All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and publisher advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the exercises in this book, be sure that your equipment is well-maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and fitness. The exercise and dietary programs in this book are not intended as a substitute for any exercise routine or dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by your doctor. As with all exercise and dietary programs, you should get your doctors approval before beginning.

Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher, nor does mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities imply that they endorse this book, its author, or the publisher.

Internet addresses and telephone numbers given in this book were accurate at the time it went to press.

2017 by Rodale Inc.

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Prevention is a registered trademark of Rodale Inc.

Note: page numbers listed below refer to the print edition of this book.
Recipe photosFront cover: (top left) Grilled Steak and Avocado Tacos, page 221, and (bottom right) PB and J Oatmeal Cup, page 176; Back cover: (middle left) Banana Peanut Butter Ice Cream Parfait, page 226, and (bottom left) Portobello Turkey Burger with Bruschetta, page 191

Matthew Rainey/Rodale Images (before and after portraits): pages 9, 17, 25, 37, 45, 129, 145, 155

Grace Huang (portraits): pages iv (photo 1), xii, 8, 30, 36, 46, 128, 154

Mitch Mandel /Rodale Images : all other photos

Food stylist for the recipe photos: Adrienne Anderson

Prop stylist for recipe photos: Karin Olsen

Decorative art: Vera Petruk/Getty Images; Juan Facundo Mora Soria/Getty Images

Recipes by Rodale Test Kitchen

Book design by Carol Angstadt

ISBN 9781623369071 direct hardcover
ISBN 9781623369958 trade hardcover
ISBN 978-1-62336-996-5 e-book

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For every woman who has ever hoped for better and felt overwhelmed about how to get there.

And for my family, whom I love to the moon and stars.

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Im healthier, I have so much more energy, and for the first time in a very long time, Im finally showing up for my life again, says the woman standing in front of me. The 59-year-old New Yorker barely resembles the person that I met just 60 days earlier. Shes lighter now, and not just physically.

When I first met Lori Lowell, she was exhausted. Desperate to feel better, she had applied to be part of the Fit in 10: Slim & Strongfor Life! test panel. It wasnt just the long hours she put in at work. Her job as an office manager of a medical office was taxing, and the 12-hour days didnt leave her much time for herself, but for the most part, she enjoyed it.

No, it wasnt work. It was everything else. First, she was physically run down. She hadnt gotten a decent nights sleep in months. Her back ached so badly that every time she turned over in bed, the pain woke her. Shed always struggled with her weight, but shed never been this heavy before. The last time she got on a scale, the number she saw190 poundsshocked her. It was too much for her 5-foot-6 frame. Plus, ever since she turned 50 and the hormonal storm hit, she wasnt just carrying it in her hips and thighs. Now, it had settled around her belly, making it much harder for her to do the gardening she enjoyed and to find clothes that fit.

On top of feeling physically awful, Lori was mentally drained. Her younger sister, Donna, was battling brain cancer, her father-in-law was in the early stages of Alzheimers, and she and her husband, Ken, were still trying to get two of their three kids through college. It was just too much.

Im so sick of feeling overwhelmed and out of shape, shed told me. I need to make a change thats actually sustainable.

My heart ached for Lori during that initial conversation; I understood the very real hurdles she was up against. But I also felt hopeful for her, because I knew there was a simple solution that would help her turn around her health and get back in shape in just minutes a day.

Over the last 3 years, Fit in 10 has empowered thousands of busy women to lose the stubborn weight that was slowly eroding their health and stealing their joy. Without dieting. Without punishing their bodies with ridiculously tough workouts.

I never grow tired of seeing someones face light up when she learns that she doesnt have to suffer through miserable diets or torturous exercise to feel good in and at peace with her body. That moment when she realizes she can enjoy amazing food while living the life she wants in the healthy body she needs. When the cloud lifts and she gives me a hug, her eyes bright, and she says, Thank you. For everything. I squeeze her back, feeling humbled and lucky to have met another Fit in 10 soul sister who inspires me to continue to prioritize my own health and wellness.

If youre reading this book, you probably know how exhausting it is to feel uncomfortable in your body or to think constantly about your weight and stress over what, exactly, you should be eating. You also know how crummy it is to feel guilty about missing yet another workout. The truth is, most of us already have a general understanding of what we should be doing to stay healthy and strongeat better, move morebut we get lost in the details and overwhelmed by How in the world am I ever going to find the energy or time to do it all?

I know, because Ive been there, too.

The idea for Fit in 10 started brewing when I began to realize that my time-crunched life was only going to get busier. Here I was, the fitness director of Prevention, blessed with an abundance of wonderful opportunities to do a job I believed in and loved, and yet I was struggling to find a way to fit in all of the good stuff I knew I was supposed to be doing. I spent most of my days parked in front of a computer and most nights, after walking in the door after 7 p.m., scrambling to get a clean meal on the table before falling into bed and doing it all over again the next day.