Jennifer Cohen - Strong Is the New Skinny How to Eat, Live, and Move to Maximize Your Power

Copyright 2014

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Harmony Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.
www.crownpublishing.com

HARMONY BOOKS is a registered trademark, and the Circle colophon is a trademark of Random House LLC.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cohen, Jennifer
Strong is the new skinny : how to eat, live, and move to maximize your power / Jennifer Cohen and Stacey Colino ; foreword by David Kirchhoff.
pages cm
1. Physical fitness. 2. Exercise. I. Colino, Stacey. II. Title.
RA781.C536 2014
613.7dc23
2014021072

ISBN 978-0-8041-4051-5
eBook ISBN 978-0-8041-4052-2

Interior photographs courtesy of Jonah Light
Cover design by Jess Morphew
Cover photograph by Adam Rindy

v3.1

I WOULD LIKE TO DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO
MY OVERPROTECTIVE BUT EXTREMELY DEVOTED MOM.
YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MY BIGGEST CHAMPION
AND PARTNER IN CRIME. THANK YOU FOR BEING
THE THELMA TO MY LOUISE.
I LOVE YOU!

ALSO, TO HEATHER JACKSON,
THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN ME FROM DAY ONE.
IT HAS MEANT THE WORLD TO ME.
YOU ROCK!

Who am I to write this foreword?

For the better part of fourteen years, I worked for Weight Watchers International, first in helping to start its Internet business in 2000 and later as the CEO of the company. I loved and will always love Weight Watchers. I lost over 40 pounds as a Weight Watchers member, and, in the process, I became a completely different and healthier person. I give myself a lot of credit for ultimately getting there, but I give Weight Watchers even more credit for guiding me.

It means a lot to me that Weight Watchers avoids fad diets, and sticks with proven science and practical insights. They know that the only way to sustainable weight loss and health is by finding a healthy and sustainable lifestyleand not a crash diet.

This gets me to Jen, Stacey, and this book.

Jen had been working closely with Weight Watchers as a key partner in helping us build out our fitness platform when we first met. She partnered with us to produce a series of fitness DVDs, she was a frequent contributor to our website, and she hosted events such as run/walks.

But my first-time meeting Jen was for an interview she conducted with me while writing a review of my book Weight Loss Boss for Forbes magazine. We immediately hit it off and found ourselves deep in a wide-ranging conversation about nutrition and fitness. I could tell almost immediately that she was a kindred spirit on the crusade to help make a healthier planet.

Since that time, weve stayed in touch and have periodically worked together. One memorable instance was a bit we did together on the show Extra . I was promoting my book, and she was promoting her DVDs. It would have been uneventful except for the fact that she demanded that I do exercise demos with her on national TV. Harsh! I was terrified that she would make me do some horribly complicated exercise that would cause me to become a national spectacle. She didnt. This is her magic touch. Shes tough, but she always makes her workouts accessible. No embarrassment required. She only demands a willingness to try.

Fundamentally, what I love about this book is its central message. The point of fitness is getting stronger and healthier. Its about empowerment and doing. This book is not about deprivation, suffering, or extremes. Sadly, most diet and fitness regimens are just that. The message of this book is about basking in the energy and good feelings that come from getting stronger.

I love this message because it is the life Ive found for myself. I found exercise and, more specifically, resistance training nearly fourteen years ago. I cannot express how it has changed me and made me a happier, more confident, and more energetic person. It is the gift that keeps giving over and over again, and my only hope is that more people will find the same.

Jen and Stacey take their subject matter seriously. They avoid the unproven, and they lean heavily on real science and research, not pipe dreams. Their chapter on nutrition is a true testament to this. You will only find practical wisdom based on sound nutritional science, but delivered in an incredibly straightforward way. The magic of nutrition is not the secret of a peculiar ingredient found in deepest South America, but rather it is in making simple healthy choices a daily part of your life. Jen and Stacey get this instinctively, and they serve up their wisdom on food the way food should be served: simple, well prepared, and with no added junk.

They also get that the secret of good nutrition and physical fitness is as much about your head as it is about your mouth and your muscles. They give proper attention to the importance of getting your head straight, and they offer solid and simple techniques to get your brain in gear. They know that habit creation comes from simple, easy-to-adopt techniques, rather than giant changes. Thats more than common sense; its also based on good research on behavior change. They are giving you state-of-the-art information, but doing it in an incredibly engaging and accessible way.

The heart of this book, however, is in what they know better than most: exercise and the workout. Since Ive known Jen, Ive always admired her for working tirelessly to make exercise accessible and portable. She believes it should be achievable for anyone, no matter where they are. She requires no gym, and she doesnt believe you should have to spend a million bucks to look like a million bucks. She is a fitness populist.

I read these chapters amazed by the way these two authors found ways of making serious workouts that can be done by anyone, anywhere. In my experience, too many people get intimidated too quickly by working out, and it doesnt have to be that way. You just need good plans. The back half of this book is chock-full of them.

Indeed, strong is the new (and so much better than) skinny. You dont have to have genetics to get stronger. You dont have to be a certain shape to get stronger. Anyone can and everyone should get stronger. My advice to people over the years on exercise has always been the same:

1. Do it! Believe me when I tell you that a life of fitness will set you free.

2. Dont do it all on day one. Start working yourself into it. Make it fun. Set it to a great playlist. Give yourself a reason to look forward to it.

3. Make it a habit. Find ways to make exercise automatic, not a special event. Book it as an appointment on your calendar if you need to. Set out your gym clothes the night before (my favorite trick!) if that will help.

4. Look for a smart plan that you can grow into. Look for a plan you can start right now, right this second. Look for a plan that you can do in your living room, your backyard, or your hotel room.

For number 4, look no further than this book.