Review and giveaway: Denise Austin's Daily Dozen

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm finally at the point where I'm focusing on losing weight and exercising, rather than sitting around and eating chocolate.  So I've been happy to see opportunities to review great fitness/exercise plans in my email box. Thanks to my involvement at the Product Review Place, I had the chance to review Denise Austin Denise's Daily Dozen.

I think the most motivating part of this plan came within the first few pages- when I read that Denise Austin is 52 years old. 52. Seriously. I have never been that fit in my life, and most 52 year olds that I know look nothing like that. That's motivation right there.

This new book is designed to help us lose up to 12 pounds in 2 weeks, through a combination of exercise and  eating right.  The book starts out with lots of information on what is needed to do the plan right, including the gear you need (surprisingly little, just a good pair of shoes, weights, and a towel/floor mat).  The plan is different for each day, which is great for people like me who lose interest quickly! The exercises for each of the 12 days only take 12 minutes. As I've mentioned before, I have an extremely limited amount of time each day for exercise, so I love this idea. In addition to the daily workouts, the book contains information (with pictures) for extra workouts, including "fidgetcizers", tension-reducing workouts and ab exercises. The eating plan in the book contains information on how to eat and which foods to eat.

When you get to the actual 12-day plan, it contains information on what to eat that day, organized by week, and lots of detailed information and pictures for the exercises to be done that day. So easy to follow!

I really like all the extras in the book- things like hints for trimming food costs and energy boosters. There are also lots of success stories in the book and tips for surviving dinners out.  I also LOVE the shopping lists, organized by week- you can see exactly what you're going to need to make that week's meals, in an easy-to-follow format.

This is a book that I'm so glad to have as I'm trying to get rid of my post-two-kids-in-two-years weight. It has so much information and is really designed for busy people who don't have a lot of time to follow long, involved exercise plans. I'm planning to start the plan next week- I am running out of dress pants that fit me, so need to get a jump start on my weight loss and I think this plan is exactly what I need!

The best news is that 5 of you have the opportunity to win a copy of this book! (US/Canadian mailing addresses only, please).

Mandatory entry (must be done for extra entries to count):
Tell me why you need this book in your life!

Extra entries (please leave a separate comment for each):
1. Follow my blog on google friends.
2. Subscribe to my blog via email (on the right side of the page)

3. Become a fan of Growing a Baby Reviews on Facebook.
4.. Put my button up on your blog (let me know where to find it)

5. Enter my other giveaways- one entry per giveaway.
6. Visit LuvnLife and enter one or more of her giveaways! Leave a separate comment for each one that you enter. 

Giveaway will close at 9 PM PST on February 22, 2010. I'll choose winners with random.org and will email those people who will have 48 hours to respond. Good luck!

Disclaimer- I was sent a copy of this book to review for myself. I was not compensated in any other way, and all opinions posted here are mine and mine alone.