12-Day Body Shaping Miracle
Change Your Shape, Transform Problem Areas, and Beat Fat for Good
By Michael Thurmond Warner Wellness, (2007)
ISBN 10: 0-446-52766-1
ISBN 13: 978-0-446-52766-8
Reviewed by Herbert White - March 12, 2007
From the author of the 6-Day Body Makeover comes the 12-Day Body Shaping Miracle, an expert guide on how to shape your body - the way you want it to look. Written by Michael Thurmond this book provides clear and easy to follow advice on how to customize your workout to target your unique problem areas. Exercises that you can use to re-shape these areas are explained, and they are accompanied by instructive photographs that will help to ensure that you do the exercises correctly.
The 12-Day Body Shaping Miracle is organized into two parts. Part I Slimming and Shaping Your Body explains how the program works and includes a detailed questionnaire that will help you determine what body type you have, which in turn will help you determine what dietary changes you should make, and what exercises are best suited for you. This section also includes an overview of some of the mental skills that you'll want to work on, such as visualization and de-stressing techniques.
The real meat of this book is found in Part II: The 12-Day Body Shaping Miracle Workout and Diet. It is in this section that you will learn the various exercises and receive the dietary advice that you'll need to complete this program. This section will also walk you through the process of customizing your workout. Thurmond also provides advice on how to tailor this program for those with special dietary or medical conditions, as well as tips on developing a maintenance program once you reach your goals.
I gave this program a good try, and I have to say while it did not 'fix' me in twelve days, I have achieved some very noticeable results and plan to keep working on this program to achieve my goals. It should be noted that when I started this program I was very out of shape, and overweight. To be honest, it took me more than twelve years to get as out of shape as I am, so I would have been shocked if a twelve-day exercise and diet regime would have had me looking like I did in college. However, I can clearly see changes already, and I plan on continuing to follow the program. In addition, Thurmond is clear that most people will not meet all their goals in a mere 12-days, and as such he has included advice on developing a long term program with both long and short term goals.
Overall, I found this program very easy to follow, and Thurmond explains how to do the exercises in a clear and understandable manner. Most of the exercises can be classified as low impact, and they can be done with minimal equipment. Basically, for most of these exercises all you'll need is some floor space, a chair, a set of hand weights, ankle weights, and perhaps a resistance band. Thurmond's questionnaire helped me to determine my body shape and to customize a routine to target the areas that needed the most work. I found his advice on cardio work especially illuminating, and his tips on how to find your fat-burning zone very useful. His diet advice is of a practical nature and I've had no trouble sticking to it. Best of all, this diet plan has enough variety built into it that you should not get bored following it. If you have one or two areas on your body that needs some extra work, or if you are like me, and you're entire body could do with some major reshaping, give Thurmond's 12-Day Body Shaping Miracle a try. After all, all you have to lose is some fat!
