Worth It! Shatter Your Excuses & Free Yourself to Shine Book Review
I received this book for free from Free from blogger for review for review consideration, opinions expressed are 100% my own. This post contains affiliate links as indicated by an asterisk. Purchases from these links provides a small commission to me at no extra cost to you.
Worth It! Shatter Your Excuses and Free Yourself to Shine by Heidi KleinePublication Date: Apr. 19, 2015
Genres: Biography/Memoir, Healthy Living, Nonfiction, Women's
Format: eBook
Source: Free from blogger for review
Synopsis from Amazon:
“Are you tired of living in a hard, dark shell? Is it time for you to shatter that shell and shine? Have you wondered if you’re even worth it? If any of this sounds like you, you are in the right place. In Worth It! Shatter Your Excuses and Free Yourself to Shine, journey with Heidi as she discovers and shatters her excuses. You will learn:
• You are not alone. The excuses that hold us back are universal
• Which excuses are at play in your life and how to shatter them forever
• How to prevent your past from defining your future
• It’s not easy to achieve your goals, but it’s possible to exceed your dreams
• How to avoid the seduction of inadequacy
• The importance of accepting the new reality you createUltimately, how to SHINE! Come join us on the journey!”
My Thoughts:
I admit. I was skeptical when I saw this was a book centered on weight loss and the tagline of this book included “Shatter Your Excuses”. It reminded me of mom of 3 Maria Kang’s “No Excuses” photo which took the internet by storm. There was big controversy around her post and the fat-shaming she was accused of. As a chronic illness patient, I feel like I have an excuse to not exercise. If I push my body too hard, it WILL revolt against me.
The last thing I wanted was to have to feel guilty or ashamed for not exercising. I know exercising makes me feel better when I do it, I just don’t make the effort to exercise CONSISTENTLY. Although I am at a “normal” weight for my height, I have more energy and less pain at about 8 pounds less than I am now.
Since my blogging friend Julie from My Book Retreat recommended this book to me and the fact that the title also suggests that I am “Worth It” made me want to give this book a try. I found this book extremely easy-to-read, in fact I finished the 100 pages all in one sitting, not something I normally do.
Heidi’s writing is concise and engaging. She shares her story honestly and from the heart. It’s a story so many moms can relate to, focusing time on raising our kids and not making time or setting aside the money for taking care of ourselves. Letting herself go until her kids are grown and starting their own lives.
Each chapter is dedicated to a different excuse and how Heidi was able to overcome it. Her solutions are pragmatic and simple and each chapter ends with action steps to help readers analyze what is holding them back in their weight loss/healthy living journey.
What hit me hardest was Heidi describing her “aha moment”, the moment she knew she had to get healthy. Weighing 300 pounds, Heidi’s best friend gives it to her straight. Hours earlier, I had just had my “aha moment”.
I had gotten my Remicade infusion which makes me tired, in increased pain and incredibly emotional. It’s my family’s wake up call every 6 weeks that something is wrong with mommy. That this Rheumatoid Arthritis is always with me and just because I look ok and keep cooking, cleaning and taking care of them, doesn’t mean it’s not there destroying my joints. My oldest son tearfully told me he was scared of losing me, how sad it makes him to see me in such pain and how he’s scared of my future health. Separately and not knowing what his brother said, my middle son expressed the same concern as I kissed him goodnight.
If that doesn’t motivate me to take better care of myself, I don’t know what will. I’m going to take it slow, there won’t be any marathons for me. But I’m going to get as healthy as I can so I can keep up with these boys and not end up in a wheelchair before old age. Because as my kids and Superhubby remind me, I am worth it!
I think this is a great book for those looking to start living healthy. The book is free on Kindle May 2-May 4, 2015 so grab your copy and be inspired!
This post linked up with Inspire Me Monday with Create with Joy and Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party with Creative K Kids.
I can relate to you in the sense that AI disease keeps us from doing all that we would like, in all areas. I used to be busy all the time, but with the stroke and the disease I am finding that the less I do physically the better I feel. Hence, taking the blog more seriously, I hate to say “PRO” because I am still building, but this is the answer to being unable to work. If I work around the house a bit each day, work a bit on DIY projects and the blog instead of trying to drive and work outside the home I get so much more done. And, bonus, I feel better. I have had to rearrange my entire life, smashing excuse after excuse. Heidi Kleine has is right, we need to get past the “I can’ts” and figure a way to come out on the positive end of things! I hope that you feel better today and wish you the best in your health!
Thanks, Tanya, for sharing this book and especially for your personal reflections on the tough balance between keeping fit and keeping well and rested. I think of this each day when the walk around the block in my neighborhood feels a lot longer than it is (and I wish I could get in the car to get home!), or when I have to skip a day or two of walking because my legs and feet are just too painful. I also sympathize with your experience with your sons; my daughter doesn’t remember when she was two and I could dance around the room with her, only the mom who has trouble with stairs, etc. Your boys mention their fears because in their hearts, they know you will offer a wise and reassuring response, in words and in the fine example of your multitude ways of coping and keeping life joyful most of the time. When life brings them adversity down the road, they will not be floored but remember all the ways you “kept in there pitching.”
I totally agree with Michelle’s comment: “You touch lives!”
You are so inspiring my friend…I’ve read about your challenges with RA since following your blog. It sounds very hard at times and not too long ago I had to be tested for it myself. My numbers come back unusually high but the RA doctor says unless I’m showing symptoms, they aren’t too worried about it. So everytime I read what your struggles are, I just want to reach out and give you a hug and say, “its hard, but hang in there.” So here is a “cyber hug.” Hats off to you! Keep doing what you can, when you can. You touch lives!
Well now you are making me cry too Michelle. Thanks so much for your kind words. My piece of advice, knowing you could have RA is make sure you fight viruses and infections properly and timely. Don’t wait to go to the doctor to find out what’s going on. I waited when I had a sore throat and my oldest was a newborn. When he was 1 month old, I finally went to doc because joint pain started in my fingers and feet but by then RA was triggered and took 7 months for me to be diagnosed with something I never heard of. I hope you can keep RA away and I will take all the hugs I can get. Thank you!