On Dec. 31, I was at an intimate New Year’s party and when the clock struck midnight, we gathered in a circle and spoke aloud our resolutions for 2010. About half of the attendees wanted to lose weight or get in a shape, and when they expressed this, those that didn’t choose this goal immediately nodded their heads in agreement. Not one, but several of my coworkers joked yesterday that they were skinny compared to the rest of the U.S., but not for L.A. A wise observer would conclude that not too many people are happy with their bodies. And even those who have bodies that other people are envious of usually are not happy with their own shapes. Woe is us.

This year let’s make our resolution a lifelong pursuit and not just a fleeting wish.

To this end, the husband and wife team of Jerzy and Aniela Gregorek, gold medal weightlifting champions, personal trainers and founders/head coaches of the UCLA weightlifting team, has taken it upon themselves to teach readers everything they need to know to be their own coach.

For starters, the Gregoreks discovered six essential elements required for people to achieve their desired goals: lose weight, get stronger, become more flexible, gain muscle, develop better posture and acquire faster reflexes. People should also release stress and nurture their bodies.

Their book is divided into three parts in which they lay out a program that includes all of these essential elements. The third part includes nutritionally balanced recipes and surprisingly (or not so), the Polish couple doesn’t rule out alcohol or eating out.

“I don’t see any point in living without beer, wine or vodka,” says Jerzy.

The Gregoreks also recommend meditation and don’t focus on high impact, intense exercise regimes. Instead they point to the fun stuff like hiking, biking, dancing and sports, which you can continue doing into your later years.

The inspiration for this book came from the Gregoreks watching 80 and 90-year-old competitive weightlifters and other athletes who devoted their whole life to staying youthful. If a 90-year-old can lift weights, us young’uns can certainly try a little harder to stick to our 2010 New Year’s resolutions.

Grade: A



The Happy Body is currently available.