Vegan Fitness for Mortals: Eat Your Veggies, Be Active, Avoid Injury, and Get Healthy for Life

by Ellen Jaffe Jones

Overview

Anyone who wants to be more active but doesn't think they're athletic enough to pull it off will rejoice over Vegan Fitness for Mortals. Packed with practical information and achievable programs for both aerobic and weight-bearing exercise, this book provides enough great tips to motivate even the most avowed couch potato. Acclaimed athlete, trainer, and nutrition consultant Ellen Jaffe Jones describes how to develop basic routines for walking, running, biking, swimming, weight lifting, and yoga. She also explains how and why to employ warm-up and cool-down exercises into a workout, gives advice on which gadgets and gear will help improve performance, and shares important tips on how to stay injury-free. There are additional ideas for utilizing the everyday environment—from walls to furniture—to instantly fit in exercise anywhere, anytime. A committed vegan for many years, Jones conquered serious health challenges by becoming a runner and adopting a plant-based diet. She makes a powerful case for why eating vegan can augment the benefits of exercise and help prevent exercise-related injuries. Included is information on how to transition to a nutritious vegan diet, along with some of Jones's favorite quick meal ideas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781570673405
Publisher:	Book Publishing Company, The
Publication date:	08/28/2016
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

Table of Contents

Foreword Robert Cheeke viii

Preface x

Acknowledgments xii

Introduction xiv

A Lengthy History of Health Problems xvi

An Accidental Vegan xvii

Off to a Running Start xxi

Meet Your Personal Coach xxiv

Part I The Value of Fitness 1

1 Got exercise? 1

Getting Fit for the Long Term 2

Sitting Is the New Smoking 9

Determine Your Fitness Goals 11

Special Considerations for Setting Up a Fitness Plan 12

Choosing a Fitness Plan 17

2 A vegan diet as part of a fitness plan 20

Why a Vegan Diet is Good for You 22

Steer Clear of Fads and Crazes 25

A Vegan Diet Supports an Active Lifestyle 26

Foods That Promote Recovery and Reduce Inflammation 27

Eating for Weight Loss 29

The Take-Home Message 32

Part II How to Get Fit 33

3 Warm-ups and cooldowns 33

Classic Dynamic Exercises 33

Stretching after a Workout 35

4 Walking for mortals 38

Increasing the Challenge: Time and Distance 39

Walking Programs 40

Walking Surfaces 42

Finish without Injury 43

5 Running for mortals 44

Getting Started with a Walk-to-Run 45

Increasing Your Distance 47

Advanced Training for Decreasing Your Time 48

Designing a Training Program for Racing 51

Running Surfaces 52

Finish without Injury 54

6 Biking for mortals 56

Biking Programs 59

Finish without Injury 60

7 Swimming for mortals 63

Swimming Programs 65

Challenges in Swimming Training 68

Swimming Strokes 69

Finish without Injury 72

8 Weight training for mortals 73

Weight-Lifting Exercises 75

Weight-Lifting Programs 81

Finish without Injury 83

9 Yoga for mortals 85

The Benefits of Yoga 86

Types of Yoga 91

Finding a Good Instructor 92

Measuring Progress and Success 93

Modifying Poses 93

Avoiding injury 94

Ten Basic Yoga Stretches 94

10 Your mortal body as a gym 105

Wall Exercises 106

Floor Exercises 107

Furniture Exercises 108

Stair Exercises 109

Core Exercises 109

Balance and Core Strength 112

Nature as a Gym 113

11 Gear, gadgets, and other resources 114

Shoes 114

Clothing 117

Activity Monitors 120

Music and Headphones 121

Human Resources 123

12 Finish without injury 128

Tips for Avoiding Injury 130

Dealing with Chronic Injuries 132

Treating an Injury 144

Using Pain Relievers Safely and Effectively 147

Recover without Reinjury 149

Part III How to Eat Vegan 150

13 Constructing a balanced vegan diet 150

Legumes: Protein Powerhouses 150

Grains: Fuel Your Ride 154

Vegetables: The Vitamin and Mineral Bonanza 154

Fruits: Mama Nature's

Desserts and Electrolytes 155

Nuts and Seeds: We All Need a Little Healthy Fat 155

Other Nutritional Concerns 157

Losing Weight 160

Weight Gain as a Vegan 166

Dealing with Food Allergies and Intolerances 167

14 Making the vegan transition 170

What I Have Eaten for Decades 171

Fave Breakfasts 172

Fave Snacks 173

Fave Lunches 174

Fave Dinners 174

Fave Smoothies 175

Part IV Your Vegan Fit Life 178

15 A final word of encouragement 178

Being a Vegan in a Nonvegan World 178

When the People You Love Aren't in Your Camp 180

Finding Your Vegan Community 182

Resources 183

Index 189