Blog Archives
Strength Training for Seniors Over 60: Safe and Effective Exercises to Improve Balance, Increase Mobility, and Stay Independent in Just 20 Minutes a Day
After reading Strength Training for Seniors Over 60 by Adina Vitalis, I came away feeling both informed and inspired. This guide is packed with practical advice, engaging encouragement, and detailed instruction designed specifically for older adults looking to improve their strength, balance, and independence. The book breaks down the science of aging and how tailored exercise can combat common issues like muscle loss, joint stiffness, and fall risk. Structured workout plans, safety tips, and lifestyle insights, including nutrition, sleep, and mindset, are all covered in a clear, conversational tone. Best of all, it promises real change in just 20 minutes a day, which makes it feel both achievable and sustainable.
What I liked most was the way the author addresses fear and doubt head-on. Adina Vitalis has a knack for making you feel seen. She anticipates the common excuses or anxieties like “I’m too old,” or “I might fall,” or “I don’t have time,” and gently dismantles them with facts, compassion, and stories of real seniors who made it work. The voice is friendly, and she’s practical without being boring. The chapter on building a home workout space with stuff you already have really resonated with me personally. It reminded me that exercise doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Her analogies, like the one comparing our bodies to aging cars that need maintenance, are simple, relatable, and effective.
One thing I appreciated was how the book reinforced key ideas throughout. Topics like goal setting and the benefits of resistance bands come up more than once, which really helps the messages stick. This kind of repetition can be a great way to make sure the information sinks in, especially for readers who are new to exercise or returning after a long break. The writing stays focused and purposeful, consistently reminding you of what matters most. At times, it felt more like a knowledgeable coach guiding you step by step rather than rushing ahead, which makes the book feel steady, thoughtful, and built to support long-term success.
I’d recommend this book to anyone over 60 or even approaching it who wants to take control of their health and stay independent longer. It’s especially great for people who’ve never exercised or are coming back to it after a long break. If you’ve got aging parents or grandparents who could use a little nudge, this book is a gentle but firm push in the right direction. It’s not flashy or filled with gimmicks. It’s just solid advice, clearly laid out, with real heart behind it.
Pages: 144 | ISBN : 978-1069069900
Chair Yoga for Weight Loss: 10 Minutes a Day to Transform: Low-Impact Exercises for Seniors and Beginners
In an era increasingly defined by chronic lifestyle diseases, discovering a manageable fitness routine that fits into the constraints of modern living is essential. Chair Yoga for Weight Loss serves as an ideal guide for those seeking to enhance their health without leaving their home. This book stands out as a beacon of hope and practical advice, presenting a refreshing approach to fitness that accommodates the limitations of time and space.
The book expertly outlines three key components of a balanced fitness regimen: Chair Yoga Exercises, Muscle Toning Exercises, and Cardio Exercises. Each section is treated with the kind of focused detail that simulates the experience of personal coaching, allowing readers to customize their workouts according to their specific needs and goals. This book extends beyond physical exercises, offering essential tips on mental preparation and selecting the appropriate equipment—like choosing the right chair. Its inclusive design includes seated variations of traditional yoga poses, making the exercises accessible for individuals with varying degrees of mobility. This thoughtful inclusion ensures that anyone, regardless of their physical condition or yoga experience, can participate and benefit. The book is also user-friendly, characterized by clear instructions and supplemented by detailed illustrations that enhance understanding. Each exercise is categorized by difficulty level, and the inclusion of access to additional online resources from Sheer Fitness Vibes adds significant value.
Chair Yoga for Weight Loss is more than just a fitness guide; it’s a comprehensive toolkit that empowers readers to take control of their health. It’s particularly recommended for those looking for a low-impact yet effective way to improve their fitness. This publication from Sheer Fitness Vibes successfully demystifies fitness for everyone, from beginners to more seasoned enthusiasts, and proves to be a practical companion in the journey toward personal wellness.
Pages: 183 | ASIN : B0CNJ39N7Y
Status Quo Thinking Is Harming Your Health
In Status Quo Thinking is Harming Your Health: A Physician’s Final Plea, Dr. Sarah Hallberg, a medical doctor, researcher, and TED Talk presenter known for her impactful obesity studies at Indiana University Health, combines her extensive academic background in exercise science and kinesiology with her medical expertise. This unique blend of knowledge forms the foundation of her thesis, which emphasizes the critical role of exercise and low-carbohydrate diets in preventing and managing diabetes and other serious health conditions.
Dr. Hallberg’s book presents a thorough exploration of the American obesity crisis, shedding light on its alarming statistics and the often resulting type 2 diabetes and other related comorbidities. Her work stands out for its detailed examination of how these health issues disproportionately affect different racial, heritage, and socioeconomic groups, particularly underscoring the challenges faced by those in lower socioeconomic brackets who often lack access to adequate healthcare and health education.
The narrative is enriched by Dr. Hallberg’s personal journey, from her academic endeavors to her roles as a physician, researcher, mother, and wife. Her holistic approach to healthcare, which she believes should encompass medical facts, effective execution, and empathetic understanding, is evident throughout the book. This approach is not just theoretical but is also infused with practical guidance for leading a healthier lifestyle and preventing obesity-related diseases.
Dr. Hallberg’s deep compassion and commitment to improving public health are palpable, lending a sense of urgency to her call for individuals to take proactive steps toward their own health and well-being. Her story is not just one of professional achievement but also of personal growth, leaving readers inspired by her dedication to making a lasting impact on healthcare.
Status Quo Thinking is Harming Your Health is a compelling and insightful read that offers a blend of personal narrative, rigorous research, and practical advice. It serves as a testament to Dr. Hallberg’s impactful legacy in the field of healthcare.
Pages: 263 | ASIN: B0CYBWXQ89
A Fun, Entertaining Book with a Positive Role-Model
Dance Stance, Beginning Ballet for Young Dancers teaches readers, children, and adults, how to improve their posture with tips from an actual ballerina. Why was this an important book to write?
We’re making the books I wished for as a dance teacher and mom. I loved watching things click for my daughter when she’d have a new teacher describe things differently, so giving kids more ways to think about technique as well as a fun, entertaining book with a positive role-model was important. As a teacher with decades’ experience teaching all ages, these highlight some of the most effective descriptions that have helped my students. Weaved in are helpful lessons and tips from a ballerina that we wanted to share.
I love Prisilla the cat, where did the idea to include her come from?
My illustrator added the kitty cat sidekick – it makes the book so special. We actually did a social media vote for the kitty’s name and got many great ideas—in the final draft, the cat’s name is Ballerina Kittina.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The first book I wrote for this age group was actually all about falling, but I went back and created Dance Stance, thinking that was a better starting point. So Falling into Dance is next up, and then we want to deep dive into turning after that.
One of the messages from Dance Stance is that ballet doesn’t have to be life-consuming. I quit cold turkey when I was fourteen because I didn’t know how to take just a few classes – it felt like it had to be all (40 hours a week) or nothing, and I’ve talked to so many people who had similar experiences, some who returned to dance years later wishing they never stopped.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Eka and the Elephants arrives in a few weeks. It’s part of the Dance-It-Out! series for kids ages 4-7.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website
Brought to you by the mother-daugther team of Once Upon a Dance, with over 20 awards for their Dance-It-Out! and Dancing Shapes series for younger audiences. Dance Stance debuts their trilogy for kids ages 8+.
Dance Stance: Beginning Ballet for Young Dancers with Ballerina Konora
Ballet begins with learning how to stand. That sounds much easier than it actually is. From knowing the proper foot placement to being fully aware of one’s own spine, finding the right stance is not only essential but promotes good health. A proper stance, as the author points out, isn’t only for dancers. People of all ages can benefit from learning how to stand correctly. Broken down into simple steps with beautiful illustrations, the author and illustrator have handed readers everything they need to know to literally take the first step into ballet.
Dance Stance, Beginning Ballet for Young Dancers, by Once Upon a Dance and illustrated by Stella Maris Mongodi, is an incredibly informative book that will be useful to every reader whether they dance or not. The illustrations lend themselves perfectly to the narrative and provide comical moments throughout the book. It is worth noting that this book appears to be for younger readers, but the vocabulary and sentence structure is more appropriate for upper elementary and beyond.
I was especially impressed with the snippets of advice from a ballerina placed strategically throughout the book. These notes are right on target with the narrative and give readers an insight into the discipline a ballerina must maintain. I am not a dancer, but I appreciated these sections of the book; they served to add to the authors’ message.
Dance Stance, Beginning Ballet for Young Dancers, by Once Upon a Dance (Ballerina Konora and Teacher Terrel) and illustrated by Stella Maris Mongodi, is a short read that I enjoyed and recommend it to anyone curious about becoming a ballerina or improving their own posture. This book would make the perfect gift for anyone who is thinking of studying ballet. It is full of fantastic advice for readers of all ages.
Pages: 63 | ASIN: B09ZGHW76H
Dance Adventures
Danika’s Dancing Day shows children how to turn ordinary activities into fun dances. How can parents fit this book into their larger dance instruction?
Danika’s Dancing Day is suggested for near the end of the Dance-It-Out! series. Moving through all of the books in the series and even into the dance series for older kids: Dancing Shapes, and then Ballet Inspiration and Choreography Concepts (debuting this spring) would further kids’ body awareness and dance knowledge. I’ve had parents tell me that they turn other stories into dance adventures after sharing the series, so kids can get even more general movement, body awareness, coordination, and balance practice. And of course, the books can be a springboard to formal dance classes.
What is a critical first step for children in dance?
In my opinion, joy is paramount. Having fun and enjoying movement come pretty naturally to young children, so if we approach dance as a playful bonding experience, they’ll almost always love it.
The thing I’ve seen kids develop in just a couple weeks of dance classes is in their sense of self—understanding their physical edges in space and how to move safely around others people and things is an important component of both dance class and life.
What were some new ideas you wanted to introduce in this book that was different from the other books in the series?
This story builds on previous concepts and is intended for a slightly older audience. We name several of the movements mentioned in earlier books and build on movements. For example, we explore kitty tails from the floor in Sadoni Squirrel, practice standing on one foot (arabesque) in The Cat with the Crooked Tail, learn a jump with detailed instructions in Mira Monkey, and in Danika—combine all of these with bigger jumps and a named sauté arabesque.
This is book 12 of the Dance-It-Out! Collection of Creative Movement Stories. Do you have plans to write more books in the series, or are you working on a different project?
We have 3 upcoming Dance-It-Out! books assigned to illustrators: Eka Adopts an Elephant, The Grumpy Goat, and Frankie’s Wish. Our latest series of how-to ballet books for kids 8+ debuts with Dance Stance this spring.
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“Overflowing with enthusiasm for ballet, this book is a celebration of all those who live with dance in their souls. Effervescent images of both Danika and Ballerina Konora will inspire children to mirror their movements both while reading the story and after it ends”. (—Mary Lanni, Librarian Reviewer)
Danika loves ballet. She translates each ordinary aspect of her life into a remarkable dance performance. Ballerina Konora (a professional ballerina) joins the fun with how-to instructions and photos for kids who want to dance along with Danika, Penelope the cat, and their animal friends.
This is book 12 of the Dance-It-Out! Collection of Creative Movement Stories, a series with numerous awards including PenCraft Award First Place, Mom’s Choice Gold Award, and Royal Dragonfly First Place. While each book is an independent story, Danika’s Dancing Day builds on concepts introduced in earlier stories, and it’s ideal for dance students or kids 5+. The series is a bit above typical language level as the stories are often enjoyed with a caregiver or teacher.
We Want Kids to Embody Joy, Breath, And Imagination
Andi’s Valentine Tree follows a child that wants nothing more than to dance, they befriend a tree that helps teach their classmates about kindness. What was the inspiration for your story?
The stories in this series (Andi’s Valentine Tree is book 13) are all developed around kids’ favorite stories when I taught children’s dance classes. The kids lit up when it was story time and asked for the same stories over and over again. It was funny because I’d work so hard to create something original for them and they’d be like, “Please, can you tell the [last-week’s] story.” Witnessing their joy in creating movement while using their imagination and being the star of their own show is my inspiration for the series.
I love that your series teaches dance along with the story. How do you approach this process, do you decide on the moves first, or do you write the story outline and fill in the dance moves after?
So far, the writing process has always initiated with some curriculum aspect from my dance classes, In the case of Andi’s Valentine Tree, the tree wanting someone to dance was one way we reviewed ballet vocabulary. So I started there and built the plot up around that idea.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
For each of our stories, we want kids to embody joy, breath, and imagination as well as dance and movement. We appreciate kind characters that can be positive role models. Each book encourages kids to use the stories in a way that works for them, their bodies, and their space. Of course, in this story, the importance of bystanders showing support in difficult situations, celebrating individuality, and the value of forgiveness are themes I was happy to incorporate.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Danika’s Dancing Day was just released. There are a few Dance-It-Out! stories with illustrators that should be out by summer. We are wrapping up the debut in a new series for kids 8+, which will hopefully be out in March.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Ballerina Konora joins the pages with dance photos and suggestions for movement exploration. Three books in one: readers can enjoy the story, act out the tale in their own way, or try Konora’s suggested activities, designed by an award-winning ballet teacher to develop body awareness and movement knowledge. Each Dance-It-Out! story is a kids’ dance performance for the imagination stage. Andi’s Valentine Tree builds on previous Dance-It-Out! material and is ideal for ages 6+, dance students, or as a sequel to other stories.
Dance-It-Out!
Freya, Fynn, and the Fantastic Flute tells a creative story that gets kids dancing and exercising. How did the idea for this book come about?
As a dance teacher, I know the value of movement and expression. My daughter and I teamed up to try to keep cooped-up kids moving and active at home. The Dance-It-Out! collection—Freya, Fynn, and the Fantastic Flute is one of 10 books—are mostly expanded versions of stories I told in my dance classes. These were always the kids’ favorite part of the class, and I wanted to share the experience with a broader audience. This story is a collaboration with one of the instructors at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Marjorie Thompson, who was separately creating a story ballet, and we thought we’d team up.
What were some driving ideals behind the books development?
The story was created to be danced on stage, so it was an easy transition to create a children’s book with movement from the ideas. We infused even more movement into the Dance-It-Out version by adding the zombie ballet class and having the cats in dance-like poses. It’s full of movement themes and offers many opportunities for creating steps and shapes.
What is the collaboration process like between the authors to bring this book to live?
Marjorie, the original author, had a story draft. We whittled and edited that version together to create a book for her slightly older audience, then I infused that story with simpler movements and actions to make it accessible for younger kids.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
We hope to have 2 more Dance-It-Outs out this year including one about a spirited squirrel superhero. Some of the previous series favorites include Joey Finds His Jump! and Princess Naomi Helps a Unicorn. We’re also working on audio books for the series and have 3 up on Amazon.
The Freya/Fynn sequel is in motion, and we have the same illustrator booked to start working on it in the new year.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | CreativeMovementStories.com | OnceUponADance.com | Instagram | Twitter
In the Dance-It-Out series, created by an award-winning dance teacher, children act and move alongside the characters, and Ballerina Konora joins each page with movement suggestions. In this story, Fynn, Freya, cats, bats, ghosts, and zombies assemble for a captivating story of music, magic, and meyhem.
Movement, dance, and concepts include:
• Kicks
• Marches
• Jumps
• Rolls
• Bends
• First/Fifth position
• Shoulder lifts
• Lunges
• Tiptoes/Relevé
• Breath/Sighs
• Balancing on one foot
• Rocking/swaying
• Hand shapes such as fists/flat/pointer/curved fingers
• Sharp and smooth
• Emotions such as joy, shock, curiosity, and love
• Improv dance
Each Dance-It-Out story is an interactive kids’ storytelling adventure to ignite children’s movement, joy, and imagination. Ballerina Konora joins each page with optional movement and dance ideas and photographs.
The books can be used as a supplement for dance or theater studio classes or camps. Fynn, Freya, and the Fantastic Flute would be pair well with themes such as Halloween, cats, island-living, zombies, ghosts, music, camping, or magic.
The Dance-It-Out movement journeys are ideal for dance, pre-ballet, creative movement, preschool, daycare, early learning, physical education, homeschool, kindergarten, or first-grade activities. The full collection features male/female/nongendered and diverse characters. Books make a great gift for girls or boys interested in dance, ballet, gymnastics, or yoga, or reluctant readers who enjoy getting up and being active.
With kind characters, subtle life lessons, and a positive role model in Ballerina Konora, teachers love the kid-approved, ready-made, easy additions to curriculum and lesson planning. Children at home adore the stories that “young readers will return to again and again” (—Reedsy) offering “an innovative use of dance and storytelling” (—Kirkus Reviews).
LITERARY TITAN 