Product Description

If this book puts its readers to sleep, author Debra Waterhouse, M.P.H., R.D., will be a very happy woman. She wants her female audience to take a nap. She also wants them to "please, oh please, stop dieting," get outdoors, laugh hysterically, fire up their senses, and answer the question, "So where's your gym bag?" Such wit may seem lighthearted, but this bestselling (Outsmarting the Female Fat Cell) nutrition expert's message is quite serious: women are suffering from a "female energy crisis" and must learn how to recharge their batteries before they conk out entirely. Plenty of scientific research helps to illustrate the enormous amount of daily activity the typical woman undertakes--and the inevitable toll it takes on her physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Waterhouse identifies eight natural energy sources to combat the problem and boost vitality: food, water, fitness, nature, sleep, intimacy, joy, and balanced stress. She then offers a brief questionnaire to help readers determine the most likely areas for improvement. Her suggestions, listed at each chapter's end, range from simple ("I will sit near a window whenever I can") to surprising ("I will listen to my body and eat the foods I crave") to challenging ("I will recognize my talents and take the time to develop them"). Outsmarting Female Fatigue is an excellent choice for the New Year's resolution book bag, for the all-woman book club that enjoys nonfiction, for the new mom, or--even better--for the aspiring (or expiring) "supermom." --Liane Thomas

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1213230 in Books
• Published on: 2002-01-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From Amazon.com
If this book puts its readers to sleep, author Debra Waterhouse, M.P.H., R.D., will be a very happy woman. She wants her female audience to take a nap. She also wants them to "please, oh please, stop dieting," get outdoors, laugh hysterically, fire up their senses, and answer the question, "So where's your gym bag?" Such wit may seem lighthearted, but this bestselling (Outsmarting the Female Fat Cell) nutrition expert's message is quite serious: women are suffering from a "female energy crisis" and must learn how to recharge their batteries before they conk out entirely. Plenty of scientific research helps to illustrate the enormous amount of daily activity the typical woman undertakes--and the inevitable toll it takes on her physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

Waterhouse identifies eight natural energy sources to combat the problem and boost vitality: food, water, fitness, nature, sleep, intimacy, joy, and balanced stress. She then offers a brief questionnaire to help readers determine the most likely areas for improvement. Her suggestions, listed at each chapter's end, range from simple ("I will sit near a window whenever I can") to surprising ("I will listen to my body and eat the foods I crave") to challenging ("I will recognize my talents and take the time to develop them"). Outsmarting Female Fatigue is an excellent choice for the New Year's resolution book bag, for the all-woman book club that enjoys nonfiction, for the new mom, or--even better--for the aspiring (or expiring) "supermom." --Liane Thomas

Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D.
"[It] will change your mental outlook; .... and get more out of life..... first step toward a healthful, vital life."

Paul Pearsall
"This book is a lifesaver for women and a wake-up call for all . . ."

Customer Reviews

For me, a disappointment.
I loved Waterhouse's book "Outsmarting the Female Fat Cell" and I was hoping to learn a lot from this one too. Unfortunately, this book was offering 8 commonly known strategies, like: destress your life - that's good - without more specific HOW's. An example; if you have three kids, a demanding job and an unhelpful husband, she'd like you to change your attitude, not particularly your life. Hello! I've learned all of her strategies and a lot more from magazines, such as Prevention, including more up-to-date facts. For instance, Waterhouse recommends kava-kava for sleeping. However, lately kava-kava has come into disrepute due to German medical studies. Also, I would have rather seen more information explaining WHY these 8 stragies work, rather than just the "do-it's", for instance: how hormones affect us, etc... as her other book did.

A refreshing change from the usual!
This book was just what I was looking for! Sick of hearing the high protein, low carb hype and all the variations of fad diets, this one is back to the basics. It's not about a diet, but rather a change of lifestyle, focusing on different areas.

It was filled with common sense approaches to balance the areas in your life and was enough to get me motivated to change for a healthier life.

It is inspirational and kept my interest.

Overworked, Overstressed, Overextended, and Overwhelmed?
This is a superb book that can be part of a program to greatly improve the quality of your life . . . as well as your energy level. Although I cannot speak as a woman who has used the program, it certainly fits in with things that I have found help me increase my energy.

"Why do I feel so tired?" That's the question this book is designed to answer and help you solve. Be aware that you are not alone. 67% of women say that they don't have the energy to get through the day. Part of that undoubtedly relates to the fact that most women work 85 hours a week between jobs and home chores. The author proposes, "You have to take charge to recharge your energy" in 8 essential areas.

These areas are:

1. Eat the right foods, in the right quantities, at the right times, while savoring the experience (avoid dieting!)

2. Drink enough water (8 8-ounce glasses a day let your body burn food and stored energy more efficiently)

3. Improve fitness to give you more stamina (lots of good ideas for getting more fitness while doing normal activities)

4. Enjoy the outdoors with all five senses as much as possible

5. Get enough sleep (with lots of suggestions)

6. Enjoy closeness with others by being loving

7. Experience joy by laughing, smiling and having fun as often as you possibly can!

8. Cut back on what you are trying to do and relax to get your stress level down to where it is energizing rather than enervating

Fatigue "is telling you that you need a new outlook on life." In addition to the problems above, the author also outlines a number of physical conditions that could be causing your fatigue that a physician should check you out for.

Each of the 8 areas has a quiz so you can check yourself on how you are doing. That will help you isolate the places where you need to make changes. The book also has many practical suggestions for how to get all of these things accomplished without further increasing your already-lengthy day.

I loved the list of energy zappers (things to avoid) because so many people have problems in these areas: dieting, dehydration, immobility, indoor imprisonment, sleep difficulties, isolation, body dissatisfaction, sadness, and too much stress. That list certain fits the picture I have of the most fatigued women I know.

The book's basic concept is that you have to put more energy into your body and life to get more energy out. That made sense to me.

The only section that I thought was weak was the one on food. Having read "Live Right for Your Type," "The Burn Rate Diet," and "Sugar Busters!" in recent times, I thought that most women would benefit more from becoming familiar with those three books instead of the food advice here (except for the idea of stopping dieting, which will help many people who have low metabolisms). You can read my reviews on each of those books' pages on Amazon.com.

I have also seen many women improve their energy with regular meditation, which helps with stress relief and can add to restfulness more effectively than sleep.

My suggestion is that you keep a diary of how you spend your time, and what you do in each of these 8 areas for awhile to get started. That will help you become more aware of the choices that you make that improve (or decrease) your energy.

May your life be filled with a bounty of energy, health, happiness, peace, and prosperity!