Body & Soul, by Bethany Hamilton

Title: Body & Soul

Author: Bethany Hamilton w/ Dustin Dillberg

Age: 11 -14 years old

Publisher: Zondervan

Date: May 6, 2014

About the author: Bethany Hamilton has become a source of inspiration to millions through her story of determination and faith. Her unbelievably positive attitude touched the world after she lost her left arm to a tiger shark while surfing off Kauai's North Shore in 2003. Bethany bounced back, telling her story in the autobiography-turned-movie Soul Surfer.

Now a professional surfer, motivated speaker, and healthy lifestyle advocate, Bethany inspires people globally while working on many charitable efforts, including Friends of Bethany, which supports shark attack survivors and traumatic amputees worldwide.

About the book: As a professional surfer, Bethany Hamilton knows it's key to keep her body strong. But as a Christian, she knows taking care of her spiritual health is just as important. 

While sharing her amazing expertise as a world-class athlete, Bethany helps you become your healthiest, most confident any joyful self. Her easy plan is filled with fun workouts created by her personal trainer, Dustin Dillberg, and includes tons of tasty, good-for-you recipes. Bethany also shares tips for staying stress free and soulful, even on the toughest of days.

My take: Body & Soul is a perfect title for this book. Bethany Hamilton does a great job showing younger girls how to take care of yourself from the inside out. With her little inserted quips and "Bethany's Soul Secrets" gives you uplifting messages to live by. She also has bible texts splattered throughout the book. She does a great job showing people how it is important to feel good on the inside just as well as it does on the outside. There are interactive sections so that you can really get involved and truly understand. She lets them know that obstacles is just a word and anything that you want to accomplish can be done if you put your mind to it. One thing I do want to mention, as I feel it is important for younger people to start thinking about being healthy, I feel as though 11 is too young to worry about it on their own. I think 14 for this book is a good age to start. If you do have a child on the younger side, sit down with them and help them understand the book better.

Another thing she shows us is how exercising is very important when trying to stay or become healthy. Not only does she describe the importance of it, she has her own trainer shows us different workouts to do. He has created four different workouts to choose from or even possibly doing them all. There is one for stability, agility, strength, and endurance. I also like the fact that Bethany lets you know that being skinning is not as important as being "physically" healthy. 

Lastly, she shows us how to eat better. She lets you know what foods are good to eat and what to avoid on packages when you go to buy your food at the store. There are recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bethany also shows you how to make different smoothies and shakes that you can also enjoy. Toward the back of the book there is a whole week planned out for you to following in helping you eat healthy.

From healthy drinks and snacks, portions sizes, preplanned meals, and exercise routines, this book has it all. I think it is a great book for younger girls. They will be able to read how to take care of themselves in a well rounded way. 

This book was given to me for my honest review.