Previously viewed Chair Yoga Deck: 75 Simple Poses for Improved Strength, Mobility, and Flexibility Chair Yoga Deck: 75 Simple Poses for Improved Strength, Mobility, and Flexibility by Devi Daly and Kate Francis

 #partner @penguinrandomhouse Thanks for the free book  

I love doing yoga. I have been doing yoga regularly for about 3 years and tend to do it with guidance through a program at work. But these cards allow me to develop my own routine without having to rely on guidance from others , well the guidance is by the author of this card set. 

This card set can now enable me to have the benefits of yoga everyday and I can do it from the comfort of my home and my office chair. 

The Chair Yoga Deck makes movement accessible to everyone, not matter how fit or experienced you are. The 75 step-by-step poses, one for each card, are organized by difficulty. Each  card has an illustrated pose and sequence that can be practiced at the reader's desk. This deck is ideal for seniors, those recovering from injury, or anyone looking to add more movement into a busy desk job. 

With routines that gently challenge the reader, the set over time allows for strength, flexibility, and balance to improve.

I highly recommend this card set to anyone who wants to try out yoga, but has difficulty fitting a regular class into their schedule. If you are traveling a lot or you have a busy and irregular schedule at home, this set is perfect to still enable you to pursue yoga and improve your health. 

available on amazon.com

 

This book was provided free of charge to me in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and have not influenced by any third party.    

Book Review = Life After Pet Loss: Daily Reflections for Working Through Grief by Judith Eve Rosen LCSW

 

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 I have been there; I have been there several times and it is never easy and time does make it hurt less, but you never forget and you are never the same again. 

This book is for the pet lover that suffered a pet loss and is a compassionate guide to navigating the recovery from losing a pet, written as a daily workbook to guide you through the painful journey. 

The author is a licensed psychotherapist with a specialty in veterinary social work and the book is a year-long guide with daily reflections to deal with the loss of any animal. It is one book, but in reality grief is unique for each person and changes as we progress through the journey. This book aims to guide the reader through the journey at their own pace and does not prescribe how to grief, but acknowledges that we all need comfort and not judgment.

 The book contains:

• Short, daily reflections.
• Practical suggestions to honor the pet’s memory.
• Affirmations and quotes that recognize the connection between pet and human.
• An agnostic approach that aims to help every pet owner, no matter what their background may be.

I find that this book is a helpful companion to guide pet owners through the grief journey.  

available at amazon.com

 

This book was provided free of charge to me in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and have not influenced by any third party.    

Book Review: Self-Guided Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy for OCD: A Compassionate Workbook for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Paperback by Natalia Aíza

  #partner @penguinrandomhouse Thanks for the free book  

First off a few terms that may need explanation - 

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) 

Exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP) and ERP as a treatment is based on CBP

cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) 

Self-Guided ERP Therapy for OCD was created by an OCD specialist who has lived with the condition herself. If you have OCD, but are new to ERP, this workbook is for adults and aims at making people afflicted by OCD help understand their symptoms, face fears safely, and build the resilience to manage OCD long-term. 

It is important to know that ERP has been around for decades and has a proven trackrecord of helping cope with OCD. And most importantly, ERP is proven to work, even when practiced in private.

available on amazon.com

 The book is roughly partitioned into these subjects:

• This book is a self-guided version of ERP for beginners. Using author tested evidence-based strategies to trigger fears and resist compulsions effectively without needing third party help.
  

• CBT-based tools and step-by-step exercises provided by the author allow the reader to map. the OCD cycle and guide the reader through recovery.
  

• The author uses her therapy skills to build distress tolerance, emotional awareness, and cognitive flexibility to allow progress. 
  

• Rather than teach and admonish, the author focuses on empathy and stresses self-compassion to boost recovery success. 
  

• The author is an expert in the field and provides super helpful guidance throughout the book.  
  

Focused on empathy and backed by science, the author shows that ERP doesn’t have to be harsh or intimidating.

This book was provided free of charge to me in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and have not influenced by any third party.   

Review = The Ultimate Maze Challenge!: 175 Mind-Bending Mazes for Kids (Hours of Fun, Screen-Free Activities)

 

 #partner @penguinrandomhouse Thanks for the free book  

If you have a child or grandkid that is find of maze puzzles or it is something you enjoy, this book is a great gift. Not only does oit have a large variety of puzzles in maze form to offer, but they even includes puzzles that involve math. Overall, I found this book to be definitely appropriate for the age group.

Maze are a fun puzzle type because they can be done quickly during a break and teach kids to be busy on their own without requiring an adult to entertain them. I personally was surprised by the variety of Maze puzzles that were included and I love to do them. But even I found some new varieties in here like the one requiring math to solve the Maze. 

available on amazon.com

 

This book was provided free of charge to me in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and have not influenced by any third party.  

Review = Training for a Healthy Life: A Daily Food and Fitness Journal by Zeitgeist Wellness

 #partner @penguinrandomhouse Thanks for the free book  

This book is all about consistency and persistent behavior. It provides a simple planner for daily entries to monitor food intake, weight and exercise routine. It also has spots for wellness  aspects such as water intake and sleep. 

It is an easy back to basic approach to training and wellness. The one concern I have is that people should obsess about weight too much in their fitness journey. Especially if you start using weights, the muscle gain may actually lead to increases in weight. So clothing size is a better measure or best off all, go with how you feel. For that reason I wish the wellness aspects would be a little bit more comprehensive than just how much water you drink or how much sleep you are getting.  

 

available on amazon.com

 

This book was provided free of charge to me in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and have not influenced by any third party.  

Review = The Body Boundaries Parenting Guide: Eight Essential Body Safety Conversations to Have with Your Kids by Julie Bemerer PsyD

 #partner @penguinrandomhouse Thanks for the free book  

Parenting has challenges and often especially first time parents struggle with certain topics. As a parent, you want to educate your kids on certain topics and not leave it up to the kindergarten teacher or the daycare mom. Teaching your kids of about boundaries is one such topic. Not just as it relates to body boundaries, but in general. Each chapter deals with a specific topic, such as saying No or identifying people you can trust and seek help from. Saying No may seem like a general option, but may not always work. What options are available then is one such important lesson this book helps parents explain to their kids. I found the chapters and the language used to be easy to follow. The author uses a number of tools, drawings, sample conversations and a general approach to use. I found this book to also comprehensively cover the topic of body boundaries and to realistically reflect how kids may approach the topic and what thought process they may have.  

 

This book is a guide for parents to teach kids, especially ages 3 to 6 about body boundaries. Touching on difficult topics, the book does a phenomenal job of helping parents cover these topics with young kids. Many chapters also have hints on what to do to expand the topic as the child gets older or asks more questions. 

 

A really good, easy to follow book for parents to help with covering this sensitive topic. I like that the author uses tools such as drawings in addition to explanations to help kids understand and parents to huide in these topics. 

available on amazon.com

 

This book was provided free of charge to me in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and have not influenced by any third party.  

Review = A Walk Down Memory Lane: Short Stories for Seniors to Spark Joy and Stay Sharp by Sarah Bracey White

#partner @penguinrandomhouse Thanks for the free book  

This is an interesting book. I contains short stories that can read in a few minutes. But the more important part is two-fold. There are guiding questions that both make the reader focus on the essentials of the story, maybe go back and focus while reading. As well as at least one question that is aimed at jogging the memory of the reader to events from their past life. 

 One story deals with a kid getting a pet and overcoming their fear of dogs. Another story deals with the first job, such as a paper route and asks what the reader's first job was. And then a story deals with pen pals, going back to a time when actual letters were still exchanged and the anticipation when a letter finally arrived.  

To me the book covers a nice variety of topics and experiences of people that are now either retired or approach retirement age. I think every reader will find some stories that resonate with them and remember some events of their youth. I also enjoyed the questions that related to events in the youth of the reader. While citing specific milestones, they were still generic enough that almost everyone can relate to the experiences such as a first pet or a the first job.

This is a really nice book by the author and I find it useful to pick topics to talk about with aging relatives who should read, but do not have the energy for a whole book. I should also mention that the book is in large print and so very easy to read by older readers.  

 

 

available on amazon.com

This book was provided free of charge to me in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and have not influenced by any third party.