If we are going to take care of our families, we need to be sure we are taking care of ourselves. These two books can help insure that you are feeling your best. You can enter to win a copy of either of these books at the bottom of the post.

In Lean Mommy, Lisa Druxman encourages and instructs the new mom about ways to get fit after pregnancy and stay fit. I related so well to the introduction, in which the author said that she had her best lesson in personal health while she was pregnant. Like Ms. Druxman, I paid close attention to my nutrition and activity to best feed the baby and manage my weight gain as well. It should be no less important for us to focus on our health while we are raising them after pregnancy.

The author presents 10 Common Post-Pregnancy Challenges–what your new body faces and what you can do about it. Conquering negative body image and having the proper motivation is another helpful section. The majority of the book is devoted to the Lean Mommy plan (Stroller Strides), which are exercises that you can do with your baby using only a few simple props. Each exercise is described, giving technique tips when the user might encounter difficulties, and there is a picture of each as well. You can also find out more about the Stroller Strides program on their website.

Two chapters on nutrition round out this comprehensive guide for new moms. Super foods and foods to avoid are included in handy charts, and there is no diet plan given that every person must follow.

This is a common-sense guide that would be helpful to any new mom, whether she’s having her first child or her fourth.

Hormones, Health and Happiness

This book was a surprisingly easy read. I was expecting boring statistics and long medical terms (even if the information rang true), but Steven Hotze has written a very easy-to-understand book about the problems that plague so many women. There is no doubt that women must deal with hormones. It starts in puberty, continues with every monthly cycle, goes totally wack-o during pregnancy and for years afterwards, and then menopause comes along. Hormones affect us. What Steven Hotze has found is a link to hormonal imbalances to other conditions such as allergies, yeast, fatigue, weight gain, and so much more. By properly evaluating your hormone levels (which is not as simple as the blood test that many doctors do), and then supplementing with bioidentical hormones, these symptoms alleviate or disappear. In other chapters, vitamins and a proper diet are addressed when needed to treat certain conditions as well. Hormones, Health and Happiness makes sense, and empowers each woman to continue seeking help until her symptoms are gone, as opposed to many doctors who will dismiss your concern about these problems that most women are just supposed to deal with. Chapter One begins:

Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?

Are you weary of doctors who won’t listen to you, don’t understand you, and offer only prescription drugs as the solution to your health problems?

Are you frustrated with being told that your blood tests are normal and there is nothing wrong with you?

There is an appendix in the book that helps you self-identify certain conditions, but there is also a link on his website. If you find yourself in any of these areas, this would definitely be an eye-opening read for you.

We have three copies of each of these books that can ship to either the U.S. or Canada. Please leave a comment and tell which book that you would like (if you are interested in both of them, please list your first choice). Check next week’s column for more giveaways and recommendations and to see if you have won. Scroll down to the next post for last week’s winners.