It is natural to want to look your best as a mother, and Christine Amour-Levar insists that her book is not about encouraging selfishness or an obsession with vanity: “Getting your figure back is just the beginning. It opens up countless opportunities for you to grow in confidence and positivity.”
But she also acknowledges that it can be frustrating as a mother (new or old) to desire change or some self-improvement but lack the proper guidelines and tools to achieve it: “I wrote this book because I wanted to share with other mothers the physical and mental tools that helped me get my body and my groove back...”
The ‘groove’ is not some vague byword but expressed as a sense of confidence and fullfilment as a woman. The book is not to be dismissed by the average mother, because Amour-Levar has had four children.
This book is user-friendly-- organised into 19 handy chapters, each introduced with a witty famous quote, filled with personal anecdotes and advice, as well as facts and research to help you on your journey of motherhood.
The book’s tone is straightforward- instant miracles and quick fixes are not promised by this book, and Amour-Levar stresses a high level of personal commitment. The suggestion to set a viable and yet flexible timeline (six months to two years) is sure to offer relief to new mothers concerned about fitting into their old clothes again. Amour-Levar’s focus is not on short solutions but to developing healthier long-term habits.
Any new diet and exercise plan generates the questions of feasibility and accessibility to equipment or a gym. Amour-Levar recommends convenient options such as walking, Pilates exercises which are easily done at home on a mat, as well as dance classes for the more ambitious. The diet plan is simple to prepare and busy mothers can find the recipes easily adaptable and delicious to prepare for mealtimes.
I found that the most important thing to take away from Amour-Levar’s book is that our bodies are more open to change than we believe and mental obstacles can be greater than any physical challenges. Give the book a chance and it will find an indispensable place in your arsenal for looking your best.
Click here for more info on the book.
Review by Eeleen Lee
Of French and Filipino descent, Christine Amour-Levar is a freelance writer, sports editor and marketing consultant currently based in Singapore, where she lives with her husband and four children. She grew up between Manila, Paris and Tokyo, and has travelled extensively due to her many work commitments.
Christine’s career started in Japan in advertising, where after graduating Cum Laude from Sophia University in Tokyo, with a BA in Business and Economics and a minor in Japanese language, she joined the firm of McCann-Erickson as an account executive. Her experience in advertising, her language skills (she speaks six languages: French, English, Spanish, Japanese, Tagalog and conversational Portuguese) and her passion for sports, consequently led her to work in marketing for Nike in the United States, Latin America, France and Singapore.
After her stint running the Marketing Department for Nike Singapore from 2005 to 2007, Christine saw a gap in the market for Brazilian fashion, which persuaded her to launch Singapore’s first and only Brazilian multi-brand fashion boutique, Beijaflor. She then successfully sold her business in 2010, and currently contributes articles to various regional publications such as Harper’s Bazaar Magazine Singapore, while also working as a consultant with the Special Olympics Asia Pacific regional office.
The Smart Girl’s Handbook to Being MUMMYLICIOUS is published by Asia Pacific Publishing Pte Ltd in hard cover (with 164 pages), and will be available for sale at $24.95 SGD at all major bookstores in Singapore and Malaysia starting April 2012, and in the Philippines and Hong Kong by May 2012.
It will also be available starting mid-April 2012 on www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and via the book’s own website: www.thesmartgirlshandbook.com.