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GirlForce

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 38 ratings · 9 reviews

Welcome to GirlForce, an exciting new lifestyle brand for tween and teen girls that is simply irresistible. At its core, Girl Force is based on an ancient science called Ayurveda that says our bodies are made of three elemental energies: Fire, Air, and Earth. And with just two quick quizzes about body and mind you can determine your Body Type. Air girls are outgoing and cr...more

Paperback, 224 pages

Published May 12th 2009 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

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Jan 21, 2011 Dreamergirl99 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great book, that really surprised me. It's very logical (for example taking a bath, lowers stress), and I liked how it had a point of view rather than just saying BE yourself, it was taking a deeper look into "How do I do it?". It makes you look more into yourself and get to know yourself more. I know it sounds wierd but I think being yourself is sometimes the hardest of all. Why do you think there are so many actors/actresses today, because it's easier to step out of life and pretend than take...more

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Jul 20, 2010 Christi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Summary: Based on the ancient medical system of India, Ayurveda, GirlForce is a guide for young girls for body and soul. Through a series of quizzes, girls can find out their body type: Air, Fire, and Earth. Once a body type is established, the rest of the book provides a series of remedies, recipes, therapies, and programs for each body type including diet, exercise, stress management, relationships, and life balance.

Review: GirlForce is “a Girl’s Guide to the Body and Soul.” By taking quizzes,...more

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Jun 16, 2013 Warrior of the trees rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Teen and Preteen girls

This book makes girls feel so much better about their bodies, personalities, and style. I loved this book it gave me so many good tips according to your more dominant element (Air- creative, outgoing, smart Fire- Strong, active, competitive Earth- laid back, compassionate, devoted). I am so happy with my body now! I don't really think of my flaws anymore (even though its only been a day). And I am really excited about every aspect of life now!

Thanks so much Nikki, you have changed my point of vi...more

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Feb 25, 2011 Ana Mardoll rated it 4 of 5 stars

GirlForce / 978-1-59990-354-5

This attractive book, loaded with photographs and colored pages, looks very much like a combination of a popular teen magazine and a regular large-sized novel.

The basic premise of the book - that people can be divided into three 'elemental' types (Air, Fire, and Earth - oddly, no Water) and that diet, exercise, and general lifestyle recommendations can be derived from your elemental type is very straightforward, and the author is careful to point out that "everyone i...more GirlForce / 978-1-59990-354-5

This attractive book, loaded with photographs and colored pages, looks very much like a combination of a popular teen magazine and a regular large-sized novel.

The basic premise of the book - that people can be divided into three 'elemental' types (Air, Fire, and Earth - oddly, no Water) and that diet, exercise, and general lifestyle recommendations can be derived from your elemental type is very straightforward, and the author is careful to point out that "everyone is unique" and that readers will need to "find the approach that works best" for them.

The book opens with descriptions of the three elemental types, along with a multiple choice quiz to determine your own elemental type. I was mildly uncomfortable with one of the questions categorizing people's skin type and color into elemental types ("I'm considered dark-skinned for my race", or "I'm pale"). It is one thing to categorize people based on metabolism, but skin color is a bit different, in my opinion. Unfortunately for myself, I scored near-equal points in all three categories. The author cautions that this can happen, and to just try to figure out my best fit apart from the quiz.

After figuring out your elemental type, the book moves on to lifestyle recommendations. Each elemental type has a detailed food list. This section is largely very good: don't eat when you're not hungry, worry about nutrition instead of weight, avoid over processed foods, eat six servings of fruits and vegetables a day, practice sensible portion control, avoid caffeine and high-sugar drinks, don't force yourself to eat things you hate, etc. Some of the specific advice is a little odd, but not overtly harmful. For instance, Air types are told to generally favor cooked vegetables to raw ones, but raw vegetables generally have more vitamins and nutrients in them. Still, getting me as a teenager to eat vegetables at all was a major accomplishment, so whatever helps.

Next comes the exercise recommendations, and the author correctly recommends that daily exercise really is a must, but that exercise should be fun and *not* painful. She recommends finding a pleasant activity (and suggests several) to engage in daily, and recommends early exercise schedules (and early bedtimes in order to stick with them!) for consistency. Multiple yoga poses, with careful instructions for each, are shown according to elemental type, with both pictures and photographs to illustrate. Goldstein recommends exercise for health, not for weight-loss, and correctly recommends consulting your family doctor before beginning any new exercise routine.

After the diet and exercise advice, we're still less than halfway through this generous book. The following chapters deal with everything from makeup tips, clothing advice, relaxation techniques, stress management routines, self-esteem building exercises, and so much more. Although the advice is regimented into elemental type, each section is useful and interesting reading, even if the type isn't 'your' type.

What I appreciate most about this book is the constant theme that each young woman is a wonderful, special person who is unique (a tricky thing to emphasize in a book that categorizes everyone on earth into three types!). Goldstein manages to maintain, amongst all the advice, that each person knows her own body best and must listen to her body and have faith in their instincts. And she does all this in a fun, light-hearted tone that I believe most teenagers will appreciate.

While the basic philosophy and balancing techniques are credited here with Eastern origins, the philosophy espoused here is fairly simple and should, I think, be compatible with most if not all religions. Certainly, the idea of categorizing people is not new, whether it be by 'elemental' temperament or by multiple Meyer-Briggs knock-off tests or by animal comparisons, and so on.

As a bottom line, I would definitely recommend this book to young women as a colorful and enjoyable read. The advice is good enough, on the whole, and definitely more affirming and positive than the usual "you're ugly and you need to buy all our special food, makeup, clothes, and hair care products in order to rectify it" messages that seem to abound in so many of today's magazines. I do need to note, however, that the advance copy that I was sent fell apart at the spine on the same day I read it. Perhaps it was just a fluke, but it might be worth investing in the hardcover over the paperback, as those tend to be bound tighter.

NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through Amazon Vine.

~ Ana Mardoll(less)

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Sep 09, 2009 Haley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2009, young-adult, favorites

Really cool book based on the ancient, mystical science of Aryuveda: is your body/personality type air, water, or earth?

Mine was Earth. After you take the quiz it has a lot of info on what's the best for this type. What's the best diet, exercise, relationship, way to de-stress, wardrobe/make-up, along with a detailed personality profile.

Here are some random suggestions that might be interesting

Air:

Most dairy foods are good.

Excels most at yoga, Tai Chi, and swimming.

Keep lip balm handy, since li...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the books by this author. They were really inspiring. I think she has made a couple more that aren't on her goodreads page, some I've read

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Mar 31, 2013 Miranda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fabulous-life

I love this book!

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Jul 30, 2009 Satia rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wish the author had used the traditional Ayurvedic terms so that when the reader outgrows this book she could continue exploring. For a more thorough review:

http://satia.blogspot.com/2009/07/gir...

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Feb 14, 2009 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: er-review-books, non-fiction

A really good holistic guide for girls -- including exercise, diet, personality, stress-relief and interaction with other people. My 12 yo spent the day going through it, getting tips, ideas, thoughts, and food plans in order to become her "best" self. (At the very least, it's a lot of fun as a personality book; she's "Air", I'm "Earth"...) Available in the US on May 12, 2009.

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Jun 02, 2013 Maddison Wallace added it · review of another edition

Shelves: own

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May 25, 2013 Jessica added it · review of another edition

Shelves: my-books

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