15 Minutes to Fit: The Simple 30-Day Guide to Total Fitness, 15 Minutes At A Time

by Zuzka Light, Jeff O'Connell

YouTube workout video star Zuzka Light presents her long-awaited debut fitness book, with a 30-day fitness regime of powerful, effective 15-minute workouts. Filming first from a tiny basement in Prague, and eventually settling in Los Angeles, Zuzka Light has single-handedly ushered in the YouTube fitness revolution. Viewers love Light for her short, ferociously effective workouts and her in-the-trenches, never-give-up positive attitude—and she’s racked up more than half a billion views to prove it.Now, finally, comes 15 Minutes to Fit, Light’s hotly anticipated debut, with a 30-day fitness plan guaranteed to burn fat and build ripped muscles. Based on innovative high-intensity interval training, the workouts in 15 Minutes to Fit are designed to be done anywhere, anytime (no fancy gym equipment necessary), in just 15 minutes a day. This book takes the guesswork out of the workout,    •  A 30-day workout plan to whip your body into shape—in 15 minutes a day or less   •  A companion meal plan, with delicious and healthful recipes for each day   •  Step-by-step photographs throughout to illustrate proper form for the workouts   •  Quick facts on health and nutrition to help readers separate fact from fiction   •  Support and motivation from Light, who overcame many obstacles to become the female face of fitnessAs Light says, “Give me 15 minutes a day and I’ll give you a badass body.” Coauthored by New York Times–bestselling author Jeff O’Connell, 15 Minutes to Fit is the book legions of fans have been waiting for.

Genres: Nonfiction, Fitness, Self Help, Health

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 29, 2015

Reviews

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was impressed with Zuzka's book! Now I can't wait to see what else she will release. I've tried other personal trainers' at home workouts but she really stood out from the rest. She makes me care about exercising and eating right. I've stumbled across her BodyRock videos and have become a fan! Zuzka tailors it to the females but of course males can use this book too.

I appreciate how she included her personal struggles in her book which is inspiring and satisfied my curiosity about Zuzka's past. Due to me taking a long break after having a child, I liked how the book catered to beginners (also great for the experienced). I bought the kindle version and was leery on how the images would show up, but was surprised they were easy to view. Most have at least 3 images per workout to make sure you're following proper form.

One of my favorite sections of the book is chapters 6 & 7. All about how to fuel yourself. I would overwhelm myself on too much information on what to eat. These chapters helped me realize I don't need to buy into any certain brands and that counting calories isn't always necessary. It has a DIY feel to it which makes healthy eating accessible to everyone.

Zuzka gives and gives! I mean it! She has several videos on YouTube that are free, regularly updates her site and talks to her fans. So why not buy the book to show your appreciation?

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

These workouts are geared for people who already have a higher than average level of fitness, not beginners.

Having said that, I enjoyed the tone of the book. I also watched some of her videos and you can see how much she pushes herself in her daily 15 minutes. This is a book to save for the day when you are bored and unchallenged by bodyweight basics (squats, lunges, pushups, planks, etc).

[Htb2050 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It takes great courage to admit what she admits in the first few pages.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, this isn't a great book. I love Zuzka's workouts and I love her outlook on fitness and life in general (it's hard to believe she's so positive despite everything she's been through) but this just felt very VERY basic.

There's also a lot of anecdotal information about nutrition - this worked for her, and that's great, but that doesn't mean it will work for everyone. Hers is close to the paleo/primal diet, though she never says that, and it's very low carb (she says she keeps her carbs below 50!) and higher fat. Not exactly vegetarian friendly.

I didn't read this for the nutrition though. I read it for the fitness part. I mean, it's called 15 min to FIT so you'd think that the majority (if not all) of the book would be about fitness and workouts, but....nope. There's about 2 chapters total, maybe 10% of the book and ONE WEEK of workouts. Granted there are great pictures to go with the moves she says to do, but that's what google is for. And if you have done any of her workouts, you can figure them out.

[Patrick Goonan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple, effective and easy to digest

This book is probably best for younger audiences. However, the basic concepts are applicable to anyone. It is a time efficient way to get fit.

[Zdenka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skvělá kniha... přehledná, plná zajímavých a hlavně praktických informací. Ráda se k ní opakovaně vracím a vřele doporučuji!

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was an enjoyable light read and the workouts added some much-needed variety to my workouts. (I have been exercising on a fairly regular basis for several years.) The book included 30 fifteen minute long workouts which consisted only of bodyweight exercises. The exercises are for intermediate to advanced athletes. Some of the exercises are quite challenging (including single leg pistol squats, flying burpees, prisoner get-ups and advanced variations of push-ups). Some of the exercises have modifications for easier versions. The book also included a handful of recipes and some basic nutrition advice. I cooked up some of the recipes for my family and they love them.

This book is good if you have been exercising for a while and are looking to add some variety to their workouts and/or are looking for some quick workouts that can be completed anywhere, anytime.

(As a side note... I do not believe that Zuzka only workouts 15 minutes a day as stated in the book.)

[Tori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Admittedly I skimmed through this book. I picked this up from my local library after hearing about it from multiple book blogs I follow. I have seen a few of Zuzka Light's YouTube videos prior to picking up her book because my trainer would use some of her burpee exercises for our bootcamp, but I had no idea it was the same person until I started reading her book.

One of the reasons I ended up skimming through this book is because I wasn't able to connect with Zuzka's voice and tone. Many of the things discussed in this book seemed superficial and she came across a bit condescending. The perfectly placed and staged pictures of her throughout the chapters didn't help with this. I felt like she was writing a book because she doesn't quite understand why people wouldn't like working out and eating right. So she gives us her plan because obviously it works for her and she loves it so we must all be doing something wrong. She does try to tackle this in her book and admits she is one of the few that loves working out, but even after this admission the condescending tone never quite went away for me. It could just be I was looking for a more motivating and less "well, why aren't you already doing this because you could look as good as me" attitude.

Some of the things I did enjoy about the book were an easy guideline for daily caloric intake based on your weight and goals (pg 85), an easy portion size guide using your palms/hands (pg 87), an explanation about the main 3 food groups to focus on to maintain health, a few of the recipes that I'll probably copy and save for later (it does help when you notice that the same dressing is used in multiple recipes), and of course the actual workout plans and examples of the exercises. I do think that some of the exercises might be much more intense than people are expecting when they pick up this book simply based on the title, but if you have watched her YouTube videos then hopefully most will understand why these 15 minute workouts work so well. I also liked the idea of her "21-item grocery list" (pg 68) until I realized that it's not really 21 items as much as it is 21 categories, but it is a good starting point.

I look forward to implementing her 15 minute workouts and also focusing on a calorie deficit with some help from her portion guidelines and 4 hour eating schedule. But other than the workouts, I did not gain much additional health information from Zuzka's book that I didn't already know. Nothing in her book made me want to get up and start making changes immediately.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't get this to lose weight. I saw that the co-author was made popular by her Youtube videos and so I was intrigued. I haven't heard of Zuzka Light before and I use Youtube quite frequently. She seems to have accomplished alot. The style of the book is minimal and simple. I liked the parts where she talked about what made her interested in exercise, debunking why you might not lose weight even if you exercise and how to calculate your calorie intake based on your weight and level of activity. Especially because she included the column for those who want to gain weight. I feel most health books focus on losing it.

But I felt that the writing was rather fake at times. I read the sentence "my workouts are effective" numerous times. I wanted to roll my eyes because it felt like preaching. Some parts of the book are dry so I skipped them. You should know that I watched Freelee's view on the video Zuzka did on what she eats. It was surprising and definitely affected my perception. While Zuzka encourages consuming healthy food like fruits and vegetables. I find that hard to connect with her video. I don't agree that coffee is healthy too. Zuzka is positive but her plan does not work for everyone.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time rating this book. I thought parts of it deserved a 4-5 star, while some parts were only 2-3 star. I really liked the concept of exercising every day for only 15 minutes, which has worked well for me in the past. And I liked that you don't need to buy any equipment for her workouts. Most of her recipes looked delicious and relatively easy to prepare, and I'd like to try some of her workouts online. But her motivation chapters fell flat for me, and although I agreed with the concept of exercising for the sake of becoming strong and healthy (not so you can look better), I disagreed with some of her other ideas/philosophy. Overall, the book was quick and easy to read and seemed like a very effective workout plan.

[jujuthebeezle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An appealing, clearly written and informative approach to health and fitness. The strength is really in the workouts. She gives you 30 days of workouts that can be done in 15 minutes anywhere, no equipment necessary. There are photos of how to complete all the moves, although it may be helpful to access her YouTube channel to master the moves.

[Jackie McFarland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Z does it again!

I've been doing Zuzka's workouts for years and love them! After having our youngest daughter I needed a reset to riverbank in the my fitness routine. This book gave me a 30 day plan and now I'm ready to be back in the Zgym.

[Suzi Fevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written and informative book that goes well beyond just telling you, "here is your meal plan, here is your work out schedule". Honestly one of the best fitness books I've read in recent years!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been working out with Zuzka for 5 years now...great book! But if you are a member of her online gym the book isn't needed.