What I {Really, Truly} Read in 2018 + Plans for 2019

Once again, I’m slightly irked at people who post pictures of stacks of books they plan to read along with lengthy literary lists. Life just isn’t like that. I take my books one at a time, as I’m in the mood, circling back to old favorites, and keeping my “plan to read” list very short.

Honestly, I was surprised that the first blog I wrote about what I honestly read for work and fun in 2016 went over so well because I guess I didn’t realize y’all would be so interested. Maybe though, like me, you’re more motivated by what has actually been read than you are by what might be read.

Tolkein had my attention this year, and I read through the entire Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings series twice. It’s such good bedtime reading, and I began highlighting favorite passages. It’s pretty much the longest documented walking workout in all of fantasy fiction, right? If there was a fire in my house, I’d be grabbing that series and my Bible 😉

I read more books than are in this stack, but — oops — I forgot to record the library treasures I enjoyed. Not pictured is the new Pregnancy Fitness textbook written in part by my colleague, Kim Vopni, who is an expert contributor here on Fit2B. The Star Wars quote book was hilarious and great for connecting with my son, while “Just Mom & Me” is a fill-in journal I’m working on with my daughter. If you’ve never read the Divine Secrets Of The Ya Ya Sisterhood series, you are missing out on some funny, inspiring, empowering reading about the epic highs and lows of friends, mothers and daughters.

If you need a PLAN for your fitness and something to write and journal your progress, then Couch to Active by my friend Lyn Lindbergh is soooo good! We did a podcast with Lyn about “Grit Being Bogus” here on Fit2B Radio. I can’t say enough good things about Medial Therapeutic Yoga by Ginger Garner, but Pilates for Rehabilitation left me angry.

Ugh, if you’re wondering why it’s so hard to find good info about rehabbing cores, this is partly why. Poor info is still being published! In the above photo, you can see how the breath cue is backward! And they FAIL to list diastasis recti as a contraindication for this move! In this next image, they are saying to activate the pelvic floor by stopping the flow of urine which is a BIG NO-NO with all the true pelvic floor friendly pilates experts who are up on current research, like this one! When you’re peeing, you need to relax and not go against that relaxing process, or you can really mess things up more!

And, a strong bulging out of doming of the abdomen while performing any exercise doesn’t mean you are activating the more superficial abdominal muscles! Any dome or “tent” shape means your superficial rectus abs might be overactive, but more importantly it means you aren’t managing your core pressure right. It’s a sign of core weakness and diastasis recti, also known as an “ab gap.”
Check your belly for diastasis here and do our Pilates workouts for best results.

In the first rendition of this blog — clear back at the end of 2016 — I wrote that I was hoping that I might maybe probably get to read the following short list during 2017:

• Teaching From Rest by Sarah Mackenzie
• The Adrenal Thyroid Revolution by Dr. Aviva Romm
• Heal Your Pain Now by Joe Tatta
• The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

Only two of those happened (Teaching From Rest and The Girl On The Train) but I ended up reading quite a few others despite needing neck surgery and spending 4 months not being able to really read much of anything!

See what I mean? We can make our plans, but life happens. We have to be flexible and open to reading all about disc replacements instead of thyroid revolutions. Turns out my pain wasn’t something that could be fixed by avoiding sugar, dairy, gluten, nor restorative motions. I had to get to the historical cause of the issue. . . . More on my neck recovery here.

So, this is what I actually read for fun in 2017:

• Illusion by Frank Peretti
• The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins
• The Essential Calvin & Hobbes Treasury by Bill Watterson
• Forager by Peter R. Stone
• Barren Waters by Julia Shupe
• Slow Burn by Bobby Adair
• Island Beneath The Sea by Isabel Allende
• The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani
• What The Dead Know by Laura Lippman
• Rubber Necker by Belinda Bauer
• Psychoanalysis by V.R. Stone
• One Second After by William R. Forstchen

Yeah, I went on a zombie ‘pocalypse kick there. One Second After and Barren Waters were my favorite fictions of 2017. I’ve always been intrigued by prepping and disaster preparedness. Here’s my one and only prepper blog, and I really enjoy finishing an “end times” novel and looking around at my peaceful life while pondering what I can do for my family and world to keep it that way.

What I read for personal encouragement and education

• Your Pelvic Floor: The Inside Story (I’m also featured in this one)
• A Midwife In Amish Country – I was blessed to be sent an advance copy of this amazing book!
• Teaching From Rest by Sarah Mackenzie
• Never Unfriended by Lisa Jo Baker
• Hygge Puzzles
• At Home In The World by Tsh Oxenrider

Hygge was my theme word for 2018, and I really liked that puzzle book because it had quotes and information on the concept alongside all the cozy-themed crosswords, mazes, and brainteasers. Hygge is a Danish word that “fits” our own style of fitness here on Fit2B where we are trying to help people connect to their cores right in their homes. Read more of my thoughts on #hyggefitness here in this blog.

For Fitness & Fun in 2019…

I’ve just ordered The Roll Model by Jill Miller and Dynamic Aging by Katy Bowman for a course I’m taking with them this year! For fun, I have Book Of Judges and Falling Leaves already sitting on my nightstand, and I need to finish my friend’s book, Deape Woods. Of course, it should go without saying that I’ll be reading my Bible, but I’ll state my plans to read more of it anyway, especially as I dig in to write another study for my movement group at church.

Back to you: What are you reading this year? Have you read any of the same books I did? What did you think of them?