Book Review: Body Back By Heather Porter

I recently received an advance review copy of the new book Body Back: Helping You Feel Like A Woman Again: The Mother's Handbook To Medical, Physical, And Emotional Well-Being by Heather Porter to review.


As a mom, you might feel like your identity has ran off without you. Instead of buying yourself designer shoes, you're searching clearance racks because your kids are outgrowing their shoes too fast. Hot showers that last more than two minutes are probably a thing of the past - either because your kids are too small to be left alone for long, or your teenager hogged all the hot water. And let's not forget the bang up job pregnancy does to our bodies - tiger stripe stretch marks, bellies that never quite get as flat as they once were, and oh yeah, that strange patch of underarm fat that sneaks up on us. Time alone? What's on Earth is that?!

Body Back is meant to help moms focus back on themselves and step aside from focusing on everyone else's needs, if just for a few minutes. Filled with tips and tricks on how to make your body spring back to normal after pregnancy (or at least try), to beauty tips, general health advice, and even advice on buying clothing that fits right, Body Back was written by Heather Porter is a mother of four children, with help from a couple of experts.

Some of these so called handbooks can drive me nuts because they are filled with advice that really only works if you have a maid and a nanny. There have been days over the last few years where the closest I come to getting to sit down during the day is using the bathroom! (Hey, I'm honest!) The hair styling products I once used now have a fine layer of dust on them because I've become a master at pulling my hair up so it can't get yanked on or fall in my face when I'm trying to make dough. And the spa? The spa is a dream at the back of my mind that I hang onto before I go completely mad. So frankly, it is nice to have a stack of information thrown into one pretty big sized book as a reminder to take a few minutes for myself each day. Even if there are some things that don't work for me, I liked the way it's been presented, especially the bite-sized "Body Back Tips" peppered throughout the book that I can grab onto and think about during the 30 seconds of reading time I might get some days - such as "If domestic chores and a crying baby are getting on top of you, get out of the house. Strap your baby into the buggy and make a break for it. Fresh air and exercise are good way of restoring you to rights."

Oh, I forgot to mention: the author is British. Buggy = stroller. Course, that idea is easier said that done when you live in a state that rains 90% of the year like I do, but hey she's right: fresh air calms the soul.

Normally, I would say that this book would be the perfect gift for the frazzled new mom in your life, but I'd tread carefully: you may end up getting thwaped with this book on your head if you present it wrong! (That goes for you, husbands.)

Visit the website here.

Body Back: Helping You Feel Like A Woman Again: The Mother's Handbook To Medical, Physical, And Emotional Well-Being by Heather Porter is a hardcover health and wellness book published by Clementine Publishing. It is 412 pages long. The suggested cover price is $29.95, and you can purchase it at your favorite local bookstore, or online via sites like Amazon.com. It is also available as an e-book for the Kindle and other e-readers.

I received a copy of this book in order to read it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own, and not that of the author(s) or publisher.