I also use a few DVD's which helped me really focus and complete a full routine. I have several yoga DVD's from Gaiam that I like a lot! But yoga is not that great for bone loss. I also bought a Kathy Smith DVD, "Personal Trainer", but only use the weight lifting section of Kathy's DVD's but with the resistance method outlined in this book (Kathy can be annoying but it helps me to follow the routine)
I agree with a lot of the criticisms, but here is why I like it for beginners:
1. Provides list of body measurements and fitness measurements. This is in chapter 5 and not much interesting before this (thus the wordy criticisms). There is nothing new here but he describes where to take the body measurements, discusses BMI, describes how to approximate your endurance and has you put it in a chart to track your progress.
2. He describes exercises and gives you a training schedule. Okay this is for beginners! Nothing new. I found the list of exercises corresponded closely with the weight lifting section of the Katy smith DVD "personal trainer" except for the method of lifting.
3. I found some helpful information about nutrition, advice on equipment, discussion about bone density but they are buried by wordiness so I can't rate it too high. I don't pay any attention to the recipes.
At the heart of AstroFit is a new, slow-motion E-Centric resistance-training regimen based on Dr. William J. Evans' breakthrough muscle-building research for NASA. Evans, one of the country's foremost advocates of slow resistance training, details his innovative strength-training regime centered on raising and lowering weights slowly to build more muscle. In just 30 minutes per workout -- and without any special equipment -- AstroFit helps you to shed extra pounds and retain a powerful, youthful body for the rest of your life. Dr. Evans also provides menus for two weeks of protein-rich meals that fuel your muscles, leave you energized, and allow you to eat for optimum health without hunger. And because it may sound too good to be true, first-person before and after accounts from his test subjects attest to incredible successes achieved in just ninety days!
The AstroFit program grew out of extensive scientific research. On long space journeys, accelerated "aging" occurs as a result of prolonged weightlessness, causing crippling muscle and bone loss, as well as balance problems. The dramatic need for a program of age reversal for astronauts became a call to action for Dr. Evans, an expert adviser to NASA. As a result of his remarkable initiatives, astronauts now in training for an eventual mission to Mars will return in good health. Better still, readers of AstroFit can achieve the same age-reversal benefits right here on earth.
With AstroFit you will: Prevent muscle loss and increase muscle growth, while trimming and sculpting your body ? Stop bone loss and osteoporosis ? Improve balance while enhancing muscle "memory" ? Ensure permanent loss of body fat ? Reset your metabolism level ? Boost your immune system to maximum levels!