Burn: The Burn Boot Camp 5-Step Strategy for Inner and Outer Strength

“Moving your body is the first step to changing your life,” according to this uninspired debut. Spouses Devan and Morgan Kline, who founded the Burn Boot Camp gym franchise, outline a five-part plan that involves developing a workout routine, adopting a positive mindset, eating nutritious foods, following through toward one’s goals, and drawing motivation from loved ones. Unfortunately, their breakdown of how to follow each step will leave readers scratching their heads. For instance, the authors encourage changing one’s mindset by developing emotional intelligence, but their explanation of how to do so consists only of vague directives to “know yourself and your feelings.” Throughout, stories of individuals who turned their life around after joining a Burn Boot Camp gym feel self-serving, as when the Klines share the story of a Florida woman who credits working out at their gym with helping her quit smoking and taking Adderall. There are useful sample workout plans and dietary suggestions (e.g., London broil steak and potatoes is a healthier alternative to rib-eye steak and fries), but the guidance is otherwise hazy and unhelpful. Readers looking to change their exercise and eating habits would be better off with Kelly and Juliet Starrett’s Built to Move. Agent: Tom Miller, Liza Dawson Assoc. (June)