Soul Trainer

Soul Trainer
155 Pages
ISBN 1071097571

What do a Cuban refugee, an ex-con and a girl with a negative body-image possibly have in common? They each ‘find fitness’ as a way to survive and live their lives to the fullest, while giving back to those facing similar hardships.

Book Passage: “Sometimes it takes fictional characters with real life hardships and challenges, to be able to look deep inside ourselves and relate to what they’re going through. Although your own way of life may be very different than the lives portrayed by the three main characters you’re about to meet, surprisingly, you’ll find yourself embracing the struggles they go through and personal battles they overcome, to dig deep within yourself to make the physical changes you know you need to in your own life.

The first character you’ll encounter is Carlos Santangelo, who dreams of escaping Cuba and starting a new life in America. Carlos is done with liv¬ing under a government that controls every¬one’s life. He dreams of freedom and thinks more and more each day of trying to escape. But how? The only thing he truly owns and has control over while living in Cuba, is his powerfully sculpted body. Heavy stones, discarded pieces of metal and hefty tree limbs make up his workout equipment and he trains his body with the ferocity and passion of a lion.

And then there’s Jasmine, who grew up overweight and labeled ‘big-boned’, by her family and friends. She’s tried every diet and workout under the sun, each one luring her into a false sense of promise and hope, only to result in repeat failure and humiliation. Jasmine considers herself not just a girl, but a ‘fat girl’. It defines her as a person.

Against her better judgment, Jasmine’s girlfriends suggest that they hit a Friday happy hour at a local Tiki bar hotspot, where by chance encounter, she meets Kevin, a personal trainer, who is instantly attracted to Jasmine’s curves and alluring personality. He sees something in Jasmine, that she can’t see in herself, and it makes her extremely desirous. Through Kevin’s actions, confessions about his own human frailties and endearing words of encouragement, Jasmine takes charge and ‘becomes the change’ in her own life, devoting her new inner voice and self-assurance as a way to empower other women to overcome their emotional and physical hurdles, and live life with greater acceptance, purpose and self-compassion.

Next, you will come face to face with Carlito, born and raised on the streets, with no family, no education and nowhere to turn, except to become a vicious gang member and commit heinous crimes, so he can survive and belong to something, even if it’s the wrong kind of something. Carlito’s demented life is a runaway train to prison, where you’ll spend time with him, while he does time, and experience first-hand, his fears, daily horrors and physical torment. With the help of a Corrections Officer named Ray - who struggles with his own set of demons arising from his line work, a broken marriage and feeble attempts to drink his feelings away, Carlito ‘finds fitness’ as a way to develop his self-confidence, change his destiny and fight like hell for a second chance. Despite their conflicting roles in prison, through a mutual love of fitness, Carlito and Ray forge a lifelong bond of trust and friendship, while creating opportunities for corrections officers and prisoners to find common ground and develop a renewed sense of purpose, worthiness and self-respect.

Fitness gives you the chance to rewrite chapters in your life and create your own destiny.

So much of who a person is comes down to where they put their passions and what breathes life into their soul.”

Len Glassman

About Len Glassman (North Jersey Author)

Len Glassman

Len Glassman is a Master Level Personal Trainer & Certified Health Nutritionist, Author, Speaker, Fitness Entrepreneur, Health Coach & Health Advocate

Len works extensively with health and wellness professionals, including physicians, gynecologists, physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists and other health and wellness facilitators to develop a coordinated and comprehensive approach to working with clients, especially those dealing with soft tissue conditions, such as lower back, shoulder, knee and neck, as well as chronic health issues, such as MS, cancer, arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure, in addition to women’s health issues, such as menopause, osteoporosis, thyroid, pelvic floor and stubborn weight-loss.

He recently published a novel titled Soul Trainer, a ‘fictional fitness’ series of inspirational stories, deeply personal struggles and uphill battles against unbelievable odds, where fitness is the only way out, available for purchase at https://www.lenglassman.com.

Soul Trainer takes us on a journey, where fictional characters with troubled lives, ‘find fitness’ as a way to overcome insurmountable obstacles, while challenging readers to gain control over their lives ‘from the outside in’.