"Winning Balance" by Shawn Johnson

The 2012 Olympic Games are quickly approaching. For me that means watching gymnastics. I love the gymnastic competitions. I've always enjoyed seeing the different competitions on balance beam, floor exercise, vault and uneven bars.

The product: If you're interested in learning more about Olympic Gold Medalist, Shawn Johnson, Winning Balance is a great book for you.

Twenty-year-old American gymnast Shawn Johnson is a four-time Olympic gold and silver medalist; a national- and world-champion athlete. Already a popular role model to all ages, in 2009 she captured the national spotlight again when she won the widely popular Dancing with the Stars. Yet Shawn is no stranger to hard work and adversity. Her loss of the major gymnastics prize everyone expected her to win in Beijing, the all-around Olympic gold medal, was the loss of a dream she’d worked for since childhood. And later, she suffered a potentially career-ending injury in a skiing accident that forced her life to a halt and made her rethink what was really important. She wasn’t sure who she was anymore. She wasn’t sure what her goals were. And she wasn’t sure she was satisfied with where she was with her faith and God. Could she find the right kind of success in life—the kind that doesn’t involve medals or trophies, but peace, love, and lasting joy? This is the amazing true journey of how the young woman who won an Olympic gold medal on the balance beam became even more balanced.

In the book you discover that Shawn Johnson decided to try to make a comeback in time for the 2012 Olympic games. After doing a little online research I read somewhere that she has officially retired from gymnastics as of the beginning of June. I guess that sadly means she won't be appearing in the Olympic games this year. Still...what a wonderful career she's had!

What I thought: As I already mentioned I've always enjoyed watching gymnastics during the summer Olympic Games. I don't follow gymnastics through the years. I'm a fair-weather fan. I just watch during the Olympics. I like learning about the gymnasts then. But there is so much that goes on leading up to the big games that we don't know about.

In Winning Balance gold medal winner Shawn Johnson tells about her road through gymnastics to become an elite gymnast. It was fun to hear about her time training at the infamous Karoyli camp. And I really liked hearing about her experience at the Olympic games. Of course you quickly learn that it's a little different for gymnasts than other athletes, because of the strict guidelines they follow for practices and meals.

If you're even a minor gymnastics fan like me, you'll enjoy this book. Learning more about a well-known Olympic winner is pretty neat. And learning all about her attitude towards the sport is even better. Not only does Johnson share her journey, she tells about all the life lessons that she's learned along the way.

Where to buy: Winning Balance by Shawn Johnson is available in stores and online now.

How to connect: You can learn more about gymnast Shawn Johnson on her website- http://www.shawnjohnson.net. She is also on Twitter and Facebook.



*Disclaimer: I received this product to review. All opinions are my own.*