I purchased Strong Women Stay Young almost two years ago, and it has changed my life. I used to have trouble lifting a case of soda, now I can change the water bottle to my cooler. I have a question regarding reps and sets. I do 13 various exercises at my gym. I go either two or three times per week. I have been doing 12 reps of each exercise for some time. My daughter says I should do two sets of each exercise, but I feel if I am already doing 13 different exercises once is enough. If I have time to do two sets sometimes, but not always, is that okay?

Most experts now say that one set is sufficient if you're doing more than 10 strengthening exercises at high intensity. So what you're doing is okay - but if you can manage two sets, it will really boost your workouts.

For women who are doing six or eight exercises at home, I strongly recommend two sets of eight repetitions. Our research has shown that's highly effective.

Women who want to go further with strength training sometimes ask me to recommend sources for additional exercises. Here are four excellent books: