Book Nook: LL Cool J on diet and lifestyle

LL COOL J'S PLATINUM 360 DIET AND LIFESTYLE: A Full-Circle Guide to Developing Your Mind, Body and Soul, by LL Cool J, with David "Scooter" Honig, Chris Palmer and Jim Stoppani. Rodale, 230 pp., $29.99.

You see the cover photo of rapper/actor/entrepreneur LL Cool J, pumped, tattooed and brimming with confidence, and you think, OK - lots of weightlifting stuff here.

There is. (He's earned those biceps.)

But there's also plenty you won't expect - the "mind" and "soul" stuff - that's inspiring, even rather touching. From "Dare to Be Great" to "Adapt, Adjust, and Above All, Never Stop Learning," LL Cool J shows there's more to life than being cool.

THE SCOOP Detailed explanations/photos of workouts will help you in the gym (a buff woman demonstrates, too), while the nutrition plan emphasizes healthy eating. Check out the recipe for Lox Rolls (you might not even miss that bagel).

THE BOTTOM LINE "The things worth going after will be at the end of very difficult roads," he writes. "That's the way life works. Get used to it."