Photos in a fitness book?

I'm not an expert but I've seen an awful lot of fitness books, and in some of them it was the authors who posed for the pictures. In one or two cases, even the author's family!

I'd even think this would add credibility, especially if the author is a fitness coach him/herself. They can see you practice what you preach

Photos would be an excellent addition, especially if you or others who practice your techniques were the subject of them. It would be more realistic to pose yourself instead of a model.

In my opinion, seeing a person hired to do the exercises would only tell the reader that the person in the pictures was paid to do the exercises and doesn't actually portray someone who uses your method to get the results. It would also add to your credibility and be very informative and helpful. Not to mention that your readers would be better able to identify with you personally. Models (any kind, not specifically fashion ones) have a tendancy to look fake and I think people associate them with altered photographs and trying to "sell" something.

Also, I think the photos would be a selling point to a publisher. I mean, if they hated them but liked your book, the worst thing they would do is say that they were going to take them out.

However, when you pitch the book for publishing, you may consider explaining why you chose to use pictures of yourself...such as the realism aspect.

But I think it's a great idea. If you wrote a book for kids about how to do science projects, you would certainly use pictures, otherwise whats the point?

Good luck