Trade Paperback
pages
Apr 2005
Harvest House Publishers

Review  |   Author Bio  |  Read an Excerpt

Review:

Have you been practicing the Sumo diet --heavy on the carbs and calories-- without realizing it? Laurette Willis offers not so much a diet in BASIC Steps to Godly Fitness as a guide to healthy living, body, soul and spirit. As a matter of fact, the "BASIC" in the title means Body and Soul in Christ.

Willis, who was an overweight child, approaches her subject with humor, anecdotes, and enthusiasm. She leads her readers into recognizing themselves and her when it comes to the Sumo diet and the spiritual act of "casting out calories." But she deals with issues such as the importance of drinking plenty of water, establishing a good diet, and exercise seriously. She also stresses the importance of the spiritual and emotional in building a healthy lifestyle.

Each chapter includes a section at the end for summarizing what you have read. She also shows pictures (using a real person, not a half-starved model) of exercises and PraiseMoves, exercises that replace yoga with healthy, Christ-praising flexibility movements. She invites readers to her website for more information.

Willis may lean toward the charismatic, but that does not detract from the value of the book for those who don't. She mentions spiritual affirmation and the curse of the law in ways that border on "name-it-and-claim-it," but she certainly is not pushy about it. BASIC Steps to Godly Fitness offers an enthusiastic, spiritual, and interesting approach to becoming healthier. -- Debbie W. Wilson, Christian Book Previews.com

Book Jacket:

Have you ever committed to a diet or an exercise program, only to lose interest and quit long before reaching your goal? Who hasn't?

Popular speaker and certified personal trainer Laurette Willis shows you why most diets do more harm than good. She offers a much more biblical and helpful whole-person approach to fitness--a lifestyle that will enrich your spirit, refresh your soul, and nourish your body. Her inspiring personal testimony and practical suggestions show you how to turn mundane daily activities and exercises into acts of worship.

Four simple guidelines help you focus on what you can eat, not what you can't. In addition, you'll find

• the Gimme Ten Workout--a series of ten-minute exercise routines
• PraiseMoves--a Christ-centered alternative to yoga
• Step-UP--a 21day program for a not-so-extreme makeover by God's design
• four Success Strategies for achieving maximum nutrition and weight loss
• recipes for healthy, enjoyable, and easy-to-prepare meals and snacks