Natural Fitness

by Bob Jackson-Paris and Bob Paris

Book Overview

Stressing moderation and safety, fitness icon Bob Paris shows how anyone can build muscle, increase stamina and improve fitness without drugs, steroids and dangerous exercise previously associated... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446670294
• ISBN13: 9780446670296
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 266 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 8.4" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

The Real Deal

Because he was a champion bodybuilder, Paris begins, he's the ideal fitness book author. While sometimes championship bodybuilders go on to author terrible books, Paris has given us a great book with Natural Fitness. Taking a mind-body, rational approach to structuring change, the book helps you develop a commitment to your fitness habit by first exploring your priorities and reasons underlying why you work out, and then developing a sound, effective exercise program of weights and cardiovascular training. If you are able to commit to going to going to a gym in addition to doing regular aerobic exercise, this book will give you a good start. The list of exercises is more than enough for a beginner, but lacks the large-body muscle lifts any athlete will know, such as power cleans, deadlifts, and push presses. These more challenging (and therefore very effective, if somewhat harder to teach) exercises never make it into this book, which I wish had more exercises and less philosophy. People into the emerging whole-food, vegetarian/macrobiotic trend in nutrition might take exception to the nutritionally adaequate somewhat pedestrian diet suggestions, which abound with insipid dishes like baked potato, nonfat cottage cheese, cauliflower and spaghetti sauce (for more tasty healthful meals consider supplementing this book with the Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites Cookbook). Despite its shortcomings this is a fine book you can use to change your body and build a lifelong, healthful habit of gym and aerobic exercise.

Rational Fitness

Since purchasing Bob Paris' book "Natural Fitness" about 10 weeks ago, I have gone through a lot of changes. I made progress toward my weight loss goal of 35 pounds (25 down, 10 to go) I totally changed my diet, built some muscle, and began to look inside to see the things that were driving me on and off a healthy lifestyle. This is what the book is all about: the whole packsage. Paris makes a point of saying that physical health without corresponding progress in mind, emotions, and spirit is a hollow shell. He also asks the reader to delve into his or her motives for fitness in the first place and see what lurks below the surface. It has been an awesome experience because I have been a "hot and cold" fitness buff forever. Well, I'm 47 now, and the "cold" side could have dire consequences for me, so I bought the book. I am so glad I did. This book has everything a person can need to change from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one. It offers tips on the whole person, food, meals, exercises, routines, etc... and challenges our (my) tendency to look for quick fixes for long term problems. This book is real. It is honest and detailed. It has gotten me so stoked that I'm going to buy Paris' "Flawless", the 10 week phyique transformation manual. I feel I'm ready for that one because "Natural Fitness" has prepared me physically and mentally.

Thoughtful advice on creating a healthy lifestyle

This book focuses on introspection and examining your own goals and reasons for becoming fit. Motivation and a balanced approach toward a maintainable fittness program are stressed. It has a slightly philosophical tone, if you like that kind of thing (which I do). After reading this book and applying some of the ideas, I now bike to work and home (30 mi) 3 times a week, I lift weights 3 times a week, and on weekends ... mountain biking and hiking! I have lost 20 pounds, and I feel better then I have in years.